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re: remotoring (downsize) a genset...
19 jan 2005
ecnerwal wrote:
>there's a caterpillar diesel genset going begging nearby that's way, way
>too large for my needs - 240kw 3 phase. it's on offer for considerably
>less than ones of a size i might realistically need (10-20 kw, for a
>completely offgrid shop/house). the engine is a cat 4306, which i know
>little about, though a bit of web research has established that it's
>apparently rated 325 hp at 1800 rpm. i'm considering buying the genset,
>seperating the motor, and installing a motor that more closely matches
>my actual electrical needs, figuring that it is inefficient and harmful
>to run a diesel much below 50% load for any length of time, but the same
>should not be true of the generator end. with any luck a large diesel
>can be sold for more than a small diesel once it's "just an engine".
sounds like more money and work. an oldish combine with a similar diesel
engine sold for $200 at a recent farm auction. it ran. i thought about
buying it for a lawn ornament.
why not put a 4' deep x 24' diameter swimming pool in your basement and
float some foamboard on top and run the diesel hard every few weeks to
make hot water and spin the meter backwards to zero your electric bill?
or make hot water and electricity for 240 nearby neighbors. use a copper
coil to make pressurized hot water and electric immersion heaters to
adjust your heat/electrical energy ratio.
heating 4pil2^2x62.33 = 113k pounds of water from 100 to 180 f takes
9 million btu, ie 2600 kwh. if your diesel makes 1 mw chp, you might
heat the pool in 2.6 hours and heat the house for a month.
herbach and rademan (800) 848-8001 http://www.herbach.com sell new
tm93hvc2527 3500w 240 vac chromalox immersion heaters for $6.95 each.
nick
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