Added: 4 years ago
From: otherpower
Views: 120,580
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  • I love how you built the alternator on this engine, works just like a motorcycle. No belts or brushes and virtually bulletproof. Well Done !!!

  • Nice engine good job. Reminds my of the Diesel Lister engines we use in Nigeria.

  • how many gallons of water per hr?

  • your engine is nice !!!

    Post full videos ?

  • as part of an arts project I need to build a similar system. would you be willing to advise or even get involved? where are you based?

  • I will not pretend to be an expert on this stuff, but I'm happy to answer any questions. I'm in Northern Colorado. You can contact me through my website.

  • @otherpower ,What kind of load did you put to the alternator to run this test ? . Running it without a load could, burn it, right?

  • When this engine starts it's producing 31512 LbFt (foot pounds of torque)! By the time it gets to 200 rpm though it drops to 157.56 LbFt

  • people just don't care to read anything anymore do they? 90% of theses posts ARE information that is in the link in the explanation window under the video ; ) just like the person said "If you want to know more, click here" you fools!!

  • This is, by far, one of the coolest things I have ever seen... I'm sure there will be people out there(haven't read the comments yet) that will say since you are burning things it's not sustainable, but when the lights go out, I would rather have something like this...plus it sounds wonderful!

  • If I burn wood, then it is absolutey sustainable, because more wood is growing around me all the time! And dead wood, if I don't burn it... will slowly oxidize and release the same amount of CO2 anyhow - I am just accelerating that process! But she really does prefer coal ;-)

  • @otherpower The point of the oxidation and the dead wood(or any plant material) is something that I try to explain to people that go on about such things....I understand the need for some people to want to be more self-sufficient and less reliant on some outside source for their well-being, which, of course, gets me labeled as some right-wing nutter that thinks Big Brother is out to get us all....why is it that wanting to not live like some good little worker bee a bad thing?

  • sweeeeet! that looks like some fun!

  • great setup

    Id love to have something like that as a back up

  • Get a silencer on that exhuast!

    Nice setup though.

    Have you thought of fitting a forced draft system? You may find the fuel burns cleaner then, thus getting more energy out of it - hopefully more than is required to power the fan.

  • do you mind id i ask how much these cost

  • Wouldn't metal coil cores improve the efficiency?

  • This is so cool! Can you do anything with the steam once you've made power with it?

  • You could. You could run a sterling engine off it, or use the steam for district heating. Of course, since they don't run it often the district heating probably isn't worth it. And it produces more power than they need, so it's not worth harnessing the extra power output -- except to save wood.

  • Hi, Nice setup and I like what you are doing with the wind turbines as well. Could I get you to share with me where you source your N40 grade NdFeB magnets that are 1 1/2" X 3" X 3/4"? Thanks in advance!

  • your set up makes my heart sing! 5/5

  • B@D@SS

  • Great blend of old low tech reliability combined wih igenuity 2kw is very impressive, good example for everyone, great tha these old stationaries are sill looked after!, Thanks

  • Very enjoyable to watch this working device. It''s obvious that you all had fun assembling and operating it. Definitely encourages me to press on with micro projects with my grandchildren when we move closer to them next year.

  • I've been looking through your website because I'm planning to build a wind turbine and I have some questions: Where did you purchase your magnets and is it nessesary to use 1/2 inch thick steel for your rotors? Where can I go to learn about coil specs such as how to get a specific voltage and wattage?

    Great work with the boiler! I heat my house with wood so this might be an option for me to look at. (Utilizing the exhaust heat and/or steam from the boiler)

  • how much psi does the boiler produce to the steam engine?

  • I try to run the boiler between 80 - 90 PSI.

  • Its simplicity is such a beautiful thing, I would run this all the time where I live. Read your webpage, good job! Now I want one ;)

  • Where do you get one of these, or some thing like it? I want to start producing electricity with steam.

  • I had to pick all the parts up seperately from various auctions, ebay... etc. I have seen similar rigs (often on trailers for display at fairs and such) go for $2500 ---> up. There is a fair bit to know, and understand about steam power in order to run one safely. The boiler needs to be in good condition. Some types of boilers are safer than others. Books are a good place to start, and then find a 'mentor' that knows 'steam' (before you blow yourself up!)

  • Holy shit that's awesome

  • awesome! I can't believe you got the engine for only $150!

  • I read your project description at otherpower. I recognized that you are using an ironless generator like used in wind turbines to avoid cogging.

    Don't you think the steam engine is strong enough to handle some iron in the coils? That would either allow to build a smaller (and chaeaper) generator or to get more power from the generator.

  • The engine itself maybe is.. But I noticed that the boiler is pretty small.. Could boiler capacity be the problem?

  • The boiler is a bit on the small side for an engine this size. It's a 4hp boiler - the amazing thing is... I'm doing quite well already to get 2kW from a 4hp boiler *and* if I push it I can actually sustain 3kW output(if I burn coal). Iron cores would make for a smaller alternator - eddy current and hysteresis losses are unavoidable though with any iron core. Between that - vibration - and the other problems I prefer just to build a bit larger and throw a bit more magnet at the problem.

  • Iron cores in the coils would allow for a smaller alternator. The vibration that the cores would go through would be problematic, it would be difficult to design a stator to hold up to it. It would also be difficult to fabricate. Good silicon steel is not cheap. As it is - in an alternator like this that generates 2kw @ 200 rpm there is already a *lot* of torque and vibration on the stator, I fear iron cores would make for an alternator that comes apart.

  • OK, I understand. That makes sense to me.

  • It's nice and quiet

  • quiet?

  • Sarcasm.

    *flicks your brow*

  • with no load it's very quiet, you can barely hear the engine. Under a good load... it sounds like a locomotive climbing a hill. I rather enjoy the sound!

  • This is beyond awsome! You are so lucky and blessed to have and had the experience of building this rig!

  • Great!

  • it is funny, and it also has subtle literary references

  • So COOOL I am glad I found you and subscribed.

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