Lightest diesel engine known to man

[brewnog]

Perhaps if you're insterested in super-lightweight power generation and cost is not a problem, you could adapt a hobby-grade turbine onto a geerator unit. There are hobby-sized turbines that put out 5hp or maybe higher, and can weigh 5 or 6 pounds. Paired with the fact that turbines are less restricitive as to what they can be run on, it might be possible to adapt a turbine to run on less coventional fuels.

Very nice idea, but for power generation you need a really good way to control turbine speed to maintain frequency/voltage/load. With a model turbine, this could be really difficult!

 

[Mech_Engineer]

Very nice idea, but for power generation you need a really good way to control turbine speed to maintain frequency/voltage/load. With a model turbine, this could be really difficult!

Very true, you would have to have quite an advanced control system to throttle the turbine's fuel, especially with quickly varying electrical loads like turning an appliance on.

Edit- not to mention, trying to find a gearbox that can handle shaft input speeds on the order of 50,000 rpm or more...

 

[Ulysees]

This guy seems to be running model aeroplane engines with castor oil. Plus ether. What's that?

http://www.cafes.net/doctordiesel/DDfuel.htm

 

[UnderFunded]

Hi

I have been looking for a small light diesel Generator.

In the past I have seen a small military 500 watt generator to be used to charge the accessories of the military. The engine looked like a model engine but had higher compression so it could use normal engine diesel fuel. The life span of this and the larger generators was only a few hundred hours.

Turbine engine generators are light but small turbines have a problem staying lite, using fuels like diesel.

Advanced Engine Technology has developed some generators to be use by the Canadian coast guard and Oceans and fisheries in the Arctic.

Lightest Diesel Generator between 1-3 KW is the Ultra Light by Advanced Engine technology. It is 1 KW (500 watts continuous) and 35 pounds two stroke air cooled diesel. It has only 500 hour life.

The second Lightest is the 4 KW 85 pound 12 DC generators by eCycle.com. This uses either Kabota , or Hatz engines.

The third Lightest is the Flex-Light by Advanced Engine Technology. It is 2.5 KW, 108 pounds, and will hand start down to -12C and electric start down to -46C. Very Low Maintenance. 6,000 hour life.

The 4th is Advanced Engine Technology 2.4 KW and 110 lbs Polar-Lite. Hand start down to -46C. Very Low Maintenance 6,000 hour life.

Third is the http://www.peakpowertools.com/Portable-Generator-Diesel-Pramac-3700-Watt-4kW-p/gpr04601.htm at 120 pounds and 3.7 KW.

If you want a very small generator you can make a small engine that uses diesel engine that uses normal diesel by just having great compression and the size of a model engine, but it will only last a few hundred hours. Then just swap out the engine.

The main reason to use diesel is that it is cheaper, so go with a 4 stroke and expect to have a genset that weighs 100 pounds or more.

Go go Diesel

Master@UnderFunded.com

 

[UnderFunded]

If you want a gasoline generator the Old Tiny Tiger is only 13 pounds and 500 watts. I have a few of these 2 stroke generators, but none work. No one knows how, or is willing to fix them.

Light generators are possible.

Peter

 

[mender]

However, a diesel will also have more torque than a similar displacement gasoline engine.

"Bmep is a useful measure of torque output. Typical maximum bmep are:

NA gasoline 8-11 bar
Turbo gasoline 12-17 bar
NA diesel 7-9 bar
Turbo diesel 10-12 bar"

Diesel engines typically make more torque than hp, but specific output of both is lower than gas engines.