Micro CoGen.

This technical "Alternator Bible" is geared more for automotive applications than power generation and it focuses on the delco-remy units, I know most of us try to avoid using these alternators because of their poor efficiencies, that being said, there is a lot of good knowledge in there so I will post a link anyways.

http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/Wiring/Part2/

Hello all, I am in need of your collective brainpower to help me design and figure out the off-grid setup I will put together in this new year, the goal is to have it running before next winter to ease my utility bill pain. Some of you saw my other post under the changfa/redstone/chinese diesels section, "yanmar clone...slow speed water cooled conversion".  After finding a local changfa type generator set on craigslist locally I had to buy it, this was the first one I've seen locally and not having to pay freight is almost a reason to buy in and of itself. I would like to get as much advise on how I should accomplish my goals with this so please comment and share your knowleadge. I will post regularly here with pics and vids of my progress.

What I'm starting with:

The generator I just purchased has a "changfa" type horizontal water cooled single cylinder engine. It is a s1100an built by Chianghuai Engine Works, I believe the build date is 1999. It is rated at 16hp @2200rpm. The guy I bought it from got it with the house he just bought, it was sitting under the deck. In this small world, it just so happened that my buddy lives next door to this guy, and helped him get it running, so lucky for me I knew the inside scoop on what it took, The engine was stuck and they removed the head and had to hone out some rust, but put oil in, head back on and she fires up. I need to verify whether it is DI or swirl.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_p8nhGAJYI

The generator is an 8kw st type, Shows no voltage when it is running. It looks pretty weathered and dirty inside, The armature windings are shorted to ground so if it is salvageable it will take a thorough rebuild.

Currently I heat my water with propane, and space heat comes via electric baseboards (about 4kw). Average electricity consumption not including heat is 1kw. This includes fridge/freezer, electronics, microwave, range, oven, lights, etc. The catch is, within this average load are considerable peak loads such as welders, kilns, oven, motor starts...

I have a good steady supply of wmo, and eventually I would like to build a gasifier to fuel it with as well.

The Initial Plan:

Scrap the ST Gen in favor of a pair of 110-555jho's or whatever mobile bobs latest 48v concoction requires. and drive with a serpentine belt. (although if you think I should go st with split armature to make 48v than convince me, but I don't know if that would be viable with variable and lower rpms). Use an arduino microcontroller to control engine throttle/speed and excitation for the alts, and anything else that is currently being done by others with balmar controllers. Possibly do a lead/lag setup to have only one alt running for lower loads and bring the second on when necessary. I would like to not use traditional batteries at all, instead I will have a 48v nominal ultra-capacitor bank. I am thinking of using two Magnum Energy MS4448PAE inverters paralleled to give 8,800 VA continuous and 17kw surge. I want this system to be flexible and have the ability to vary rpm per the demand, with the lowest demand slowing the engine back to 800rpm or so similar to what veggie has done on his slow speed changfas, so added flywheel mass may be needed. I will add a hydronic unit heater (radiator and fan) to my living space and one to my garage. Plumb the engine water jacket into the heating loop, which will include a heat exchanger tank for domestic hot water (replacing the propane heater). Add an electric water heater into the loop as well to add load and heat if needed. I am thinking a small noise shroud around the engine, than a larger one around that, than the building walls. Hopefully three sound barriers will lower the noise to keep the neighbors off my back. Make and/or install an exhaust heat exchanger. Down the road tie in a 48v PV system to keep the gen from running in the summer.

Well after writing that all down, man do I have my work cut out for me this year!

I guess my first questions right off the bat are:

1. I have done quite a bit of reading and have come to the understanding that ST Generators are self excited, meaning they can black start. Could someone explain to me how this happens? There aren't permenent magnets in the generator somewhere for exitation correct? So if there aren't pm's what creates the initial field?

2. Can ST generators be controlled to generate at varying speeds? or am I going the right direction with the modified leece neville alts?

3. The armature windings on my 8kw st (L1,L2,L3) should not be shorted to ground correct?

4. Has mobil bob or anyone else done a 110-555jho @ 48v yet? any posts, white papers on that matter?

5. Does anyone have clearer copies of the changfa engine manual that you could send me? I downloaded one from here but it is pretty blurry.

Thanks everyone,
-Focodiesel

Hello all, I found this site a few months ago and have been hooked ever since, which was natural since I love all things with diesel, power generation, and self sufficiency. Anyways to the point of my first post here...I know that there is a lot of brilliant minds here so I would like to hear feedback, more specifically the challenges that I would face to do the following: (this idea has been in my head for the last couple of weeks)
Take a yanmar L100 or clone (186fe), make a custom liquid cooled cylinder to replace the air cooled jug, which will utilize a yanmar l48 or clone (170f) piston and head. This would create a 70x72 bore and stroke. Next, attach one or two large flywheels, think lister. You would end up with a small liquid cooled, direct injected, slow spinning, under-square engine.
Why I think this would be a good motor if it's possible:
1. Parts availability for these engines is second to none, and cheap
2. Liquid cooled for combined heat and power (I'm thinking a wet sleeve design would be awesome)
3. A slow turning mini engine with big flywheels like a lister would just be too cool, and we all know the benefits to slower operation having far less parts wear.
4. Direct Injection, currently a similar size motor is the r170f/r175f, and maybe those small kubotas I'm not too familiar with, but they are all IDI so less efficient, recently though I have been thinking IDI isn't all bad if you are harvesting the heat, it just means it is more of a heater than an electric generator

Difficulties:
1. Air cooled design, cylinder head is air cooled how will that work with a liquid cooled cylinder? Can I make the air cooled head liquid cooled?
2. My original thoughts are aluminum outer cylinder with a cast iron wet sleeve, so making that all seal up with the aluminum block and head will take some engineering.
3. Will the connecting rod hit the longer cylinder?
4. Can the crank bearings support the large flywheels?
5. Balancing the new rotating assembly and flywheels, will the counterbalancing shaft complicate this?
6. Oiling, a common concern when we load engines at lower rpm's.

Anyways, let me know you thoughts on this so I can get a better idea of the feasibility of this harebrained idea.