"John Schmitt" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 2 Apr 2004 12:11:36 +0100, "Neil Jones"
wrote:

So I was wondering whether or not it is possible to get a petrol
generator running off LPG, and if so, could it be further converted to
run off mains gas?

http://www.lpg-business.co.uk/portab...generators.htm

Is an LPG powered generator off-the-shelf. Don't forget that the exhaust
is every bit as
poisonous as petrol and diesel exhaust, so you must vent it properly.

No plans to actually implement this but I'd be interested if it's
technically possible/prohibitively expensive/specifically precluded by
regulation etc.

CHP (Combined Heat and Power) has been around for quite a while, but the
economics of it
are really only favourable for industrial use. Mains gas (typically) is
used to drive a
modified car/truck engine which drives a generator for electric power and
the waste heat
from the water jacket is used to heat the building. It isn't quite that
simple, because
there is normally an agreement with an electricity supplier, that you can
draw extra power
as you need, and if the establishment closes at night + weekends, it can
put into the grid
for credit. The problem is synchronising with the grid, if you get this
wrong, the local
distribution system will probably go *BOP*.

The best CHP method using an IC engine, is to have the genny power up a set
of batteries. this is an auto arrangement that charges them when they are
down. When charged the genny is off. Then an inverter takes the DC and
converts it into a.c for the house to use. Also the hot water created can
be store in a thermal store.

Running an IC genny 24/7 is highly uneconomical, umnless al the power and
heat is being used or stored.