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Question:

Electrodes are found in electrochemsistry, not in a generator?

I cannot see that a electrode would be useful in a generator, is there a way?

Answer:

According to Wikipedia: An electrode is an electrical conductor used to make contact with a nonmetallic part of a circuit (e.g. a semiconductor, an electrolyte or a vacuum). There is an example of an electrode used in generators, and all industrial/commercial electrical systems. It is called a grounding electrode. It is a metallic rod that is driven deep in to the dirt, to establish a contact with the background Earth voltage. Is the dirt a nonmetallic part of the circuit? Well, dirt often does contain metals in it, but it isn't dominantly metal, so it still is considered non-metallic. And we normally hope that the dirt isn't part of the circuit, but there is a chance that it can become part of the circuit, and that is generally why grounding electrodes are installed. The grounding electrode doesn't really play an active role in the operation of any of the electrical equipment. It is more of a safety feature, as a JUST IN CASE the insulation on the live wire fails. Suppose the live wire insulation fails, and the live wire contacts the metal structure of a device (that isn't intended to play an electrical role), and you as a human victim touch that metal structure. You are also standing on the ground, and the natural path of electric current from the metal structure to the ground is through your body. Unless of course, a better path is established in advance. And that is what a grounding electrode, and the rest of the grounding system does. It establishes electrical continuity with all metals that aren't intended to be electrically involved, so that any failure of the live wire will trip the circuit breaker before there is a chance that the human gets injured.

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