Turboalternators

Turboalternators are alternators driven at high rotating speed by a vapor turbine or a gas turbine. The unit power of turbogenerators and the structure of the networks and power stations have considerably evolved since the beginnings of electrification. This article firstly presents the main parts of a turboalternator (stator, rotor, bearings and auxiliary bearings) before focusing on its functioning and in particular on its types of cooling. The vapor turbine remains the most common driving system for high powers and the combustion turbine has undergone a significant progression over the last few years due to its easy implementation and low investment costs.