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Re: [GMCnet] interesting new engine design [message #67786 is a reply to message #67777]

Fri, 18 December 2009 19:07

ljdavick

Messages: 3548
Registered: March 2007
Location: Fremont, CA

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Matt,

So if I understand this correctly a turbine and a diesel engine of roughly the same horse power would burn roughly the same amount of fuel near peak output. Because they are light, turbines are used in airplanes, and because they scale easily they are used in large power plants. Diesel engines are cheaper and heavier. Is that about right?

I know that this MicroTurbine company is making money selling their turbine generators for Co-Gen plants. If it's economical, then it's brilliant. Their examples are something like this - apparently anywhere a large quantity of heat is required, Hotel boilers, public swimming pools, factory boilers, etc., they put their turbines in-line before the boiler to generate electricity. The heat passes through the turbine to the boiler. The heat loss through the turbine is minimal and the electricity produced is "almost" free. In the past Co-Gen meant (to me) using some waste product as a fuel to make electricity. For instance Gilroy foods would burn the waste product from their Garlic processing to generate electricity.

Well I think it's brilliant. Did you have a chance to view the diesel turbine hybrid video? It's a European Ford and is supposedly very quiet. I can't imagine what they have to do to quite down a whiny, screaming, turbine, but they call it "Whisper."

<http://www.capstoneturbine.com/news/video/view/whisper.asp>

Which makes me wonder about our Generator / House Battery system. If the generator and batteries were better combined so that electricity came primarily from the batteries, 'till we needed the boost of the generator, like a hybrid automobile, then the generator could be sized to provide near peak output all the time. A small turbine powered by propane, gasoline, the black tank, could quietly charge up the batteries and go back to sleep.

It'll never happen. The savings in having a tiny generator would be lost to the vast battery bank, but it's kind of a neat exercise. That battery thing has been pondered by the solar guys and the equation always seems to hinge on "load." Reduce the load and everything else gets smaller.

Sorry - I'm blathering again...

Larry Davick
The Mystery Machine
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Larry Davick
A Mystery Machine
1976(ish) Palm Beach
Fremont, Ca
Howell EFI + EBL + Electronic Dizzy

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[Message index]

		interesting new engine design By: fred v on Wed, 16 December 2009 21:34
		Re: interesting new engine design By: hertfordnc on Wed, 16 December 2009 22:29
		Re: interesting new engine design By: ljdavick on Wed, 16 December 2009 22:47
		Re: interesting new engine design By: Chr$ on Wed, 16 December 2009 22:43
		Re: [GMCnet] interesting new engine design By: Gary Casey on Thu, 17 December 2009 06:45
		Re: interesting new engine design By: fred v on Thu, 17 December 2009 07:44
		Re: [GMCnet] interesting new engine design By: GMC_LES on Thu, 17 December 2009 10:32
		Re: [GMCnet] interesting new engine design By: ljdavick on Thu, 17 December 2009 10:53
		Re: [GMCnet] interesting new engine design By: hertfordnc on Fri, 18 December 2009 06:16
		Re: [GMCnet] interesting new engine design By: mike miller on Fri, 18 December 2009 06:36
		Re: [GMCnet] interesting new engine design By: fred v on Fri, 18 December 2009 06:52
		Re: [GMCnet] interesting new engine design By: Gary Casey on Fri, 18 December 2009 07:11
		Re: [GMCnet] interesting new engine design By: USAussie on Fri, 18 December 2009 12:37
		Re: [GMCnet] interesting new engine design By: Steven Ferguson on Fri, 18 December 2009 08:18
		Re: [GMCnet] interesting new engine design By: GMC_LES on Fri, 18 December 2009 08:29
		Re: [GMCnet] interesting new engine design By: ljdavick on Fri, 18 December 2009 10:47
		Re: [GMCnet] interesting new engine design By: jhb1 on Fri, 18 December 2009 12:18
		Re: [GMCnet] interesting new engine design By: ljdavick on Fri, 18 December 2009 13:09
		Re: [GMCnet] interesting new engine design By: Matt Colie on Fri, 18 December 2009 16:55
		Re: [GMCnet] interesting new engine design By: ljdavick on Fri, 18 December 2009 19:07
		Re: [GMCnet] interesting new engine design By: Matt Colie on Sat, 19 December 2009 09:11
		Re: [GMCnet] interesting new engine design By: comcast on Sat, 19 December 2009 09:58
		Re: interesting new engine design By: Matt Colie on Thu, 17 December 2009 07:54
		Re: interesting new engine design By: Matt Colie on Fri, 18 December 2009 09:55
		Re: interesting new engine design By: fred v on Fri, 18 December 2009 12:53
		Re: interesting new engine design By: Bob de Kruyff on Fri, 18 December 2009 14:27
		Re: interesting new engine design By: Bob de Kruyff on Fri, 18 December 2009 19:48
		Re: interesting new engine design By: mdryan on Fri, 18 December 2009 10:03

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