A
turbo generator is a
turbineA turbine is a rotary engine that extracts energy from a fluid or air flow and converts it into useful work.The simplest turbines have one moving part, a rotor assembly, which is a shaft or drum, with blades attached. Moving fluid acts on the blades, or the blades react to the flow, so that they...
directly connected to an electric generator for the generation of
electric powerElectric power is defined as the rate at which electrical energy is transferred by an electric circuit. The SI unit of power is the watt.When electric current flows in a circuit, it can transfer energy to do mechanical or thermodynamic work...
. Large
Steam poweredA steam turbine is a mechanical device that extracts thermal energy from pressurized steam, and converts it into rotary motion. Its modern manifestation was invented by Sir Charles Parsons in 1884....
turbo generators (steam turbine generators) provide the majority of the world's electricity and are also used by steam powered,
turbo-electricA turbo-electric transmission uses electric generators to convert the mechanical energy of a turbine into electric energy and electric motors to convert it back into mechanical energy to power the driveshafts....
ships
Smaller turbo-generators with
gas turbineA gas turbine, also called a combustion turbine, is a rotary engine that extracts energy from a flow of combustion gas. It has an upstream compressor coupled to a downstream turbine, and a combustion chamber in-between. Energy is added to the gas stream in the combustor, where air is mixed with...
s are often used as
auxiliary power unitAn auxiliary power unit is a device on a vehicle whose purpose is to provide energy for functions other than propulsion. Different types of APU are found on aircraft, as well as on some large ground vehicles.-Functions of APU:...
s. For base loads
diesel generatorA diesel generator is the combination of a diesel engine with an electrical generator to generate electric energy. Diesel generating sets are used in places without connection to the power grid or as emergency power-supply if the grid fails...
s are usually preferred, since they offer much better fuel-efficiency and are also more reliable, but on the other hand they are much heavier and need more space.
The efficiency of larger gas turbine plants can be enhanced, if the hot
exhaust gasExhaust gas or flue gas is emitted as a result of the combustion of fuels such as natural gas, gasoline/petrol, diesel fuel, fuel oil or coal...
es are used to generate steam which drives another turbo generator.
History
The Turbo generator was invented by a
HungarianHungary , in English officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in the Carpathian Basin of Central Europe, bordered by Austria, Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia. Its capital is Budapest. Hungary is a member of OECD, NATO, EU, V4 and is a Schengen state...
engineer
Ottó BláthyOttó Titusz Bláthy was a Hungarian electrical engineer. In his career, he became the co-inventor of the electric transformer, the tension regulator , the watt meter, the alternating current electric motor, the turbo generator, and the high efficiency turbo generator.Ottó Titusz's career as an...
.
Turbo generators were also used on steam locomotives as a power source for coach lighting and heating systems.
Hydrogen cooled turbogenerator
Based on the air-cooled turbo generator gaseous hydrogen went into service as a coolant in the rotor and the
statorThe stator is the stationary part of a rotor system, such as in an electric generator or a mechanical generator.Depending on the configuration of a spinning electromotive device the stator may act as the field magnet, interacting with the armature to create motion, or it may act as the armature,...
of
hydrogen-cooled turbogeneratorA hydrogen-cooled turbo generator is a turbo generator with gaseous hydrogen as a coolant. Hydrogen-cooled turbo generators are designed to provide a low-drag atmosphere and cooling for single-shaft and combined-cycle applications in combination with steam turbines, because of the thermal...
s in 1937 at Dayton, Ohio, in October by the Dayton Power & Light Co allowing an increase in specific utilization and a 99.0 % efficiency, because of the thermal conductivity of hydrogen gas this is the most common type in its field today.
External links