Load banks – alternating current: test, validate the power, remove fouling, ballast your generators and other electrical equipment

Alternating current: what is it for?

An electric current that changes direction cyclically

Alternating current is an electric current that changes direction.
In fact, a current is said to be “alternating” when circulates alternately in one direction and then in the other at regular intervals called “ cycles ”.
It is produced by the rotation of an alternator . This is the case for example in power plants. Electricity is produced by a turbine and an alternator.

A current defined by a frequency (HZ)

A periodic alternating current is characterized by its frequency, measured in hertz (Hz). It’s the number of round trips made by the electric current in one second . The most widely used form of alternating current is sinusoidal current , primarily for the commercial distribution of electrical energy.

We must distinguish:

• The purely alternative currents whose average value (DC component) is zero, which can supply a transformer without danger.
• The alternating current with non-zero direct component which cannot under any circumstances supply a transformer