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Topics - Procrustes

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1
Listeroid Engines / Quality in an Ashwamegh twin
« on: November 12, 2006, 07:54:12 AM »
This is the engine they should be selling in the US market.




While you're poking around there check out the flywheel battery: http://live.pege.org/2006-hannover/flywheel-storage.htm

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General Discussion / Engine technology advancement
« on: October 29, 2006, 04:11:56 PM »
MIT researchers enhance performance by spraying ethanol into cylinder to prevent knock.

http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2006/engine.html

5
Generators / How to couple shafts
« on: October 08, 2006, 07:37:06 AM »
I've been mulling over how to mate a generator head directly to a drive shaft.  What's the best way to avoid radial pressure on the bearings?  Is it true that generator couplings should have some torsional give, as with rubber spider/jaw type couplings?  I believe that using two universal joints would solve the first problem, but not the second.  The engine is roughly 70hp and the gen head 30kW.

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Generators / Transfer switch rant
« on: October 04, 2006, 06:56:10 AM »
Try and guess the list price of this:



It's a 100amp transfer switch; push the lever all the way up, you get grid power, all the way down, auxilliary power.  Simple, reliable, and economical, right?  It's a Square D, a familiar brand I've never had a problem with, so that's another thing in its favor.

Only it's not economical, not at all.  According to the seller on Ebay this bad boy lists for $613.  Here it is on Ebay: http://cgi.ebay.com/Square-D-Switch-Enclosure-100-amp-Transfer-Switch_W0QQitemZ150041004810QQihZ005QQcategoryZ56995QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I'm not knocking Square D, they're all expensive.  What galls me is that I could damn near make this thing from my spare parts bin.

Why on earth are these things so expensive?

7
Generators / Zhejiang ST head?
« on: September 21, 2006, 06:45:22 PM »
Can anyone give me a review of Zhejiang Machinery & Equipment (http://www.zmec.com/) ST heads?  I'm thinking about buying one over the the internet.

8
This will put lead in your pencil all right:

http://englishrussia.com/?p=299

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Listeroid Engines / Valve keepers
« on: September 16, 2006, 01:38:02 AM »
I made a jig that pushes the valve springs down slightly away from the keepers.  As near as I can tell, the keepers are like washers but with an opening, and with what looks to be a seam on the side opposite the opening.  If I tap at the keeper's opening with and angled punch, the whole valve rotates, so the keepers seem thick and tight.  I can sort of see how they might go on, as you can skew them a bit, but once in their notch it seems like I'll have to snap them.  How do I get them off?  And if I do need to snap them, are new ones easy to find?

10
General Discussion / Engine for natural gas generator
« on: September 08, 2006, 06:50:35 AM »
I've gotten the mechanical bug a little bit with this Lister stuff.  For my next project I plan to build a natural gas backup generator around 15-20kW.  Ideally I want a water cooled, quiet engine with parts that are easy to find and that is easy to work on.  Weight's not an issue.  I'm assuming that I'll end up converting a gasoline engine.  Any ideas?  Would a slant six running at 1800rpm be a good bet?

11
Other Slow Speed Diesels / Ford Petter?
« on: September 06, 2006, 06:02:24 AM »
Who knew that such a beast exists?

http://www.surplusman.com/Detail.php?itemid=642

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Generators / Peak output and flywheels
« on: August 12, 2006, 07:49:04 AM »
I'd like to understand better how flywheels help start induction motors.  I understand that they store inertia and thus are well suited to the peaks that electric motors require.  Why then does the SOM have a 2.5kW head?  A standard 6/1 ought to be able to output 2.5kW continuous, so I don't see what advantage the oversized flywheels on the SOM confer, other than steadier output.

Also, I've heard that a 6/1 can output 3.8kW at sea level.  Is this peak or continuous?  If not, what is peak power?  How would heavier flywheels affect peak output?

13
Generators / Transfer switch with no subpanel?
« on: August 06, 2006, 07:11:55 AM »
All but one of the transfer switches I know of involve separate electrical panels with a handful of emergency circuits plus a shuttle to select between grid power and genny power.  On one hand I see the the need for this, for instance with a smallish generator on an automatic transfer switch, or for someone who isn't familiar with the electrical system.  In these cases the subpanel guards against underpowering well pumps and such.  The "but one" involves an extension cord with two male ends and is not something I wish to pursue.

In my case the subpanel is a nuisance.  I'd rather shuttle between grid power and genny power without the subpanel.  My well pump is wired into the generator panel, but not the septic pump.  Therefore the well pump is really useful only up until the septic tank fills.  I'd much rather be able to pick and choose whichever circuits I want live.  Or if I end up with a big genny I could just flip a switch and have everything go on genny power.

Am I missing something, or is this something I should look into further?

14
General Discussion / Energy facts
« on: August 03, 2006, 06:43:36 PM »
The US burns 19.6 pounds of coal per person, per day.  Britain uses less than a third that, Australia twice.

The US is #17 in per capita oil consumption at 0.0677 barrels per day per person, #1 is Virgin Islands at nearly a barrel per day per person.

The US pays 77% of the average world price for gasoline; the UK 192%, China 66%, Russia 54%, and Turkmenistan 3%.

http://www.nationmaster.com

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