Nikola Tesla’s Principles

The AC motors used in electrical power systems are mostly induction motors. Nikola Tesla invented the AC induction motor after first discovering the principle of rotating magnetic field.

The principle of rotating magnetic field is basically shown when two coils of wire perpendicular to each other can rotate a magnetic field if the coils are supplied with 90 degrees out of phase AC current.

The  Two-phase Induction Motor

Nikola Tesla’s two-phase induction motor consists of two sets of wire coils surrounding the core of a motor. The two sets of coils are perpendicular to each other. The coils act as electromagnets when alternating current passes through them. The polarity of the coil electromagnets changes when the direction of the current flow reverses. The current that passes through the first coil creates a magnetic field around the coil and this causes the coil to turn. When the direction of the current flow that passes through the first coil reverses, a magnetic field is produced around the second coil. This process produces a rotating magnetic field. This theory of operation of a rotating magnetic field makes up the induction motor with only the rotor moving.

The Tesla Coil

The Tesla coil, which is also one of Nikola Tesla’s inventions, is instrumental in developing wireless communication especially in radio communications. The Tesla coil is a type of an air-core transformer with the primary and secondary windings set at resonance. A resonance is a condition of an electrical circuit in which the combination of the alternating currents impedance values cancel out. The Tesla coil demonstrates properties of insulators and conductors in interaction with electric fields in high frequency.

The Tesla coil consists of a primary winding, a secondary winding, a transformer, and two high-voltage capacitors. The transformer consists of an iron core in which coils of copper wire are wound around its hollow center. The iron core inside the transformer acts as an electromagnet when an alternating current is passing through the transformer and this will produce a magnetic field around the primary winding. The electrical energy stored in the capacitors is then converted to magnetic energy. When the frequency in the primary winding is high enough, a magnetic field will be produced in the secondary winding.

The Tesla Turbine

One important contribution of Nikola Tesla to the area of energy conversion is his invention of what is known today as the Tesla Turbine. The Tesla turbine is a bladeless turbine that uses the boundary layer effect to cause the rotor disk of the turbine to move in the direction of the fluid. The boundary layer effect is defined as the interaction of a fluid with a solid surface with the boundary layer as the disk surface in which the thin layer of fluid is interacting with. The adhesive property of fluids causes fluid molecules to reduce speed and stick above the metal surface of the rotor disk. These molecules will cause the fluid flow above them to slow down. The viscous property of fluids causes the fluid molecules to keep from separating. This whole process creates a pulling force that causes the rotor disk to move in the direction of the fluid.

The AC motors used in electrical power systems are mostly induction motors. Nikola Tesla invented the AC induction motor after first discovering the principle of rotating magnetic field. 

The principle of rotating magnetic field is basically shown when two coils of wire perpendicular to each other can rotate a magnetic field if the coils are supplied with 90 degrees out of phase AC current.

Nikola Tesla’s two-phase induction motor consists of two sets of wire coils surrounding the core of a motor. The two sets of coils are perpendicular to each other. The coils act as electromagnets when alternating current passes through them. The polarity of the coil electromagnets changes when the direction of the current flow reverses. The current that passes through the first coil creates a magnetic field around the coil and this causes the coil to turn. When the direction of the current flow that passes through the first coil reverses, a magnetic field is produced around the second coil. This process produces a rotating magnetic field. This theory of operation of a rotating magnetic field makes up the induction motor with only the rotor moving. 

The Tesla coil, which is also one of Nikola Tesla’s inventions, is instrumental in developing wireless communication especially in radio communications. The Tesla coil is a type of an air-core transformer with the primary and secondary windings set at resonance. A resonance is a condition of an electrical circuit in which the combination of the alternating currents impedance values cancel out. The Tesla coil demonstrates properties of insulators and conductors in interaction with electric fields in high frequency. 

The Tesla coil consists of a primary winding, a secondary winding, a transformer, and two high-voltage capacitors. The transformer consists of an iron core in which coils of copper wire are wound around its hollow center. The iron core inside the transformer acts as an electromagnet when an alternating current is passing through the transformer and this will produce a magnetic field around the primary winding. The electrical energy stored in the capacitors is then converted to magnetic energy. When the frequency in the primary winding is high enough, a magnetic field will be produced in the secondary winding. 

One important contribution of Nikola Tesla to the area of energy conversion is his invention of what is known today as the Tesla Turbine. The Tesla turbine is a bladeless turbine that uses the boundary layer effect to cause the rotor disk of the turbine to move in the direction of the fluid. The boundary layer effect is defined as the interaction of a fluid with a solid surface with the boundary layer as the disk surface in which the thin layer of fluid is interacting with. The adhesive property of fluids causes fluid molecules to reduce speed and stick above the metal surface of the rotor disk. These molecules will cause the fluid flow above them to slow down. The viscous property of fluids causes the fluid molecules to keep from separating. This whole process creates a pulling force that causes the rotor disk to move in the direction of the fluid.