Generators Can be Diesel or Gas Fueled
Author: Ben Reilly
There are many advantages to owning a portable diesel generator and the main advantage is that diesel generators are fuel efficient in comparison to gas-based generator sets. With fuel costs rising, a compact generator can save money. As they are portable, these generators are easily transported and therefore are suitable for meeting the power requirements for outdoor or offsite uses. Another advantage is the lifespan of the equipment, which is higher when compared to other gensets based on other fuels. Maintenance costs are also quite low in comparison to their counterparts.
Electric generators are supplied with many features such as electric start, power switch to alternate between 120 and 240 volts, low oil shut down and an hour meter to show the remaining running time of the engine. Power generators are usually powered by gasoline, diesel, propane or natural gas. Diesel generators are fuel-efficient, have a longer life but are relatively expensive. Propane and natural gas generators are best suited where fuel is not readily available.
Some safety precautions should be taken while using generators. They should always be located outside the house to prevent exposure to harmful carbon monoxide and kept in a dry area. Generators should never be refueled when in operation as fuel spilled on hot components can cause fire. The best investment you can make when buying a generator is to go for a good quality brand name such as Kipor or Pramac.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/tools-and-equipment-articles/generators-can-be-diesel-or-gas-fueled-556634.html
About the Author
Ben Reilly is the owner of Powerland Europe - Suppliers of New and Used Generators in Europe.
A generator in decent shape can be run for a week. However you will need to periodically shut it down to refuel and change the oil. So you can rely on it to provide power if you can tolerate brief periods of interruption to service the engine oil and fuel. Larger engines can be fit with an automatic oiler that will keep the crankcase topped off with oil stored in a small tank.
EDIT:
The reason that you should shut down the generator to refuel is safety…. As you fill a running generator a spark can ignite the fumes from the gas tank. Or if you overfill the tank and spill gas onto the hot engine you can have it flash and start a fire. About 10 to15 minutes of cool down is recommended, meanwhile this provides an opportunity to check or change the oil as necessary.
http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/citizens/all_citizens/co/generator.shtm
how long is a portable gas electric generator durable or sustainable for?
suppose i wanted to rely on one for a week, would that be feasible?
Generator gas/electric start?
I just purchased a Powerlift 3000 gas/electric start generator. I also bought a battery charger to charge the 12V battery. What I want to know is what do I set the charger at 12V/2 amp or 12V/6amp to charge the battery because I do not know how many amps the battery has. Also, how long do I have to charge the battery? What can I say, I am a woman and know nothing about generators or 12V batteries.
the generator and battery are new. I ordered it on-line. If I set the charger at 12V/2amp and this is a trickle charge. Will the battery be charged enough at this setting?
Good point.
However,this can only be done at the source of the gas i.e,the well.
It can’t be repeated many times,due to the always weakening Pressure of Gas….
Also,the energy obtained by burning gas is far more greater than by turning a turbine with it…
Still, free energy is always good..GOD BLESS
If you have the time, just set the charger on the lowest 2amp setting and use that all the time. That will prolong the life of the battery.
The recharging time depends on your battery. On the battery, it should say something like 12V 17AH (=12 volts, 17 Amp-hours). If you set the charger to 12V/2amp, it will take 17/2 = 8.5 hours to fully charge your completely discharged battery. Similarly, if you set the charger to 12V/6amp, it will take 17/6 = 2.8 hours to fully charge your completely discharged battery. If the battery is only half discharged, the amount of time to charge the battery is also halved.
If your generator starts relatively quickly, each start will use only a small amount of battery capacity. In this case, you will not need to use your charger very often. If you do, you will not need to charge the battery very much before it is fully charged.
why burn gas to make electric when generators can be put in the line from gas wells?
Which is more efficient, a gas generator powering a electric car or a regular car?
if the answer is a regular car, how can hybrids possibly be more efficient than a regular car, since some of the power from the gas engine goes to the generator for the electric motor.
If you take two permanent magnet motors from some treadmills, or other item that uses them, you want at least 1 horsepower ratings on those motors at an absolute minimum. You will not have much space for batteries so don’t even plan on having them.
Essentially what you are building is going to be equivalent to a railroad Gas-Electric Locomotive in miniature with rubber tires.
One motor will be driven by your gas engine, and you want it to rotate in the direction that draws cooling air through it. The same with your final drive motor. If you prop it up in a manner that is sturdy, wire the motors in a manner where one motor brush, is attached to the frame itself. The other brush on that first motor will go to the other motor’ corresponding brush. With the cart supported and blocked, fire up your gas engine, and see which way the wheels spin once you accelerate. If they spin the wrong direction, reverse the connections on one motor only- it will not matter which motor.
If you are able to salvage one of those mobility scooters and don’t mind going slow- you can use one of those as your drive motor, and if you score a second one, you can use that second one as your generator. THAT will allow you to add batteries if you choose to. Just check the current polarity of the system without batteries connected initially to determine which terminal of the battery to attach to the generating motor- use a voltmeter, they can be bought at home centers as well as Radio Shack or online. Simply match the positive output lead of the generating motor to the batteries “+” terminal and the other to the megative. You will want to install a cutout in both circuits so the batteries are out of circuit when the engine is off however.
How do I wire a gas/electric generator to an electric motor on a go kart? I want to create a hybred Go Kart/?
Generator to battery to motor (series hybrids) aren’t more efficient. They are used because they produce far higher torque than direct drive Diesels. The reasons parallel hybrids (gas motor/electric motor/compound drive) are more fuel efficient are:
1) Energy is recovered from braking.
2) Both motors shut down when the car is stopped
3) The electric motor uses stored power to provide acceleration torque.
4) The currently available models are small and light.
But if you scale up the technology, you run into some of the limitations. Every time you convert energy from one form to another you lose a little, usually in the form of heat. Once you move beyond minature scale vehicles, the losses become significant.
Perhaps the worst of breed are plug-in hybrids. You’ll often see lawyerly arguments that a plug-in hybrid gets the equivalent of 150mpg. Unfortunately, these calculations are mathematical ledgerdemain. The usual fallacy is to compare the caloric value of electricity consumption in kilowatts to the caloric value of a gallon of gasoline. While this is a fair comparison of energy utilization, it disregards the simple fact that electricity isn’t fuel, it’s a mechanism for transporting energy. To calculate fuel consumption, follow the path backwards. The batteries are probably less than 75% efficient (and that asuumes they are new). The inverter that charged the batteries may be less than 80% efficient. The power distribution system that brought the electricity to the charger may be 90% efficient. And the power plant, which could well be coal-fueled, might be 50% efficient. So you multiply all that out, and the plug in hybrid works out to be about as fuel efficient as a gasoline car. Don’t get me started on public transportation systems….There are no magic bullets.
Here’s a write-up from Curtis Instruments, a manufacturer of EV components. Pay particular attention to the discussion of efficiency:
http://evbatterymonitoring.com/WebHelp/Section_1.htm