Generator Idea
Generator Idea
Hi there I am Kebamo and am new here. Could you use a Stirling engine to turn a car altinator or generator to produce the energy you need. Yo can modify the altinator and use a voltage regulator to set the power out put. They altinator can produce a lot of electricity. They have beenused with windmills with lots of success, just a thought
Re: Generator Idea
Short answer, yes.
Long answer, a car's alternator is probably not the best choice. You need a generator designed to run with the least amount of friction, and a car's alternator is not designed with low friction in mind. A generator will create a load via the magnetic induction. Put this load together with high amounts of friction in an alternator, and you have to use too much of the engine's power output to turn the alternator.
If an alternator is all you have available due to your location, then you can design an engine to work with it, taking into account the amount of work required to overcome the various friction factors. If you have other generator options, or the time (and desire) to build your own, you will get much better results than an alternator.
Long answer, a car's alternator is probably not the best choice. You need a generator designed to run with the least amount of friction, and a car's alternator is not designed with low friction in mind. A generator will create a load via the magnetic induction. Put this load together with high amounts of friction in an alternator, and you have to use too much of the engine's power output to turn the alternator.
If an alternator is all you have available due to your location, then you can design an engine to work with it, taking into account the amount of work required to overcome the various friction factors. If you have other generator options, or the time (and desire) to build your own, you will get much better results than an alternator.
If I seem argumentative, I apologize. I like to explore many sides of an issue.
I love to be shown I'm wrong, after all, Dad always said to learn from my mistakes!
I love to be shown I'm wrong, after all, Dad always said to learn from my mistakes!
Re: Generator Idea
A car alternator has less friction than the old generator that was used in cars, the alternator has a brush of small size on a slip ring to supply a current to the armature, the generator has two heavy brushes on the comutaterto conduct the generated power. A generator will deliver a current without requiring a battery to start it, the car type alternator needs a battery until it starts generating at a bit over 1000rpm, this can be changed by making the armature with permanent magnets.
I have a car alternator driven by a Villiers 2 stroke motor (90cc ?) about 1hp, it will do about 400 watts continuous, about 600W for very short runs, the motor over heats, these little Villiers ones don't have a fan.
Ideally you would really need about 4hp to get the best out of a car alternator, 5hp+ would be better depending on the rating of the alternator, they come in a number of sizes from about 35 amp up to120 amp, a motor bike one might be smaller. Ian S C
I have a car alternator driven by a Villiers 2 stroke motor (90cc ?) about 1hp, it will do about 400 watts continuous, about 600W for very short runs, the motor over heats, these little Villiers ones don't have a fan.
Ideally you would really need about 4hp to get the best out of a car alternator, 5hp+ would be better depending on the rating of the alternator, they come in a number of sizes from about 35 amp up to120 amp, a motor bike one might be smaller. Ian S C