who has cogen

[admin]

in operation, or is planning on building one?

its time we did a little refocusing on our forum get start working on what we are all about.

there are many members that have no use for cogeneration, and that is ok.

there are also many members that are working on various aspects of cogeneration and it is time
we explore what our members have going on.

so lets hear what you guys have going on with your cogenerators or cogen plans

admin

[AdeV]

At this exact moment.... I don't have any cogen. However, at some point in the future, I anticipate living off-grid running 1 or 2 veg-oil powered Lister CS engines with alternators/dynamos of some description. Waste heat will be used to provide domestic hot water.

One engine will be used to run a workshop, whether by electricity generation or line shafting, I've not yet decided.

Since I plan to live in a warm sunny place, I will certainly be looking at solar hot water, and may investigate PV solar as well. Depending on practicality, time & money, I'd like to look at stored hydro as an alternative to a battery bank; but ultimately, that may not be possible.

The money I'm earmarking for this project will be sufficient to buy a decent sized spread (maybe up to 8 hectares, about 20 acres) with enough left over to renovate a ruined property. With 20 acres, I can grow my own firewood, and olives (to replace diesel fuel); so, in theory, I could be fuel independent. In practice... well, so long as I can get close, that'll be good enough for me.

[akghound]

I'm on it. At this time we provide all electricity, most of our domestic hot water, and all our hot water floor heat from the generator. This runs off of waste ATF soon to be converted to WVO.
We have solar and wind projects in the making, still planning.
The house is a "Berm" house build into a south facing slope so we get a lot of passive solar heat.
Other then fighting to keep the generator running life is simple.
Ken Gardner

[Wizard]

Very small room, probably a cellar or coal storage.  Found any traces of coal chute?

Cheers, Wizard

[Geno]

The house is not old enough for a coal furnace and this "bunker" is on the wrong side of the basement. The top was completely sealed until I cut a hole in it to load firewood. I put a wood stove and chimney on that end of the basement when I first moved in. This wood stove will be incorporated into the cogen system one day. I have a design in my head for a heat-ex in the stovepipe where it exits the stove.
A cool, food storage area is the only purpose I can think of but the house just isn't that old.

Thanks, Geno

[Tom Reed]

Will I've got plans for co-gen. We're off grid and using a 6/1 roid for back up power. There are 600' hydronic tubes under the insulated basement floor. I just need to figure out how to get the hot water into the house and circulate it through the floor.

[mobile_bob]

i know there has to be more "cogen-anator's" in this group!

plus one with me, s195 idi changfa based

its been a long journey, and actually i think i am glad it has taken to long
the overall efficiency has improved dramatically over what it would have been had i
went with the first version.

currently i am working on a theory of operation that is a departure from anything i have considered before
and have not seen anyone else consider.

still working on it, but i have to draw this to a conclusion in the next few months, time is drawing near for me
needing it to do what it was designed to do.

bob g

[billswan]

Yes count me in to. I have a 10/1 Omega that I run on WMO that is used to heat a farm shop, have plans to route the elect power into my house for heat in there but for now it is just used in the shop for more heat. The hot water it makes goes in to in floor heating, 4000+ feet of pex tubing. Got to get a better heat exchanger built for the engines exhaust, the 1st was too quick to plug the one I am using now is too inefficient and wastes heat. But it never plugs!

Billswan

[Fat Charlie]

I'm going to tap my 10/1 into my hot water system with a heat exchanger.  The main goal is simply backup power, but I'll be evaluating how well it does everything. 

[Crumpite]

Folks,

Well, I've got a Metro 6/1 and I'm well on my way to getting the co-gen running.
I'll be heating the house and hot water in the winter and hot water and perhaps air conditioning in the summer.

I don't have a battery bank and don't plan on getting one.
I'm considered using a primitive load shedding/sharing system run by a microcomputer.
I need to finish up what I've started first though.

Now that the nice weather is here I've started working again...
Crumpite

[biobill]

  I've got a 6/1 'roid  that lives on a anti-vibe mount in my basement. (yea, I know, a really bad idea for lots of reasons - perpetual bachelor-hood not the least of them - but it starts real easy when it's frigid outside and I'm getting lots of radiant heat from it too) Exhaust heat is extracted with a heat exchanger and routed to a motorcycle radiator with a fan, and the cooling system feeds a cast iron radiator upstairs. The house is passive solar heated and solar powered so the set-up is a nice addition on cloudy days when the batteries need charging.
   Bill

[sailawayrb]

It doesn't look like cogen is in our near-term future.  We just started working architect Debbie Coleman (author of Sun Inspired House) on our future passive solar retirement home.  

http://www.sunplans.com/learn/sun-inspired

The single level house will be 1480 sq feet and one bedroom.  The separate garage/shop will be 1250 sq ft and will also have 400 sq feet detached living space (great room, one bedroom and bathroom).

The passive solar should provide nearly 70% of our heating needs.  We will use a masonry heater to supplement the passive solar and to create a nice atmosphere in the evenings.  We have plenty of timber on our property.  Masonry heaters are much more efficient than wood stoves and provide a gentle and even heat transfer (i.e., you only have to fire them up for a couple hours and they will radiate even heat for couple days).  We will also use hydronic radiant heat flooring via propane boiler to supplement the passive solar.  We really prefer to cook on a gas stove/oven and we want to avoid the high electrical load requirements that an electric stove/oven would create.  Given that we will need propane for the stove/oven, figured might as well use it for the supplemental radiant heat flooring and hot water heater too.  This could be perhaps where cogen or solar water could be taken advantage in our long-term future.  However, we would prefer not to create any noise by running an engine unless it was absolutely necessary.  Primary electrical power source will be micro hydro.  Backup electrical power sources will be the 6/1 and the grid.

Bob B.

[elnav]

I recently encountered a problem with Cogen. The generator  is a Northern Lights  9kW Northern lights genset detuned to 7kW by running as a 50HZ  genset putting out 230v 
The Norther light  engineering  department flatly declared we could not draw off any heat from the genset via heat exchangers since this would cool off the genset  to much and cause it to  run badly.
The plan was to use  air handlers and Red Dot  radiators in living quarters.  Total floor area is approximately 650 squarre feet  This is likwely not going to encounter below freezing temps  so heating load is not that great.  So why would Northern Light  declare this cannot be done and is technically  impossible?
Personally I think they are wrong  but what do I know?I dont have an engimeneering degree paper.

[mobile_bob]

the only thing i can think of is the generator has no thermostat, or they were afraid you would take the heat off the block
like cars to for the cab heater. under such use it is possible to overcool the engine and in doing so the engine will start to smoke
pollute and coke/gum up quickly.

now if you use a heat exchanger and a pump that has a temp switch control so that the pump shuts off if the engine coolant temp gets below
perhaps 180 degrees F, then you should be good to go and cannot overcool the engine.

there are other methods as well, such as setting up a bypass for the engine radiator loop, and divert that duty to your red dot heater in the house
then the engine can still maintain the needed heat level controlled by the thermostat.

i understand their concerns, but it can be done correctly, just as it can be done incorrectly.

bob g

[Lloyd]

Hi Enlav,

Look at the respective Volvo's.. the NL 4.5 - 8kw use the same perky\cat/volvo (Shibara) engine volvo Marine offers a heater connection kit...they take the heat only above the t-stat, so it can't rob the engine, when the t-stat is closed.

Lloyd