When it comes to automobiles, there is a requirement for electricity in all of its varieties. Even single-cylinder kick start dirt bikes need current to supply a system of ignition with the power required to create a part.
More and larger power-hungry automobiles with heated grips and accessories will need a lot more juice.
Automobile aspiring technicians or enthusiasts need to know about different kinds of automobile power sources. A generator, alternator, stator, and rotor are some of the power sources.
In this article, the chief aim is on differentiating stator and alternator.
Key Takeaways
- Stator is a stationary component, while the alternator is a rotating component.
- Stator generates electric power, while the alternator converts mechanical energy into electric power.
- Stator is used in AC motors, while the alternator is used in vehicles.
Stator vs Alternator
Stator is a stationary component in an AC generator that contains coils to produce electricity, while the alternator is used to convert mechanical energy into electrical energy by using a rotating magnetic field. Alternators are used to charge the battery, while stator is used in AC generators.
Once an AC is applied to the stator, the polarity will automatically change continuously. Whenever the supply is given then an alternating current is supplied across the windings to produce across the bars in the rotor an electromagnetic field.
Thus, the magnetic field rotates due to AC.
The alternator is a kind of generator whose chief purpose is to allocate electricity to the car and also recharge the battery. Apart from some hybrid models, approx all vehicles with an engine of standard internal combustion have an alternator.
It is commonly mounted to the engine’s front and has a belt running around it.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Stator | Alternator |
|---|---|---|
| Interpretation | It is a fixed or stationary part of an electric motor or generator. | It is a dynamo that initiates an alternating current. |
| Origin | In the late ’80s | In 1832 |
| Inventor | Jerry Genco and Norman Smith | Hippolyte Pixii |
| Volts | Produce 18 volts | Produce 13.5-14.5 volts |
| Manufacturer | IME Industria Motori Elettrici, Composite Motors Inc, and ATB | ACM engineering, dynamic systems, and CG Power Systems |
What is Stator?
Energy flows with the aid of a stator from the system’s rotating component. Stator offers a magnetic field that operates to the turning armature in an electric motor.
Stator aids in spinning magnetic field conversion simply to electric current commonly in the generator.
Depending on the turning electromotive device’s arrangement the stator might react as the field magnet. To create motion, it interacts with the armature or simply behaves as the armature.
From active field coils, on the rotor gain armature’s influence. On the stator, the field coils were put by the first DC motors as well as generators.
Thus, power motive or generation response coils on the rotor. It is crucial due to continuously switching motion called a commutator is vital to keep the field accurately aligned throughout the turning rotor.
As the current increases, it is a must for the commutator to become more and larger robust.
When it comes to a turbine, the element of the stator consists of ports or blades aid to redirect the fluid flow. These devices comprise the torque converter as well as a steam turbine.
The stator consists of one or more roles rows through which air can be admitted into the rotor is a mechanical siren.
What is Alternator?
For reasons of simplicity and cost, most alternators use a rotating magnetic field along a stationary armature. In principle, any electrical generator of AC can be referred to as an alternator.
Meanwhile, the term describes small rotating machines mainly driven by internal combustion engines.
A magneto can be described as an alternator date for its magnetic field uses a permanent magnet. In power stations, alternators driven by steam turbines are referred turbo-alternators.
The large alternatives of 50 or 60 Hz three-phase create most of the electric power across the world.
The alternators might be categorized by several phases, cooling method, their application, and the type of rotation. It is also classified by the method of excitation which is subcategorized as brushless alternators, direct connected direct current generators, and transformation and rectification.
In alternating current’s one cycle is generated each time a pair of pole’s fields passes across a point on the stationary winding. An alternator’s output frequency depends on the rotational speed and number of poles.
The speed corresponding to a specific frequency is referred to as synchronous speed for that frequency.
Main Differences Between Stator and Alternator
- In terms of advantages, by insulating the core, the stator reduces eddy current. Thus, the stator can carry on constant power, which keeps the motor running. On the contrary, the advantages offered by the alternator are lower weight, higher output, less maintenance, and more compact.
- When it comes to disadvantages, low torque efficiency, by the resistors heat is given off, and the requirement of the expensive resistor are some of the disadvantages of the stator. In contrast, the disadvantages of an alternator are if there is a high current it will overheat, and transformers are required.
- A stator is fail due to aging and degradation of its insulation by external materials and occurrences being initiated into its system. On the flip side, an alternator can fail if it continuously runs in full charge mode.
- The stator is found in sirens, electric motors, mud motors, biological motors, and electric generators. On the other hand, an alternator is commonly used in automobiles to charge the battery as well as when its engine is running to power the electrical system.
- The stator is built up of electrical grade steel’s punched laminations. They are segmented, which means 12- 24 punching are laid side by side and comprise one layer. Meanwhile, the rotor and stator are two of the main parts of the alternator. In the stator, the rotor rotates, and the field poles get projected over the alternator’s rotor body.
References
- https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/5725183/
- https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00446-007-0033-1
Last Updated : 16 July, 2023
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Piyush Yadav has spent the past 25 years working as a physicist in the local community. He is a physicist passionate about making science more accessible to our readers. He holds a BSc in Natural Sciences and Post Graduate Diploma in Environmental Science. You can read more about him on his bio page.
