Great presentation what happen with using the pancake filter for your units? Cost?
Bob
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No ammo box is easier to use, more practical and is a better filter. It actually cost more to make
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First I have noticed you using sawdust for filtering. I remember Joni uses sawdust with his wood gasifier. How well is it working for you?
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It works very well and is a excellent filter material. If you go back to where I made that crude updraft wood gasifier; my blower had this same filter. I could not figure out where the expected tar was going. That filter was nocking it all out. I finally figured it out once it finally clogged up.
But in order for it to breath you need some sort of mesh with a larger open area than the exit port opening to keep it from packing at the focal point of the exit port.
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I noticed that the exit fine mesh screen is across from the incoming ammo box. If the screen was larger and on top of larger box and with a air gap betweem the sawdust I wonder if this filter could be used on a much bigger charcoal gasifer. The air gap would help the screen from clogging up.
Bob
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It is due to this filter why I am now allowing users to mix raw wood in the gasifier as I know this filter if used correctly will knock the tar out.
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Yeah I did have some packing at the screen. I think if you put hay or something more coarse in front it would relieve this packing. Yes Im sure you can just scale this up. Go to the larger ammo boxes. If you put those quick connects on it like I use it makes it a breeze to uncouple and dump for refilling. That saw dust after it collects all the acids should be excellent for adding to compost.
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Which alternators do you recommend for this method? Iām getting back into Solar and Iād like to make a backup charger for bad days/weeks. Iāve heard mixed results for the self exciting alternators on Amazon that they arenāt working correctly etc. Would self exciting even matter if I just connect the alternator directly to my 12V battery bank?
I had dabbled in solar about 10 years ago with the El cheapo harbor freight stuff, and I found out richsolar offers Shop Pay to break up the price on their merch so I can slowly build up on that.
Iām using lead acid by the way. My LiFe cells are for portable use.
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Dear Cody,
I have followed you here, long enough, to know that you are a pretty bright bulb. My first choice for charging batteries has always been the free working alternator that was attached to some junk vehicle that runs. I started out with some junker Dodge minivans.
My assumption is that you are trying to bring the price of your electricity production in under the cost of your available grid power. If thatās the case, you canāt spend any money on an alternator. Just get one from a junker. The circuitry should not be hard to figure out if you have internet access.
I have a few of those one wire 10si alternators. They are nice. They do need to be revved up at first.
The most durable alternators are Leece Neville 12v truck alternators.
If you can get somebody to give you a Delcotron with external regulator, then you can easily program the field to shut down when the engine runs out of fuel. Thatās nice for a set it and walk away type deal.
Also donāt forget treadmill motors. If you include a diode in the circuit, these work very well too. The motor can be 110v DC and still charge a 12v battery. It just needs disconnect circuit set for 14.7vdc.
Start rounding up AGM batteries. The more you have, the less the regulation matters. Then itās a case of having enough fuel to run the charging engine.
If I was you, knowing what I know. I would learn how to control amperage output with field control. Car alternators will kill themselves trying to put out a hundred amps to charge a big bank. The rectifier diodes get hot and burn open. So if you learn how to control the field, you can cut back the output and keep those diodes cool. Pwm motor controllers can accomplish this, with an externally regulated alternator.
I also have not had good luck buying one wire regulators. The ones I received needed the sense wire hooked up.
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Thanks for the suggestions. I have a friend that works at a garage attached to a very old school Generator and Motor Repair shop. Generator as in Alternator that is, the old feller that owns the place has definitely forgotten more than Iāll ever learn and can tell what model vehicle an alternator goes in just by glancing at the aluminum body. Maybe he has some laying around, or I can check the U Pull It yard.
Luckily Iām not limited exactly to just V belts, Iāve scrounged a few multi v serpentine pulleys in the 6" diameter range. Most will mate right up to an X size weld hub. But I have the feeling the ones worth a hoot are all V belt anyways.
Iām mostly wanting to maintain appliances like our fridges and freezer, essentials for now and creature comforts once I have our other bases covered.
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Bruce, read your reply to Cody with interest, but I have a question. Is there an easy way to adapt a truck alternate to charge a 48 volt system?
kent
Oh wow Cody!
You might have a gold mine there! Ask him if he has an 27si from a Toranado or Eldorado. Thatās an alternator nobody wants anymore, and itās 100amp large frame. You would need a 10hp or better, engine, to power it.
Donāt hesitate to snag a generator from a thunderbird. While generators arenāt as durable as alternators, they are self exciting. They have residual magnetism that allows them to get up to voltage before they are connected.
For off grid refrigeration, I recommend this product. A Dometic propane refrigerator. They donāt use much gas compared to the old Serviles. Look for a camper with one of these in it.
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Kent,
Thank you for asking me. The TLDR answer is I donāt know yet.
Right now I am using an Outback charge controller with an input voltage of 120vdc, and output of 48~54vdc.
Over on the Microgen/SOMRAD site, Bob has written a fine white paper about doing this. His recommendation to me was to run two 24vdc Leece Neville alternators in series, making 48vdc.
I have personal experiments set up for charging 48vdc with a three HP 120vdc treadmill motor with blocking diode. Also I am studying the durability of a Delcotron whose field has been manipulated to produce 54vdc.
I cannot recommend anything other than the treadmill motor yet because thatās the only thing I have seen with my own eyes, actually working.
Itās a good problem and one I need to have an answer to, before the snow comes off. I just received my second 500amp 48vdc motor controller, and am planning on the next 48vdc cart for this spring.
Here are my suspicions: find the biggest meanest alternator you canā¦maybe even an ac generator/w field. Manipulate the field with a pulse width modulated motor controller. Control the pwm controller with a pi/esp32/Arduino. I think the weak link is the rectifier diodes. They need to handle the peak AC voltage, not just the root mean square voltage. Itās like making an AC motor into a generator. The capacitors to carry the charge across the zero voltage line, need be 480v if the motor is putting out 208/120v. Still, diodes are cheap now.
Anyhow, this is the direction I am putting my efforts in to solve that problem.
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Iāll keep an eye out for an old oversized Briggs engine that could rotate one after woodgas is applied.
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Thank you! I have always wondered, there are a couple of alternate repair shops around here that adapt truck alternators for portable stick welders, but I have no clue what they do as far as rewinding or regulations.
Thank you again,
kent
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If you are buying the alternators new it would not cost much more to just use one of these chargers. The benefit is you are running AC from the generator to the charger that you can have stationed at your battery bank.
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Ah youāre right. I could just use my generator with one of these hooked up. Still good knowledge to retain for emergency backup needs in-case the generator is stolen/SNAFU.
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thank you. Just thinking things through. This morning I showed my wife your video on running the generator on charcoal. She told me this needs to be a priority in our preps and I need to get busy!
kent
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Matt,
I think this Power Max in the 120vac to 48vdc form would work with the lil Coleman Honda Clone generator. 20ampX48vdc=960watts
I got read more about it.
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Thats the rated watts. But there is an adjustment to raise the voltage. Im not 100% but I dont think the amperage is affected. So if you crank that thing up to 60 volts (and you will need to do this as you have to go past the nominal voltage) it would be 1200 watts. I have a 12 volt version and have it adjusted to charge at 15 volts. That is the max my inverter will allow before alarming out for my lithium cells to charge. I think its charging at around 800 watts. Never cared to actually test as its doing what I need it to do.
My only complaint is the fuse arrangement. Mine has blown fuses and burned up the terminal where they plug in. I would recommend installing a breaker in their place.
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