On Sun, 16 Jul 2017 18:31:30 -0400, Neon John wrote:
On Sat, 15 Jul 2017 15:52:20 -0700, Larry Jaques
wrote:
Wow, 400 hours of work and you gave it away? I've always hated the
noise gensets put out, too. Compressors are bad enough, so I'm
working on a housing for mine now. (Project 143 or so on the priority
list now.)
I hate the sound of running machinery. Because up here in the
mountains the power goes off for longer than 24 hours about every
month, I bought and installed Generac's 10 kW automatic standby
generator system. It works perfectly. EXCEPT. It uses a B&S
Vanguard twin cylinder air-cooled engine and a 2 pole alternator. That
means 3600 RPM roar. Intolerably loud.
They're ghastly.
My interim solution was to buy 4 sheets of pre-fabricated wooden
fencing and 4 sheets of foil-backed Styrofoam sheathing and build an
open-top enclosure around the unit. I fabricated a duct out of
ductboard (compressed fiberglass) to carry the hot exhaust air up and
out so the thing would not overheat.
I'm looking at a pair of C-shaped shells to quiet my compressor.
Carpeting over OSB/ply/MDF does a surprising amount of quieting. By
leaving the large opening, air can flow. I have some 1/4" closed cell
foam which I may tack under there, too. It's amazing how much noise
comes from the intake on a compressor.
That improved things a lot but the thing will still awaken me when it
starts at night. Plus it's just a little too small. The automatic
transfer switch has 3 levels of load shedding. I have to shed the
water heater if the AC starts.
That's something I'll have to work out with the solar setup. With
only 1kW, I'll have to shed the
So I'm building the ultimate. I have procured a 15kVA foot mount 4
pole military surplus belt driven generator. And I've procured the V6
engine, exhaust and electronics out of a late model Ford pickup truck.
That should provide enough HP.
I used to consult to Ford on special projects so I was able to get the
performance data on the engine and the PCM's source code.
That's cool.
The generator is an 1800 RPM affair. The performance data shows that
the engine can provide about 25 HP at 1400 RPM. So the generator will
be geared up a little. 1400 RPM is barely above idle on this
water-cooled and QUIET engine. And the Brake Specific Fuel
Consumption on that engine at that speed is phenomenal.
Very interesting. 1,800rpm should be far enough off idle to give you
a few more hp, I believe, and farther still under load. It would be
nice not to have to add a transmission to it. I guess you'll find out
once you put the puzzle together.
I'll convert
it over to propane but keep the emission controls. Nothing like being
awakened in the middle of the night by the CO alarm going off because
the air got heavy and trapped the current generator's exhaust.
Surprise! Alarms, even 3 blocks away, in the middle of the night are
never fun.
This engine is fly-by-wire (servo on the throttle plate) so my
governor will be the cruise control. I've designed a little
microprocessor board that listens to the generator's frequency,
multiplies that by a factor to satisfy the PCM's road speed sensor
input and a few other things such as detecting power loss and sending
a start signal to the PCM. The PCM controls the starter motor,
engaging it up to 5 times before locking out. The generator has its
own voltage control module.
Hah, cool! I was wondering how you removed that pesky 25mph cruise
limiter.
This engine does not use an engine-driven cooling fan. All done by
giant pancake fans. Variable speed to boot. So little noise there.
The battery will be charged and maintained by a Progressive Dynamics
40 amp Intellipower so no generator noise.
I opted for the variable speed DC fan motor on the HVAC system I put
in the house in 2002, and the difference in sound is phenomenal. I'm
sure the pancake fan is much quieter than the belt driven fan, but at
that rpm, I doubt it will be working too hard.
Consider ducting at least some of the building's intake air through
the radiators for a natural flow.
The only remaining belt-driven accessory is the water pump. I'm
looking at a racing electric pump to replace it. Then there will be
only the 60 Hz alternator rotor that is turning.
All good.
The entire assembly will be housed in a small pre-fab building with
louvers to let air in and the radiators mounted over a hole in the
other side to exhaust air. I'm going to run 2 radiators in hydraulic
series, located one above the other. I hope that with this
configuration, natural circulation will circulate the coolant and
require minimal pumping.
Yup. How far removed is the building from your house/bedroom?
The inside of the building and especially the metal roof will be lined
with spun lead as is used to soundproof sound booths. My goal is to
have this thing be so quiet that it'll be difficult to hear it run
even when nearby. I have a Generac QuietPack RV generator that almost
meets that criteria so I think that it will be possible.
That's the only way to run a generator: silently.
As the project stands right now, I've done all the procurement and
have written some of the code. The engine and generator will be built
on a C-channel frame that is partially embedded in the concrete slap.
I'm going to fill the concrete with about 300 lbs of #8 lead shot to
further help dampen the ringing.
Don't -even- tell the inspector about that. They're psychotically
allergic to lead. g
My lung problem has rendered me slow and plodding so I figure I have a
year to go on this project. I'll be putting progress reports and
photos on my blog, http://www.johndearmond.com.
I'll definitely check that out.
Breathe on, Brother. Slow and steady is how I'm starting to learn to
live, too.
-
If ever the Time should come, when vain and aspiring
Men shall possess the highest Seats in Government,
our Country will stand in Need of its experienced
Patriots to prevent its Ruin.
-- Samuel Adams