Wild describes alternating current that is generated without strict speed control, resulting in a frequency that varies continuously. It is typically produced by wind turbines or aircraft engine alternators before the power is rectified to DC or conditioned through an inverter. Engineers call it wild because it cannot be directly synchronized to the rigid 50 or 60 hertz grid.
Heard on the job
The generator puts out wild AC at varying speeds, so we run it through a rectifier bridge before the main bus.
Also heard as
- wild AC
- wild frequency