where to next?

[highwater]

Too bad the smallest one is 10 tons...

and it looks like requires 208/3ph

Randall

[highwater]

http://www.scusolar.org/technology.thermal

this page indicates that yazaki has developed a 5 ton unit

Randall

[BioHazard]

Now I have now ran several of the Kubota's DG972 three cylinder NG engines on different gaseous fuels. IT already IS EPA certified on NG.
It would seem to me for those who are on NG supply lines and do have electrical grid tie capability allowed the way to go for a registered compliant, insurable, stand-a-lone CoGen system. The extra "cost" for this of a couple a thousand per unit buys you a non-Chinese, 1st world quality engine already halfway to total certified, insurable system compliance.

I hate to ask, but how much are these engines going for? (and where do you get one?) A google search only brings up technical info from Kubota, or posts from this forum.

[deeiche]

http://www.scusolar.org/technology.thermal

this page indicates that yazaki has developed a 5 ton unit

Randall

and the company, Solarsa, mentioned on the Santa Clara University webpage appears to be out of business, or maybe they did not pay their webhosting bill. 

[mobile_bob]

Bio

i was aware of the "yaza" chillers, they run on the lithium bromide and water cycle as you probably have read
in their literature, water is the coolant in the system and as such is limited to cooling down to no lower than 32F
which is good for air conditioning but will not make ice.

the up side is it can use coolant heat from the cogen to drive the process for air conditioning or refer use, however
to get down to making ice one needs to go the ammonia/water route wherein the ammonia is the coolant and freezing water
then become very easy, the downside is iirc we need something over 260F to drive the system which means it will have to be
driven by the exhaust heat from the cogen.  this is really no problem as the exhaust has ample heat to get the job done.

i am kicking around the idea of going with the lithium bromide and using it for airconditioning purposes, which in the summer months
is certainly a good use for the cogen's heat potential.  also using it for refrigeration, leaving me to provide for freezer operation via other
means.  the freezer needs are quite small compared to airconditioning demands so maybe the focus ought to be on the larger demand being serviced and work out the freezer needs either alternatively or down the road with a separate and smaller ammonia system.

lithium bromide certainly is safer to work with too.

getting the absorption chiller piece of the puzzle would just about make for a perfect cogen for year round use.  large scale cogen's seem to be able to do all things well, its just finding a way to scale it down to micro for residential use that presents the opportunity here.

bob g

[SteveU.]

Hey Mr Bio in answer to your ". . . where do you get one?" about the Kubota DG 972 natural gas engines.
AnyONE of us can walk in to any local Kubota tractor/equipment Dealer, plunk down sincerity money, order and buy ONE to be shipped in.
For your Oregon area your local Dealer would order either out of the Puget Sound or the SF Bay Kubota Distributors.
Yep; pay probably List for just ONE.
Now approach one of these regional Distributors and prove to them you are an Equipment System Manufacturer going to be buying in lots of more than one and you qualify for much better pricing.
Not speculation. Seen it. Quoted two groups done this. And this buys you into Kubota paid for EPA certification, world wide parts and service network.
Much, much better overall deal than IF you could had been able (and willing) to purchased one of those, one manufacture, ex-Briggs engines.
Not criticizing those including myself who have bought discounters, take off/surplus/E-Bay/Craigs List/one lot imported engines. We'er stand-a-lone DYI'ers. Independent as hell, and if not already, become cracker-jack DO-alls by lots of on hands trial and error. We know we must be our own spares and service resources. Build-it. Try-it. Bone it out, and Do again until satisfied and then onto the next challenge.
Most of us even cringe a bit about "Sleeping with the Enemy".

Focus of this thread was what could be done as a Group, with the effect of group multiplication.

Respectfully
Washington State Steve Unruh