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Application areas of electric motors
Electric power industry
I. Steam Turbine Generator
Steam turbine generators are used in thermal and nuclear power plants. They are a type of synchronous motor. Because the prime mover—the steam turbine—operates at very high speeds, typically 3,000 r/min, the rotor of a steam turbine generator is slender and long to minimize peripheral velocity. Today, the largest steam turbine generators worldwide have capacities exceeding 1 million kilowatts.
II. Hydroelectric Generator
Hydroelectric generators are used in hydroelectric power plants and are a type of synchronous generator. Because the prime mover—typically a water turbine—operates at relatively low speeds, usually below several hundred revolutions per minute, the rotor of a hydroelectric generator is designed to be robust and short in order to accommodate a larger number of poles. Figure 2-12 shows a hydroelectric generator installed at the Three Gorges Power Station; the Three Gorges units are currently the largest hydroelectric generating sets in the world, each with a capacity of 700,000 kilowatts. The Three Gorges Power Station has a total of 26 generating units, each rated at 700,000 kilowatts.
III. Wind Turbines
Wind power generation is the process by which a wind turbine’s rotor converts wind energy into mechanical energy, and this mechanical energy is then transformed into electrical energy. Wind energy is one of the most cost‑effective, cleanest, and most promising new energy sources. Over the past decade or so, the Chinese government has accelerated the development of wind power, introduced advanced, large‑scale wind turbines manufactured abroad, and established wind farms, thereby boosting the growth of China’s wind energy sector.
Based on installed capacity, wind turbines are categorized into small, medium, large, and very large series. Small wind turbines have capacities ranging from 0.1 to 1 kW, medium‑size units from 1 to 100 kW, large turbines from 100 to 1,000 kW, and very large turbines exceeding 1,000 kW. Nearly all types of generators are employed in wind power generation; the most common are synchronous, induction, DC, and permanent‑magnet generators. Recently, abroad, very large wind turbines have increasingly adopted permanent‑magnet, outer‑rotor, brushless DC generators.
Industrial and agricultural production
In industrial and agricultural production, the vast majority of mechanical equipment is driven by various types of electric motors. Most of these motors are powered by distribution transformers, while machinery located far from the grid or mobile equipment often relies on diesel generators. Small- and medium‑power induction motors are extensively used in machine tools, rolling mills, blowers, printing presses, water pumps, oil‑field pumping units, cranes, conveyor belts, and production lines, owing to their simplicity, reliability, ease of maintenance, and low cost. Induction motors account for more than 60% of all electrical load power. In recent years, the share of various new‑type motors has also been steadily increasing.
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