Here's an operational Listeroid cogen system.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAZKxYZ3QH0&feature=PlayList&p=BCB1AC202E7C47C0&index=56 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAZKxYZ3QH0&feature=PlayList&p=BCB1AC202E7C47C0&index=56)
Veggie
Isn't that the unit from volvox engineering over in england or thereabouts?
i think i got his email addy somewhere, maybe i can twist his arm into comeing over
to the forum and telling us about his system?
bob g
not a problem with me, any claims ought to hold up to some healthy and respectful scrutiny in my opinion.
i too am interested in his exhaust exchanger, and a few other things on the unit.
having said that i have no problem with him coming over, joining up and showing his wares
for that matter i got no problem with him joining the dealers registry either, not like the vast majority of us
are going to buy a 3 ton unit and have it shipped from england anytime soon.
bob g
I, too, would be quite interested in the exhaust gas heatex, and where he gets them. Yea, like we are going to import the whole system to the US. :)
mobile_bob, whatever happened to your simple heatex design you were going to sell to us?
been sidetracked and had some health issues, the instructions are about done with the writeup
and i want to do a theory of operation, as i personally feel that is necessary so folks understand
all the "whys"
guess i better get that done sooner than later.
bob g
Quote from: mobile_bob on October 04, 2009, 11:18:11 PM
guess i better get that done sooner than later.
Yes, please....! I have a "mobile bob heat exchanger" shaped hole in my cogen diagram just now... ;)
Seriously - health first, then family, then heat exchanger.... 8)
Volvox has the heatex listed for sale on their website for 440 pounds(plus shipping and import duties:(). They also give some tech specs. 1250sq/in tripple pass and 316 tig welded stainless with 304 cast stainless end caps.
Jens,
We just recently (Yesterday actually) serviced one of our EGHEs.
The CHP has nearly 250 hours on it. It has been running on nothing but waste veg oil, and has had an undiagnosed fuel heater problem, so we were expecting to see to it well choked-up.
There was plenty of soot in the end caps but still nothing sufficient to restrict exhaust flow. The internal pipes were sooty but still had 8-9mm diameter (x 27 tubes) clearance.
On a well setup engine (where the fuel heaters are working), I expect the EGHE will start to restrict exhaust flow around the 400 to 500 hour mark, but to maintain heat transfer efficiency, I expect the EGHE will need cleaning every 250 hours.
I took some photos, but haven't got them off my camera yet - will post tomorrow.
Dismantling the EGHE is less than a 5 minute job, but could be quicker if you used flanges instead of BSP fittings. Luckily the exhaust flange studs on a Lister come out very easily which allows the EGHE top end cap to just lift off. You then disconnect the two water pipes and the whole body of the EGHE lifts straight off, leaving the bottom end cap in place.
Cleaning is just a matter of sticking a bamboo cane down each of the 27 tubes.
Mark
Jens,
Yes, this is the Volvox EGHE.
We didn't notice a significant drop in heat output, but then again, we haven't been monitoring it quantitatively.
I suspect you are right about the drop in efficiency though - soot makes a very good insulator.
Mark
Looks a little past what we would relate to as the "KISS" system.. I can tell you now that all that high dollar meters,, and shut down control box will be eaten up by the vibrations in short order.. I understand its all mounted on a trailer to tow around to different trade shows but I would give it 30 hours running time before parts start falling off.
Sodbust
whatever you do.... stay away from volvox engineering
I know someone who bought a system from them, and has had non stop problems with it.... they started by saying they'd return his calls but never did... in the end they won't even answer the phone... :(
knighty:
you are new here, and as such probably don't know any better, but
there is "always" two sides to every story, and until i hear both sides i won't be passing judgement
on volvox or anyone else.
might be better to introduce yourself to the group and get your feet wet before you bring in "stories" that we
cannot confirm.
bob g
sorry, and that's a good point, it's not good when my first post is a bad one like that....
I should have just said that volvox have a questionable reputation, and anyone thinking of buying one should make sure they spend a decent amount of time googling them to read the horror stories !
anyone wishing to buy anything would be well advised to avail themselves of all the info available
that is just getting yourself educated
sometimes getting into something you have no idea about can lead to serious problems that are not all the fault
of the supplier/manufacture.
much like buying a ferrari and then later complaining that the thing needs tires after 5k miles, or a clutch at 3500miles
that doesn't make a ferrari a piece of crap, but rather makes the new owner look a bit silly complaining.
bob g
Actually, they bought Acura NSXes and then filed a class action lawsuit when the tires only lasted 5000 miles. Some combination of high performance tires and alignment settings designed to maximize cornering grip didn't sit well with folks who expected the performance of a Ferrari and the mild manners of an Accord.
And yes, they looked quite silly indeed.
it comes down to "reasonable" expectations, and even then "reasonable" is in the eye of the beholder
Ettore' Bugatti during the heyday of his race car years sold one of the cars to some royalty, a prince of somewhere iirc
when the prince came back bitching about the car being hard to start in cold weather, he was met with...
"if you can afford on of my cars, you can afford a heated garage!!"
afterwhich he was shown the door.
i remember the nsx and the 5000 mile tires, if i had been the judge i would have thrown the class action lawsuit out the door
along with a letter to the bar for the atty's that brought the suit.
those tires were of a special soft compound, which was designed to work with the geometry and G forces involved in a specific
extreme performance car, a car that was not meant to be a daily driver.
anyone that bought one of those expecting something other than what they got was just too stupid to have been allowed one in the
first place.
i remember my road race days, many years ago, my tires were shreds in under 5000 miles too!
as the old saying goes, "lots of horse, eat lots of oats"
bob g
When I had my vette.... It had soft sticky tires! Man did they hold the road! I'll never forget the feeling
I got when I was handed the bill for the first replacement tires! OUCH! I had to have the "Factory Original"
GoodYears.
Even when I bought the later sets I still bought those pricey bastards.... Had to have that GRIP!
When you spun them they left alot of Black Fuzz all over the road... kinda like the crap left behind by a pencil eraser except alot more expensive!
Rob
yup, and if you would have put a cheaper tire on the vette, then went out and found that it could not hold the road,
ended up in a wreck and killed somebody, then what?
according to some folks it would have been time to sue chevy in a class action lawsuit!
obviously you were much smarter than that and saw the value and need for the tires spec'd for the car, even
though their lifespan was low and cost seemed quite high
bob g