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Topics - veggie

Pages: [1] 2 3 ... 8
1
Generators / ST Generator Efficiency ?
« on: February 12, 2023, 06:28:37 PM »

Does anyone know what the average efficiency is for the ST style generators when running in the "sweet spot". The ST-3 in particular.
As I understand it, the newer design brushless 3600 rpm heads used on today's "screamers" are about 92%.
I was wondering if the ST heads fall in the same efficiency range.

Veggir

2
Waste Motor Oil / Used Hydraulic Oil
« on: December 01, 2022, 04:05:11 PM »

Has anyone had any experience burning waste hydraulic oil (or a blend of gasoline and hydraulic)?
I came across a few forums where people said they were running it in their older diesel trucks.
I wondered if anyone has tried it in their stationary diesel.
Theoretically I would assume it's just a cleaner version of waste motor oil since there would be no combustion deposits or acid buildup.

veggie

3
Changfa Engines / New build - Changfa R175
« on: August 29, 2022, 08:33:21 PM »
New build almost finished.
A Changfa R175 coupled to a 4kw head.
(Max output is more like 2.5kw)

The unit has an external oil filter which added almost a liter to the oil capacity.
I suspect I can extend oil change intervals with this mod.
Also added is a throttle linear actuator which will allow future automation such as remote start/stop and throttle control.
You can see the actuator open the throttle just before the engine starts.
When the actuator is extended all the way to full stop, it sets the engine at 60hz speed. The max extension (60hz setting) is adjustable via a slotted mount at the back of the linear actuator

The small fuel tank is a temporary installation for testing purposes.
I only ran it for a few seconds because the cooling system has yet to be added.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-k1TiayS5N8



4
Engines / Evaporative cooling question
« on: August 29, 2022, 08:25:27 PM »
On my latest project I was thinking of using and evaporative water tank for engine cooling. Just like the original Listers.
That project can be seen here ... https://listerengine.com/smf/index.php?topic=9572.msg109839#msg109839

While they do take a long time to heat up, once near boiling they keep the engine at the optimal operating temperature.
And warm up time can be controlled by the size of the tank.
I will most likely use a pump for circulation rather than rely on thermosyphon, although that simplicity appeals to me also.
My question to all those who use an evaporation tank:...

Do you mix glycol to the water in your systems ?
And if so, does the glycol boil off with the water or does the mixture get slightly more concentrated as steam leaves the system?

5
Everything else / Heat sand to 400F
« on: July 21, 2022, 03:30:06 AM »
I'm looking for ideas.
I can only heat stored water to 212f, but sand can be heated to to 800 degrees and used as a thermal battery.
I don't want to go as high as 800 yet, but I would like to fill a steel tank (maybe 50 gallon size) an try to heat it to 400f.
Then insulate it just enough to still allow for heat to radiate for X number of hours.

Application: Run the lister for x hours to electrically heat up the sand to 400f.
Observe the system to see how long the system can heat the garage in winter.
Start engine .... heat sand ..... Start engine .... heat sand .....Start engine .... heat sand .....
Automate later.
Power the engine with waste oil.

Problem:
How to electrically heat the sand to 400f ????
Basic water heating elements will probably burn up.
I can provide 2kw to 3kw of electricity at 120 volts or 240 volts.

Any ideas for an electrical device to heat fully heat several hundred pounds of sand ?    ???

6
General Discussion / Inline coolant thermostat
« on: July 14, 2022, 03:34:15 PM »

Does anyone know of a car (or other vehicle) that uses and "Inline" coolant thermostat?
Something that does not fit into the engine block, but instead mounts inline with the hoses.
The water jacket blanking plate on my R175 does not have the room to machine a port and flange connection for a conventional automotive thermostat/housing.

My other option would be to use a solenoid valve connected to a temperature switch/sensor.

7
Generators / Solid State AVR on an ST-3 Head - Any need for it ?
« on: May 08, 2022, 11:34:00 PM »
These voltage regulators are available all over EBay and Amazon for anywhere between $10 and $30.
Are they any good?
Are they even necessary?
I would think that sine wave conditioning would be a better product to push for the ST heads.
In any case, If any users found a benefit from installing a solid state AVR on an ST heat, please pipe in.
I have an ST-3 and I'm wondering if I should add an AVR ?

By the way ... what currenty controls the voltage on my ST head ? just the engine rpm?

GB160 AVR Automatic Voltage Regulator for Brush Single Phase ST Alternator
Product description
=================================
Features:
100% brand new and high quality.
GB-160 AVR(Automatic voltage regulator) is applicable to harmonic excitation, 1 phase brush generator.
It is suitable for ST series single phase110/220VACgenerator.
Made with flame retardant and heat resisting material, stable and reliable to use.
High precision, long service life.
Specification:
Voltage regulation rate:;±1.0%
Exciting voltage: 20-100VDC
Shunt current: 10A
Package weight: 274g (approx.)
Package List:
1 * Automatic Voltage Regulator

8
General Discussion / Microcogen Site Login Difficulties
« on: April 28, 2022, 10:20:13 PM »
The Microcogen site was updated.
Thanks MobileBob and Hwew.

I am unable to login and cannot get a message to the host in orde to advise of the issue.
I tried on various computers, but I get an Error message as soon as I click the Login button.

Anyone else having issues?

9
Generators / Small Permanent Magnet Generator
« on: April 24, 2022, 03:34:05 PM »
Hi All,

I came across these little PMG generators.
I know there are some members who have been looking for such things.
Probably low quality. But they are cast Iron, and with some care and slight mods, they may be useful for some projects.

Hugh,  I'm thinking you may like this little unit  ;)

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/124976541229?hash=item1d192eae2d:g:vcEAAOSwuG9hemGJ




10
Generators / Small 900 RPM Generator heads - do they exist ?
« on: April 17, 2022, 02:12:26 AM »
Is anyone aware of a supplier of 8 pole ( 900 rpm ) generator heads in the 2kw to 5kw range ..... anywhere on the planet ?
I would like to put one on my Listeroid.

Oh ! ... and if it's not to much to ask, I want 120/240 AC split phase  :laugh:

11
Listeroid Engines / My fix for Listeroid light flicker
« on: March 27, 2022, 04:42:45 PM »
Earlier this winter we experienced a power outage.
It happened at dinner time and ran for most of the evening during a winter storm with temperatures at -16C.
The house started to cool rapidly.
Wearing my headlamp, I ventured out to the garage, fired up the listeroid, and flipped the transfer switch.
All good, we had power and heat. But one annoying thing was the flickering lights throughout the house.
It also concerned me that damage may occur to sensitive electronics such as the $600 control board in my natural gas furnace.
Here's a short video of the Listeroid running in the dark and powering the house.
Notice the 240 volt AC generator head. (Soon to be changed).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfS4dqnn4_I

I decided to try a different approach.
Driving a DC alternator -->  battery bank ---> pure sine inverter --> House

I already had a set of batteries left over from a previous solar project, so I though they could act as a load buffer and a voltage clamp for the alternator/inverter system.
I swapped out the AC generator head for a Delco 25Si heavy duty 50A, 24 volt alternator.
Next step was to build a power module consisting of box, batteries, solar charge controller, pure sine inverter, and safety breakers.
This is what I ended up with.
The idea is that during an outage the Listeroid runs constantly.
Sometimes the house pulls from both the batteries and the alternator, and other times the charging is greater than the house draw.
Overall the system can keep up.
The listeroid can achieve 50A alternator output at the reduced speed of 395 rpm which makes the system very quiet.
Here is a video of the first run where the bank is charging at 20 amps.
The yellow cable from the power module plugs into the generator inlet box to the house transfer switch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxJo6UqwCi0

When not in use, float charging is accomplished with a small 24 volt, 5amp 3 step battery maintainer.
Once the solar charge controller is connected to the 600 watt panel array, the solar charger can take care of keeping the batteries topped.
The Magnum inverter provides split phase, 240 volt AC to the house, just as my AC alternator did.
I realize this is less efficient, but I don't care. I can justify it by not having to replace expensive electronic components.

cheers,
veggie

12
Everything else / Battery charge maintainance
« on: February 28, 2022, 07:26:10 PM »
I need a method of keeping my battery bank topped up (floated) during periods of no Sun or extended times between use.
Under normal use the small 24 volt battery bank will be bulk charged by the 50 Amp, 24 volt alternator on the Listeroid, then solar would take over and float the bank.
Later in the year, I plan to add 3 solar panels (total 660 watts) with a charge controller that takes care of the float and equalization.
In the meantime, is something like this acceptable for keeping the bank topped up? Plugged into the grid of course.
(Four 6 volt golf cart batteries in series. Total rating 225 amps C20 )
This would be used only for float/maintenance. Not for bulk charging.
https://www.amazon.ca/Automatic-Battery-Charger-Maintainer-Motorcycle/dp/B08D3QWRZL/ref=sr_1_12?crid=1PL4YLL8FAEI0&keywords=24+volt+battery+charger&qid=1646075825&sprefix=24+volt+battery+charger%2Caps%2C127&sr=8-12

or maybe this ?
https://www.amazon.ca/Automatic-Wheelchair-Alligator-Motorcycle-electronics/dp/B073ZGWGVF/ref=pd_day0fbt_img_2/141-4648481-3763000?pd_rd_w=P4vqL&pf_rd_p=acc65436-fc4e-45ed-98e6-1cea96557795&pf_rd_r=5DNWPEK461CDJHMNT75K&pd_rd_r=fef1cf98-7c1f-4723-9b23-0317a50b5e72&pd_rd_wg=fKned&pd_rd_i=B073ZGWGVF&psc=1

Or is there something more applicable that someone can recommend?



13
Everything else / Battery Series/Parallel connection guidance
« on: February 03, 2022, 04:05:31 PM »
Hi All,

I have four 6VDC, 225 amp deep cycle batteries that I wish to connect series/parallel to get 24 volts @ 225 amps.
The picture shows my planned wiring arrangement. BUT ... I'm not sure that this is the best or correct way.

Does this look correct ??

veggie
<click picture to enlarge>

14
Listeroid Engines / Import of Listeroids - Food for thought
« on: January 22, 2022, 04:01:39 AM »

While researching Ethanol and Methanol as a blend for used oil in my Listeroid, I came across
some data suggesting that diesels converted to run on methanol or ethanol make very little waste in the form of pollution.
Some European diesel engine builders are experimenting with such a fuel.
Food for thought, does an engine fueled by methanol automatically meet North American pollution requirements
because it burns so clean. The indians would happily stamp "ETHANOL ENGINE" instead of diesel on the name tag.
Below is a exert from the article....

Methanol in Diesel Engines
There has been interest in finding ways to use methanol for compression ignition (CI) (diesel) engines.
Methanol's high-octane number is an indication of its very low cetane number, the measure of a fuel's auto
ignitibility.70 For methanol the number is so low that it cannot be measured directly. But it could be used in
conjunction with another fuel that is more auto ignitable or an ignition improver.
In the 1980s, the Detroit Diesel Company (DDC) and MAN produced modified versions of their CI engines
which ran on “ignition improved” methanol fuel (the ignition improver constituted about 5% by volume of the
fuel). The MAN engine was a four-stroke engine using spark-assisted ignition whilst the DDC engines operated
on the two-stroke cycle, controlling the scavenge ratio to assist ignition. More recently, VTT has tested MD95, a
mix of 95% methanol and 5% ignition improver. This was done using a Scania ED95 engine, which is an engine
modified to enable compression ignition operation on a mix of 95% ethanol and 5% ignition improver through
the adoption of an increased compression ratio (28:1, to increase end-of-compression temperature for easier
ignition of the low cetane fuel), and a suitable fuel injection system.
A methanol-diesel dual-fuel approach, where each is injected directly in the combustion chambers, is a
common approach that is being used commercially today. MAN uses it for low-speed two-stroke engines and
Wärtsilä uses it for medium-speed four-stroke engines. There are other approaches as well. For example, glow
plug ignition enables the compression ignition engine to run solely on methanol, without the requirement of a
pilot fuel to serve as the ignition source.71 Another solution, particularly when looking at retrofit options is
introducing methanol into the engine’s intake ports, which requires adding a low pressure methanol fueling
system and port fuel injectors. Finally, very recently research engines have been run on methanol in
homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) mode and partially premixed combustion mode (PPC). Both
concepts rely on delaying the autoignition until after the fuel injection event has been completed to allow for
enough mixing time so that fuel-rich zones are reduced or eliminated, to decrease soot formation and speed up
combustion for higher efficiency.

15
Generators / Light flicker vs Engine RPM
« on: December 24, 2021, 04:13:39 PM »
Hi All,

Does anyone have any experience with light flicker as it relates to single cylinder engine speed ?

My 6/1 Listerloid at 650 rpm creates constant flicker in the house lights. This was to be expected... but it is very annoying.
The head is a Voltmaster 3600 rpm unit with voltage regulation, so I am confident that the head is of good quality.

I have a few options to replace the listeroid with faster running engines.

1 - 900 RPM Chanfa 195
2 - 2200 rpm Changfa 175
3 - 2600 rpm Air cooled F186

Does flicker usually disappear at 900 rpm ? or do I have to go higher ?

veggie


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