A gasoline generator typically starts producing electricity at around 3,600 RPM (revolutions per minute). This speed is common for generators that operate at a frequency of 60 Hz, which is standard in North America. Some generators, especially those designed for lower power outputs or different frequencies, may operate at 1,800 RPM (producing 60 Hz) or other RPMs depending on their design. Always refer to the specific generator’s manual for precise operational details.

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What factors affect the RPM needed for different generator models?

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What are the typical applications for 1,800 RPM generators?

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What RPM does a gasoline generator start producing electricity?

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266

Supratim Biswas

Testing DepartmentAuthor has 1.1K answers and 4M answer views

· 6y

RelatedAt what RPM does a generator have to be rotated to get power?

A generator is rotated by any kind of external force such as wind, water or steam. The speed of the generator depends on the thrust provided by those external forces on the axis of the turbine blades. The electromagnetic torque acting over the blades helps to rotate the torque by certain speed. The speed of the alternator always kept in constant so that the frequency of the supply voltage also kept in constant value . The speed of the alternator increases by burning more fuel and increasing the amount of hot steam .To do that more fuel should be injected to the boiler. Generally the speed of t

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Frank Eggers

Former Retired computer programmer / analyst.Author has 6K answers and 8.8M answer views

· 3y

RelatedWhat is the RPM for a generator motor?

When I lived in Fiji (1994 – 2004) I saw V16 Diesel generators which ran at 500 RPM to generate 50 Hz. However, the newer ones ran at 750 RPM.

When, from 1963 to 1970 I worked for a manufacturer of industrial engines and generators, except for the smaller generator sets, they ran at 1800 RPM to generate 60 Hz and 1500 RPM to generate 50 Hz. The military generator sets to generate 400 Hz ran at slightly less than 3600 RPM; I don’t remember the exact speed but if I really wanted to I could calculate several possibilities. Most of the small generator sets ran at 3600 RPM to generate 60 Hz or 3000

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Robert Morkel

Author has 192 answers and 3.4M answer views

· 9y

RelatedHow is electricity produced?

It’s hard to imagine our homes without electricity. There would be no TV, computer or video games. You’d have to do your homework by candlelight or oil lamps. You wouldn’t be able to listen to your favourite bands on the radio or CD player – instead you’d have to make your own music!
Electricity:

Electricity is a form of energy that starts with atoms. You can’t see atoms because they’re too small, but they make up everything around us. There are three parts to an atom: protons, neutrons and electrons. Electricity is created when electrons move from atom to atom. There are a number of

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Jim P

MS in Electrical Engineering, University of Colorado DenverAuthor has 2K answers and 7.5M answer views

· 1y

RelatedShould I reduce the engine speed of my generator? I mean at low loads to save fuel.

No you can’t do that with an AC generator because the speed of the engine is what determines the electrical frequency (50 Hz).

The speed of the shaft is given by

ns=120fpns=120fp

where the shaft speed is nsns in revolutions per minute, ff is the frequency of the electrical system in hertz and pp is the number of magnetic poles in the generator (2, 4, 6, …, etc.); there are all multiples of two because magnetic poles occur in pairs (one north pole plus one south pole) just like a magnet.

Most small generators have either two of four poles so the shaft speeds will be 3000 rpm and 1500 rpm.

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Loring Chien

electrical engineer and audiophile for 45 yearsAuthor has 66.3K answers and 234.7M answer views

· 7y

RelatedAt what RPM does a generator have to be rotated to get power?

That’s not exactly the criteria for a generator.

The RPM directly affects the line frequency. 3600 RPM gives 60 Hz. 3000 RPM gives 50 Hz.

The windings will be rated for so many amperes.

The generator will be wound so that at the designed RPM it will output the desired voltage. Generally the voltage is fixed such as 240 or 120 VAC.

So it is always the intention to run the Generator at the specified RPM to make the line frequency correct. That should also give the correct, fixed voltage. So the power is then limited to the current capacity times the voltage.

So to get the maximum rated power, run it

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Rob Boardman

Former ATC, truck Driver, reads just about everythingAuthor has 14.9K answers and 19.7M answer views

· 3y

RelatedWhat RPM do generators run at?

Generators normally run at speed required to produce either 50 or 60 cycle current, whatever that country uses.

So speeds or 1500 or 3000rpm are typical for 50 cycle AC countries, and 1800 or 3600 rpm are typical for 60 cycle AC countries.

These days there are also “inverter generators” like your camping generators with Eco switches, which can run at variable rpm depending on the load, and they use electronics so produce the 50 or 60 cycle AC power.

Mains power generators in power stations can run at different (usually quite low) rpm depending on the way they are designed.

Wind turbine generators

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Jacob VanWagoner

Applications engineer working for an x-ray product company. I work with the parts that go into devices that look like phasers and do the job of tricorders!Author has 3.5K answers and 21.7M answer views

· 11y

RelatedHow is electricity produced?

There are a few different ways electricity can be produced, in no real particular order:
1. Friction
2. Electrochemistry
3. Magnetic Induction
4. Photoelectric effect (light directly creates the electric potential)
5. Thermoelectric effect (heat directly creates the electric potential)
6. Piezoelectric effect (mechanical stress creates the electric potential)

Friction

The earliest historical method is by friction, as done by a Van de Graaff generator. It is why electricity has its name — derived from Elecktros, which means amber. The Greeks discovered that if they rub fur on amber, then

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Radoslav Vitéz

Locomotive Engineer

· 5y

RelatedWhat RPM do I need on a 5kva generator to produce a steady current to power a house?

There are different generators that require different RPM. Here is a copy of a part of my previous answer about generators to a simmilar question:

Old gensets used to run at 300 RPM, some at 750 RPM. Newer units desired to be cheaper and lighter run at 1500 RPM. With a 4-pole generator head they generate 50Hz. For 60Hz you need 1800 RPM.The lightest and cheapest units run at 3000 RPM (50Hz) or 3600 RPM (60Hz).The exception could be inverter generators, that are the lightest on the marked. They run at various speeds, mostly at 6000 RPM for the highest power output and electronics manage the outp

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Puneet Pahariya

Author has 58 answers and 48K answer views

· 3y

RelatedHow much electricity can a generator produce?

Here we only focus on Alternator,

Alternator : (A.C Genetator) is a device that convert a mechanical energy into Electric Energy.

Alternator or A.C Generator is based on faraday’s law of Electromagnetic Induction.

(Faraday’s law of electromagnetic induction: Generating an E.M.F or voltage by varying the magnetic FLUX).

So, Power generate by generator or Alternator depends on

SiZe of Rotor.( If size of Rotor will be large then flux connected through Rotor will be high then more E.M.F will induced)
Strength of magnet.( If strength of magnet is high then more emf will induces)
Speed of Rotor.( Emf = d(f

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Krishna Kumar Subramanian

Transportation Industry EngineerAuthor has 20.3K answers and 21.1M answer views

· 1y

RelatedWhy does Generator needs fuel for producing electricity?

“Why does Generator needs fuel for producing electricity?”

Correct it to “Why does a generator need fuel for producing electricity?”

a generator is not Jawaharlal Nehru and does not to begin with an uppercase-letter.
For the same reason, the word “generator” must be preceded by an article, in this case, “a”.
“does” goes with “need”, not “needs”.

Having battled through your English, let us come to the point: why does it need fuel?

Well, it needs SOME form of energy to convert it into an electrical current.

You could, if you wish, not use fuel and pedal your way to power.

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Stephen Spurlin

Former Technical ManagerAuthor has 1.6K answers and 1.4M answer views

· 6y

RelatedHow much RPM is needed by a generator to give an output of 5 kw?

RPM does not make KW. Torque@armature/stator and design RPM does. Most typical Gen-sets are designed run at around 1800. Because USA uses 60 cycles per second (Hertz) the design is mathematically directly proportional to producing 60 cycles at 1800 RPM. Because RPM drops as load increases more throttle is required to maintain RPM @ 60 cycles. Design torque of the engine is what determines how much load in KW can be maintained at 1800 RPMs and 60 Hertz.

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John DeArmond

Retired Nuclear Engineer & EE, Company Owner at Radiation Measurement Systems (1979–present)Author has 3.5K answers and 6M answer views

· 1y

RelatedShould I reduce the engine speed of my generator? I mean at low loads to save fuel.

No. The 3600 RPM speed is necessary to maintain the frequency at 60 Hz. Only inverter generators can be slowed at low load. The disadvantages are that inverter generators have very little inrush capability and that a slight overload will cause the inverter to trip. A conventional generator may slow a bit but will continue to supply power.

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222

Manideep

Btech in Electrical Engineering, Sreenidhi Institute of Science and Technology (Graduated 2017)

· 7y

RelatedAt what RPM does a generator have to be rotated to get power?

We can only decide the rpm based on no.of ploes and frequency of supply voltage (using this formula N=120f/P,N is rpm ,f is frequency and P is no.of poles). The supply in india is 50hz,so it depends on no.of poles.(suppose the generator has 4 poles ,then the speed is 1500rpm).The turbo generator (i.e steam turbine generator) are run at high speed(3000–1500rpm) and hydro turnines at low speed(below 1000).

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Leonardo Gutierrez

Former Retired Professional Electrical Engineer. at Electric Power Companies, A/E Consultant, Senior Electrical Engineer for Environmental Company, Senior Electrical Engineer for Oil Refinery, Senior Electrical Engineer Representing Owners During Construction of Gas Turbine Power Plants, Etc. (1961–2002)Author has 1.8K answers and 1.8M answer views

· 6y

RelatedWhat RPM do I need on a 5kva generator to produce a steady current to power a house?

It is more important for the 5 KVA Generator to maintain constant voltage than current. Current is variable in any household depending on the loads. Loads like Air conditioners, Refrigerators, etc cause variable ampere loads.

Generators have different rated RPM depending on their Number of Poles and Frequency. Low RPM Generator are more expensive than the high RPM Generators.

To maintain constant voltage output, a Generator has automatic excitation that reacts to the loads or Ampere Loads. Therefore the question “What RPM do I need on 5 KVA Generator to produce A STEADY CURRENT to power a house?

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Michael Williams

Author has 388 answers and 3.8M answer views

· 10y

RelatedHow do electric generators produce alternating current?

When a coil of wire moves through a magnetic field, an electric current is induced in the wire. A magnetic field has two two sides, one positive the other negative. Envision a coil of wire located within a magnetic field.

The two wire ends from the coil lead out of the field. They can be connected to a complete circuit—say to power a light bulb. When the coil turns, an induced current moves along the wire and through the light bulb, but the voltage is not constant, it is constantly changing as the coil turns.

At point A in the image, the coil is located between the two magnetic fields and the

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Mahmoud Salhab

Studied Electrical Engineering

· 6y

RelatedHow much RPM is needed by a generator to give an output of 5 kw?

you should know there is no relationship between the output power and the speed of the rotor.

you can find the RPM by using the following equation :

RPM=(120∗F)/PRPM=(120∗F)/P

where RPM the speed of rotor side of generator revolution per minute

F the electrical frequency which is either 50 or 60 HZ

P Number of poles

for example if the frequency is 60 HZ and the machine has 2 pole

RPM = 3600 revolution per minute

if the speed is 50 HZ

RPM = 3000 revolution per minute

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Owen Brinkerhoff

Upvoted by

Kenneth Lundgren, B.S. Electrical Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago – Illinois Tech (1963)Author has 917 answers and 2.1M answer views

· 6y

RelatedWhat is the lowest RPM for an AC generator to make power?

A great example of an AC alternator can be found under the hood of most vehicles and it will make some power if it is turning at all. The AC power that the alternator makes is rectified to DC power so the the speed doesn’t really matter.

For power that works like utility power, excluding inverter generators, the speed must closely match a specific RPM to produce the power frequency it is designed for. The driver speed is determined by the number of poles the generator has. For example a 60Hz two pole generator turns at 3600 RPM and a four pole generator turns at 1800 RPM.

The speed is critical f

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David Thomas

Professional Engineer, Civil, AlaskaAuthor has 6.1K answers and 61.8M answer views

· 3y

RelatedWhen I’m running my generator, does it matter how much stuff I have plugged up as to how fast the gas goes?

In additional to a certain amount of fuel per hour used to idle the engine, any load you add will increase the fuel consumption.

In general, the more you load it, the more fuel-efficient it will be, so if it can handle your refrigerator and A/C (or heating system) together, run them at the same time until the refrigerator cycles off (having re-cooled its contents), and the house gotten comfortable again and then turn the generator off for a few hours.

Also, while it is running anyway, recharge laptops and handheld devices (those are minor loads and doing that could avoid restarting the generator

Upvote

Fred Golden

Studied Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning at Universal Technical Institute (UTI) (Graduated 1984)Author has 5.5K answers and 4.8M answer views

· 10mo

RelatedIs there a relationship between engine RPM and the horsepower generated by an alternator or generator?

So my Ford Edge has a 130 amp rated alternator on it. At freeway speeds, the engine is typically 1,500 to 2,000 RPM. At that RPM, the full 130 amp rated output is available.

At idle, about 750 RPM, the full 130 amps is not available. I do not have a chart, but I would guess it is limited to about 90 or 100 amps at idle.

So when a dynamometer is measuring the torque output of a engine mounted on it, they take the torque X the RPM to get the horsepower. So if a engine is putting out 200 foot pounds of torque at 2,000 RPM, that is a certain amount of HP. If at 3,000 RPM, the torque might be less, s

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Vivek Nagarajan

Electronics amateur and enthusiastAuthor has 6.3K answers and 19.5M answer views

· 1y

RelatedShould I reduce the engine speed of my generator? I mean at low loads to save fuel.

Generators have a governer to keep them spinning at a constant RPM dependent on your AC frequency – 60 or 50 Hz depending on your country.

There is a compromise with internal combustion engines – if you have an engine that can provide 10 kilowatts at its ideal RPM, it would have to be large enough that when idling at 1 kilowatt output, it would be wasting a lot of fuel and also be inefficient in ot

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Loring Chien

electrical engineer and audiophile for 45 yearsAuthor has 66.3K answers and 234.7M answer views

· Updated 6y

RelatedWhat will happen to my 5,000 watt generator if I run 2 cycle gas in the gasoline engine?

Two cycle gas differs only in that there is about 40:1 or 50:1 mix of gas and lubricating oil. Normal gasoline used for 4-cycle is 100% gasoline (OK, may have 10% or so ethanol).

When you run two cycle gasoline mix in a four cycle engine, all the oil will burn making a black, or grey oily smelly smoke exhaust pretty much 100% of the time.

Like a truck with a bad ring seals that smokes when accelerated hard pulling away from a stop light.

If you do it for a short time there will be no lasting bad effects but prolonged, it may well gum up the engine and spark plugs and carburetor.

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Alex Van den Bossche

Professor at Ghent University (1980–present)Author has 1.5K answers and 371.9K answer views

· 4y

RelatedWhat is the relation between the speed (RPM), diameter, and production of electricity in the generator?

At higher power the efficiency of generators is quite high and the mechanic power only a few % larger than the electric one. For a synchronous machine (electric excited generator), the force/m^2 (in N per/m2) and x the speed (in m/s) gives the power/m^2 air gap surface. The tangential force is about 12 kN/m2 for 20mm slot depth, and proportional with the root of the slot depth. Practically, 60mm slot depth is a realistic maximum for large machines. This relationship is for a good design with a normal cooling (10kW copper loss/m^2).

So the rotor or air gap diameter is important.

The observed oute

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Lawrence Stewart

Research Computer ScientistAuthor has 10.3K answers and 20.3M answer views

· 3y

RelatedWhen I’m running my generator, does it matter how much stuff I have plugged up as to how fast the gas goes?

Generators will have a governor that automatically operates the throttle to make the generator run at constant speed. The more load on the generator, the more it will want to slow down, and the more the governor will open the throttle to keep the speed constant. It is no different than having to step on the gas when driving a car uphill.

So yes, more load then more gas.

Inverter style generators don’t care about the speed, particularly, but will still need more gas to hold a constant speed when there is more load.

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Bahari Othman

Former Specialist in Hydro Operation (Retired) at TNB Malaysia (1984–2022)Author has 224 answers and 42.3K answer views

· 1y

RelatedWhy is a generator not picking up the rated RPM?

Let us take the question in face value. The problem is with the generator. This can only carry one meaning i.e. the generator RPM cannot be made equal to incoming RPM. Therefore synchronization cannot be completed. Then here are some of the reasons. (1) Generator and prime mover inertial of rotating mass is too low causing the RPM keeps on hunting around the incoming RPM (2) With respect to 1 it could be the prime mover’s governing system is too coarse to provide the correct RPM matching (3) The incoming supply RPM hunting continuously. It is difficult to strike the match between the two if th

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Ed Thaxton

B.S. in Mechanical Engineering & Control Theory, Florida Institute of TechnologyAuthor has 4.9K answers and 5.7M answer views

· 4y

RelatedWhat is the relation between the speed (RPM), diameter, and production of electricity in the generator?

Electric power rating is proportional to speed and proportional to diameter squared.

Power is equal to torque times speed.

[1] P = T * speed

Torque is equal to the electromagnetic sheer stress in the air gap, times the area of the air gap times the radius (one half the diameter). Electromagnetic sheer stress is related to the machine design, but for a give class of machine is relatively constant.

[2] T = S * A * d/2

The area is equal to PI times the diameter times the length.

[3] A = PI * d * L

Substituting [3] in [2]:

[4] T = S * PI * d^2/2

Substituting into [1]:

[5] P = S * PI * d^2/2 * speed

[6] P = (

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Glen McMillian

BSc in Agriculture (college major), VPISU (Graduated 1972)Author has 18.1K answers and 19.1M answer views

· 4y

RelatedIs it true that electric generators produce energy?

Electric generators are machines that input one form of energy and out put another form, namely electricity.

A generator is most commonly powered by a gasoline, diesel, or steam engine of some sort, but it can also be powered by a water wheel or wind or water turbine.

It doesn’t CREATE energy, but people who lack an understanding of basic physics don’t necessarily understand this fact.

English is somewhat of an imprecise language and you will hear even technically well educated engineers say that we use generators to produce electricity.

But such people obviously know that generators do not CREATE

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Pratik Mukherjee

Atal Innovation Mission Certified STEM Coach at Atal Tinkering Lab (2017–present)Author has 1.2K answers and 1.3M answer views

· 1y

RelatedHow much electricity can 5kv petrol generator makes with 1 litre fuel?

First things first. A generator generates power that is measured in KVA, and not KV. KV stands for Kilo Volts, that is one thousand volts, the force of the electricity flowing through. For example, we use 110V (in US) or 230V of electricity at home. This, along with the volume of electricity in Amperes (A) decides the total quantum of electrical energy. So, the correct unit of electricity generated by a device is stated in KVA and not KV. (Some people might call it Watt, but that is unit of Power Consumption, ie power usage and not Power Generation.)

Next let me ask you a question. How much ani

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Orly Palomar, Jr.

B.S. in Electronics and Communication Engineering, University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Engineering (Graduated 1997)Author has 133 answers and 876.8K answer views

· 2y

RelatedCan I operate a 60Hz (3600 rpm) generator at 50Hz (3000 rpm)?

In most cases, yes. Although expect the output to be derated from anywhere between 10–20% or whereabouts. So if the generator was originally rated for 3kW at 60Hz, that will be reduced to around 2.4kW to 2.7kW when operated at 50Hz. This is sometimes defined in the manual. Some generators would require a new governor spring to convert from 60 to 50Hz or vice versa. If in doubt, contact the manufacturer.

Another thing to consider is the voltage. Most synchronous generators has an automatic voltage regulator (AVR) so the nominal output voltage is maintained across a wide range of RPM and/or load.

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Kev Go

Training Electricians (2012–present)Author has 10.6K answers and 14M answer views

· 2y

RelatedHow does electricity get produced in generators?

By rotating either a coil through a magnetic field or rotating a magnet past a coil. A voltage is induced in the coil which causes a current …

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