Well, it would be nice if I actually got email notification of responses on this thread, but most of these forum sites aren't very good about that.
Just checked back here and am amazed at these responses!

BIG big thanks to Geno for the experimentation and report !
Makes sense that the rack would close down with the added gaseous fuel.....and how handy that it 'regulates itself' in that way!
Geno, I wonder if there would be -any- sign of increased heating under full load conditions...? 

Firebrick is absolutely correct, no throttle plates allowed in the intake on a diesel.
I wonder if a venturi would help mix the gas for even distribution.......maybe at least a spray bar with a series of small holes to assure
even mixing of gas/air....??  I admit I like electronics for engine monitoring/ control, so the idea of an electronic governor and fuel 'injection'
system seems interesting to me.

Cujet: I think your best money is still to use nat gas as heat only. You will have to do some quality engineering to achieve that level of overall efficiency.

Here is the punchline to my proposal......

Here in Upstate New York, at my shop, 3 phase electric is very expensive.
When I divide my monthly electric charges by killowatt hours, it comes out to around .22-.24 cents -per- KWH....!
We are taxed to death on utilities, and the demand charges are a form of legal highway robbery...
Although my shop is small, and there are no demand charges if I am below 5KW, it always works out that the bill reads 5.2 or 5.3KW demand minimum. Go figure....
With electric rates in these ranges, I think it is well worth considering the generation of power on site, with waste heat as a 'free' by product....
The full payback on the project may only be 3 or 4 years.....?
If I'm mistaken, please tell me why.....
 
thanks for your info guys!

dan k

' Much better to add the propane through a gas carb linked to the governor rack.'

Agreed. Mostly....
Running anything other than liquid fuel oil, WVO, etc thru the injection pump is not an option.
Will not work, and not required anyway.
There is little if any lubricant in propane, and nothing to settle out of it in the tank.
Nat Gas has NO lubricating qualities, and thats harder on any engine, which raises life expectancy questions.
How to get the gaseous fuel in the engine is not an issue.
How the engine (Listeroid) behaves on said fuel is the question.

dk

Well,
1 sounds pretty reasonable.
2 sounds like adding hardware that will fail at the worst possible time.

How about shutting of the fuel to 1 cylinder in the 12/2 ?

MU (Multi Unit) operation would be fun with electronic govenors.
Another feature to incorporate in an EMS System.....

Ray Kurzweil was on C-Span this morning talking about modern technonlgy and how (among LOTS of other things) power generation will become decenteralized in the not-so-distant future. He's thinkin Solar. I' m thinkin Listeroids have their place in their
someplace too. At least till solar cells get super efficent and dirt cheap...

http://www.kurzweilai.net/articles/art0134.html?printable=1

So brings up the topic:
Another aspect of Listeroid power I'm interested in, is the adaption of modern technology to the Listeroid design, which we all
agree is quite sound and may be a bit over-engineered.
Too much of that (modern technology) might have a reverse (and adverse) effect, but I think its good to at least toss ideas and theories around.

The typical and obvious have already been named:
Improved oiling/ filtering, synthetic oils, electric starters, glow plugs,etc.
Turbocharging and supercharging sound very interesting.
I wonder how economy could be improved by adapting a modern high pressure (possibly computer controlled) fuel injection system?
There certainly seems to be 'enough' iron and bearing area in the design to handle increased power output.
The tradeoff usually comes in decreased life and reliability, but with typical lifespans measured in decades, how much tradeoff is that really?  I am considering a power generation system that will have to be as efficient as possible, and also reliable and low maintence.
I am willing to break from tradition and employ any and all modern technology to the Lister design to achieve that goal.

Some gadgets I'd like to see evolve:

Low cost electronic govener (a kit or DIY plans would be great) 

Auto start/shutdown

Remote monitoring

Variable speed/variable load inverter generator,
(the engine speed can vary from idle to full depending on load,  but the frequency is maintained at 60cyc.
This is becoming more common in RV generators now)

Possibly all the above wrapped up in an EMS  (engine management system) 

Please post your thoughts ......


dan k

 

 

Joe,
Where are you exactly?
I'm in Big Flats near Elmira and Corning.....

dan k
DK1machine@yahoo.com