The history and changing fortunes of the inductor alternator

There can be few types of machine with so diverse an involvement In the development of electrical engineering as the inductor alternator. Simple mechanical design - the rotor need carry no windings - and flexible electrical characteristics have found the machine applications in widely differing fields. It has been used to generate powers ranging from watts to megawatts at frequencies of 20 Hz-200 kHz, and it enjoyed a fast rise to popularity. Its subsequent history, however, has been one of changing fortunes.