Thinking about WVO?

Cool!

Nice to get the bugs out in the end.

If since we worked the bugs out of the electrical metering, if you have been running? I figured seen as you hadn't posted any concerns since almost last year (seems that long). I figured either its working or you had given up.
Glad to see it all seems like its working fine now!
Jeff

how much cheaper is the fuel?

Hi drujinin and CCJersey,

I ran a short season last winter, fought filters the whole time. I bought the centrifuge bowl last spring but encountered the mother of all honey-do jobs before I could get the machinery built. Momma Bear pointed out that she'd waited 30 years for a rebuild in the kitchen and I had to agree that the place sure needed some serious repair, so I dove in last March. One thing lead to another, mostly screw-ups by previous contractors. We wound up stripping it out to the framing and repairing a lot of the framing that had been cut out in ways you wouldn't believe. Anyway, I built kitchen until some time in November and then started on my fuel system.

Some times you just have to stop and do the necessary stuff, like keeping your house from falling into the basement! You are right, I didn't do a thing for nine months but give up? NEVER!

Eric in Gilroy, you have to consider a lot of things. The fuel is free but I have to go get it. Transportation isn't free. Then you have to consider to what use you are going to put this free energy. My big old house was taking about 1500 gal of diesel oil/winter for heat. That had just become unaffordable.

This system heats my shop directly from the engine radiator, exhaust pipe, water pipes, etc. and what heat leaks out goes up--directly into my daughters apartment over my shop, cuts the electric heat bill there. The generation goes to my house, now converted to electric heat. The extra, some even when we are heating but a lot when we are not, goes onto the grid and is deducted, Watt for Watt, from my three-phase electric bill. So you see, I use every bit of the energy this thing converts. If you are going to use the motive force but discard the heat, you will get about 1/3 the benefit that I am getting.

I built the whole thing from second-hand and junk pieces. I have maybe $4,000 into the machinery, but I had to shell out for a third transformer on the pole out front before they could allow generation. That was another $5,700 or there abouts. So with my ideal situation for use of this fuel, it will be a few years at current fuel prices before it goes into the black. But do you want to bet on stable fuel prices?

Then of course you have to maintain the machinery and operate it. How much is your time worth? I'm mostly retired. It's free fuel, but there's no such thing as free, lunch or anything else.

Jack

I am running 3 megawatt gensets for 8 hours costing $5000 in fuel.
So if Jacks' heating cost is 1500 gallons times $3.60 (ave) equals $5400.
Then he should pay off his purchases in heat savings in a minimum of 3 years.
Realistically probably 7 years but hey who is counting?
WVO is awesome as long as you are not paying for it.
Some places are getting smart and charging for it.

Jack is a true pioneer and expert in practical WVO application and use!
When I first started reading his Threads on engine rebuilding, then the direction he was heading in Power Generation, I thought he was nuts! By following his research and application, I came to realize that he knows way more about WVO than anyone else! His system is a long term investment, not some tree hugger driving a VW across the US once, then never heard from again. Jacks' system is monitored here on this Forum for dependability and performance by everyone. He has thus refused to "Throw in the Towel" thus proving his research works based on the dependability of his systems!

Jeff

I am guessing you were multiplying volts x amps single phase. 80 amps x 240 volts =19,200 VA or 19.2 kVA.

Your electrician calculated it as 3 phase 19.2 kVA x 1.732 = 33.25 kVA. Better, but this is not an accurate measure of kW. KW (real power) will always be less than kVA (apparent power) in your setup. You still have to calculate power factor which is unknown without a power meter. I think the easiest and most accurate way to measure power output (Watts) is to turn off the house loads and read the utility meter after an hour or some other period.

However, the amps on the lines (apparent power) is what is burning up your wiring, not just the watts (real power) part. The real power part of that plus inefficiencies is what burns fuel and makes heat in your D3400.

You mentioned aluminum and I assume the motor leads are copper, so the dissimilar metals may be part of the problem, especially at high amperage. There are methods of making that connection without letting the copper contact the aluminum as well as special greases to protect it. The one I have used is a special split bolt that has a divider between the two wires. The REA linemen use crimp splices that do the same thing.

Good luck with your rewiring!

What size AL wire are you running that is "going up in smoke"?

You got it. The motor leads are copper and the wire in is #2 Al. I had a set screw lug on the Al, made for Al, and copper crimp-on on each of the motor leads, held together with a brass bolt. I used a recommended "grease" for the Al connections.

First big bang left the crimp-ons intact but burned the end off the Al wire. It damaged the Cu leads in the process. On Sunday morning a week ago I cobbled it back together with a brass split bolt and lots of "grease" to get going, and left it open so I could watch it. On Monday it popped again and I cleaned and reset the split bolt. I'm running again today.

I will pull new #3 Cu wire from the contactor to the motor tonight. Thurs morning I have an industrial electrician coming to make the connection with the best parts available. Then in the event that it doesn't work, he guarantees.

The big load is in starting. If I can get it started I'm good for the day. I also cut down to 75 Amps this morning, still 112% of nameplate rating but within the service factor.

And you are dead on, ccjersey. I forgot about the sq root of 3!