Most powerful motors?

Question

On average what are the most powerful kinds of electric motors? (Eg. air compressor, water pump etc)?

Answer 1

Electric motors come in all sizes.

Air compressors and water pumps are not kinds of motors; they are machines driven by motors.

Some kinds of motors are:

stepper, permanent magnet DC, DC, brush-less DC, universal, square cage induction and synchronous induction motors.

The difference between a motor and a generator is generally in the application it is put to rather than in the motor/generator itself (there are a few exceptions).

As has already been said by far the biggest motor/generators are the synchronous induction motors/generators used in electric power generation by the electric utility companies. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_motor#Three-phase_AC_synchronous_motors and look for “pumped-storage hydroelectricity generators”.

Answer 2

This depends on how a person looks at a motor. A window fan is a motor, but, it also a generator. Yep, if you apply an outside source to turn the motor it produce electricity. So, and Electric Power Plant could be considered the most powerful motor, If, it have enough energy to turn it (like the window fan). Diesel Locomotives are powerful motors, look at the Tons a train pull. Many think they use Diesel Engines, but, the Diesel Engines run the generators to power the motors. The Navy have Aircraft Carriers that are Nuclear Powered, I not real sure, a person may need to research this, but, the Nuclear generator may power a motor.

Answer 3

Some of the largest AC motors are pumped-storage hydroelectricity generators that are operated as synchronous motors to pump water to a reservoir at a higher elevation for later use to generate electricity using the same machinery.

Six 350-megawatt generators are installed in the Bath County Pumped Storage Station in Warm Springs, VA USA.

When pumping, each unit can produce 563,400 horsepower (420,127 kilowatts).