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That's a much more complicated question than you would first think. A generator that operates at 350 RPM would be very rare. To better answer the question, a short overview of how generators work is needed.

To generate electricity, wires are moved through a magnetic field. The stronger the magnetic field, or the faster the wires are moved, the tougher it would be to move those wires, and the more electricity is generated. A typical generator (especially what you would find in a power plant), uses electromagnets to generate the magnetic field. Due to many different engineering concerns, the speed of the turbine remains constant (3600 RPM is a common speed, though lower speeds are not uncommon). If more electricity is needed, the electromagnet's power is increased, which generates a stronger magnetic field. Then, it is up to whatever is turning the generator (usually some sort of a turbine) to provide more power to the generator to keep the RPM the same. There will be some sort of a limit on the generator, where applying more power could overload the electromagnets, or damage the generator shaft.

The important thing to notice is that whether that generator is providing 2 megawatts or 55 megawatts, it is turning exactly the same RPM. So, this whole answer boils down to this: it varies. It will depend on the generator, on what's turning the generator, and what load is on the generator. Those three factors often have to be balanced against each other. If the generator has permanent magnets, then you can predict how much electricity it will generate at 350 RPM. That will depend on the strength of the magnets, and how many coils of wire are used. However, if the load on the generator doesn't match generation, the RPMs at the generator will increase.

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15y ago

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