Electrical Machine

• An electrical machine is the apparatus that converts energy in three categories: generators which convert mechanical energy to electrical energy, motors which convert electrical energy to mechanical energy, and transformers which changes the voltage level of an alternating current.
• An electric generator is a device that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy. A generator forces electrons to flow through an external electrical circuit. It is somewhat analogous to a water pump, which creates a flow of water but does not create the water inside. The source of mechanical energy, the prime mover, may be a reciprocating or turbine steam engine, water falling through a turbine or waterwheel, an internal combustion engine, a wind turbine, a hand crank, compressed air or any other source of mechanical energy.
• The two main parts of an electrical machine can be described in either mechanical or electrical terms. In mechanical terms, therotor is the rotating part, and the stator is the stationary part of an electrical machine. In electrical terms, the armature is the power-producing component and the field is the magnetic field component of an electrical machine. The armature can be on either the rotor or the stator. The magnetic field can be provided by either electromagnets or permanent magnets mounted on either the rotor or the stator.