Turbo generator
A turbo generator is an electric generator connected to the shaft of a steam turbine or gas turbine for the generation of electric power. Large steam-powered turbo generators provide the majority of the world's electricity and are also used by steam-powered turbo-electric ships. Small turbo-generators driven by gas turbines are often used as auxiliary power units (APU, mainly for aircraft). History The first turbo-generators were electric generators powered by water turbines. The first Hungarian water turbine was designed by the engineers of the Ganz Works in 1866; industrial-scale production with dynamo generators started only in 1883. Engineer Charles Algernon Parsons demonstrated a DC steam-powered turbo generator using a dynamo in 1887, and by 1901 had supplied the first large industrial AC turbo generator of megawatt power to a plant in Eberfeld, Germany. Turbo generators were also used on steam locomotives as a power source for coach lighting and water pumps for heating systems. Construction features Turbo generators are used for high shaft rotational speeds, typical of steam and gas turbines. The rotor of a turbo generator is a non-salient pole type usually with two poles. The normal speed of a turbo generator is 1500 or 3000 rpm with four or