Introduction

[Equine]

Greetings everyone!

I thought I'd say hello, and introduce myself, being a new member and all . So here are a few bits of information about me, and my "motivation" for being here.

In a relatively short span of time this is the second forum I join, shortly before I joined listerengine.com. Then it was brought to my attention that there is a forum that also deals with listers, co-generation, and similar topics. So naturally I didn't want to miss the opportunity .

I live in Hungary (that's in Central Europe), and by profession I'm an electrical engineer. I work at the Research Institute for Technical Physics and Material Sciences, of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. My work mostly involves plasma physics, semiconductor research and mid to high vacuum systems. Though my interests do span beyond my degree, I like to tinker, and to search for all sorts of interesting and maybe promising things in various fields of sciences. Since energy is a major concern for all of us, I always like to explore possibilities in regards of power generation at home. A couple years ago I bought some land, just outside the city, about 0.7 acres, and I have a small house on it (well it's a "work in progress"). I keep horses (so do my neighbors), and that means that I have access to plenty of manure, which means I can produce bio-gas. My idea is actually to mix bio-gas with bio-diesel (preferably from processing WVO), and introduce this mixture into a relatively efficient, and reliable, low maintenance (or easily maintained) engine and produce electricity. Also the waste heat (by running the coolant through a heat exchanger) would be used to produce hot water for the household. The Lister (and other low RPM engines), having a simple construction,and water cooling, seems like a good candidate for such a project.

I'm on a very tight budget so this would be a "bit by bit" type of project, slowly building the required infrastructure. I also have a tendency to be very careful, and I try to take as much parameters into consideration before committing to anything, as possible.

By the way my house will have two A/C s to cool and heat it, both inverter types, with a COP>3.5 . Of course if temperatures drop below -15 degrees C outside, their efficiency will also drop. I also have a vertical axis wind turbine, not yet erected tho', but practically just waiting to be placed (I don't want to place it until I move into my new home).

Seeing all the information on these engines (not only Lister(oid)s), ways to use them, etc, is a bit overwhelming, and sometimes can get a bit confusing. There is a myriad of manufacturers and dealers, but most of the info relates to the US and UK (as most of the community is from these areas). I'm also looking about here in Hungary, because there are a few old engine manufacturers who also built engines in this area which are similar to the Lister. So there is the possibility of a "barn find" or something. Otherwise the biggest "monster" here is shipment, at least that seems to be my greatest concern (what it costs, how safe it is, etc).

Well that's about it for now. I have been reading posts in the forum for a week now, and I'll keep on digging for info, but eventually I'm sure I'll ask some silly questions  . I have noticed that there are some people here who are from Europe! They could probably (having experience here in the EU) help me with logistics problems (shipment of these engines), if it would come to that.

I appreciate any input or advice of course!

Thank you!

Cheers, and Happy Holidays to everyone!

Eq

Ps.: Here is an example of an engine I found here in Hungary, while looking about on various classified ad sites. It's a "BL-7" , and I have no idea who the manufacturer was. The first pic shows the engine I found for sale (for about 450 USD). The second and third shows another view of the same type of engine (but not the one that's for sale). From the looks of it it has a water reservoir on the top. No further info is available at the moment. The reason I'm sharing these pictures is, that it shows that here this horizontal arrangement is much more frequent. I hope it's okay if I show them here.

[mobile_bob]

welcome to our forum!

nice to see another interested party from yet another corner of the globe.

looks like you have some very interesting old iron to choose from in your own back yard.

if parts are available for one of them, it looks like a good place to start.

bob g

[Equine]

Thanks!

For now I'll keep looking, hoping I can find something for less than that 450 USD engine. I have contacted some people I found on a Hungarian forum, discussing such engines, hoping they might have some insight.

Eq

[injin man]

Equine

Welcome aboard!

There is a wealth of knowledge here, you probably have gathered as much.
It's always good to have another part of the worlds real perspective and solutions
to problems. There will come a day when the work we've done here will be
what it takes to survive. Many here have done the proof of concept work and
are truly living life on their own terms.

Ben

[Equine]

Hi Ben!

Aye, the vastness of knowledge and experience I found on the internet (in this and other forums, personal project sites, etc), is overwhelming. It's hard to decide where to start! For the moment I'm trying to get an idea of what I can get from my neighborhood. No need to import a Lister for $$$ if I can find viable alternatives around here . And while I do that I'm browsing these forums to sharpen my knowledge and to learn from the experience of those who did a LOT of work to get to where they are now. And I'm quite grateful for that!

[billswan]

Hello Equine

Welcome aboard. You won't be sorry for joining, Lots of brain power here. I learn something every day!


That BL- 7 looks huge. Hopper cooling, water boils away and as it changes state to steam lots of heat goes with.

Billswan

[Horsepoor]

I to am the husband of a horse owning wife. This tells me where I will live (rural), what I will drive (pickup truck to pull horse trailer), and where ALL my spare money will go: Farrier, vet bills, tac, hay, grain/feed, and the list just goes on and on. The few pennies I get to keep, allow me to play with my slow speed diesels. We live in rural West Palm Beach, Florida (US). Welcome.

[Equine]

Thanks guys!

Meanwhile I kinda learned what to look for here i Hungary. These engines (BL-7, BL-12, MIA, MIB) were in widespread use here. Practically they were fitted to horse drawn wagons, creating a motorized vehicle. These were called "csettegő" in Hungarian, which roughly translates to "clapper", due to their very characteristic sound. Quite a number of these can still be found for sale , in various states of decay, but there are also completely rebuilt engines out there for about 700 USD. Most of the used ones are between 165 and 300 USD. It can be a bit of a gamble. I was also told that these engines aren't used for "active duty" here in Hungary, mostly just owned by collectors, and such. From the success of the Lister in the US and the UK, I'd say these engines might be suitable for more than that (having basically the very same structure).

Just for fun here are a couple of videos of two MIA engines in action. First one is "standard condition", the one below is the completely rebuilt model (which is for sale at about 700 USD). They are around 6-8 HP.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSx4lstAme8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ga8Ffhf2bY&feature=related

And a rather peculiar way to start an engine:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76homV7MuOI&feature=related

[mobile_bob]

i really like the starter option



seriously though, the engine type looks very interesting, and i think i would look into getting one if i were you.

bob g

[WGB]

Welcome Eq,
Wish we had some of BL-7's in the US!

[Equine]

Hey there WGB! Thanks!

You know something about the BL-7's? I'm considering the self starting engine, because it seems to have a reasonable price. I'm having a very hard time finding any info on these BL series. MIA and MIB engines aren't hard to find, but these BLs are.

[rl71459]

Hello Equine

Welcome to our forum, I think you will enjoy our group. Those are some very interesting looking engines.
Happy Holidays

Rob