[Gasification] Chinese diesels and some hard lessons --

[Peter Singfield]

I am hoping to inject a little reality into the topic of "prime-movers" for
people ready to go dual fueling diesels using producer gas with no real
hands on experience in selecting the right diesel engine.

As Tom so rightly mentions -- make sure you start with a quality prime
mover (and a quality gasifier)

Anyway -- more of George's take on this very subject -- I smiled big time
when I read this line:

"There are 10 grades of bearings in China, what grade did they put in your
We-Foo-U engine?"

Buyer beware -- eh!!!

The big difference between Kevin and I is:

He denies -- I never do!!

As George puts its:

"This is another lesson you might learn at someone else's expense; it is
certainly a cheaper way to learn than first hand"

But in order for that to work -- you need totally "honest" input -- 

Ergo -- while some "promise" the good stuff -- others "demonstrate" the
good stuff.

George has also reached the same conclusions I have -- but both of us
"independently" -- now we cooperate -- and things are half as hard.

EG:

"If you are building a stationary generator, it's simple to build one
right...pull everything off the engine that doesn't need to be there,
remote mount the fuel tank, the radiator, gauges, fuel filters, etc."

And this line is a classic:

"It is hard for some of us to accept the fact that some stuff is made to
sell, and some who sell it are simply salesmen. Opinions vary, and I'd bet
the person who sold this stuff to Steve has an opinion that differs from
mine."

I doubt George would stay long on Kevin's "Friends" list either!!

However -- I also believe if you did this "democratically" one would find
the sales agents far out number the Hands on people -- so by "vote" they
will always dominate a situation.

So ya -- buyers -- you all beware now -- eh!!

Peter/Belize

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http://www.utterpower.com/hard-lessons.htm

Hard Lessons

If you have found the engineer page? This is another lesson you might learn
at someone else's expense; it is certainly a cheaper way to learn than
first hand. Regardless of what I might offer for sale, or suggest you buy,
my focus is always on simplicity and reliability. The more complex it is,
the higher the probability there is for failure, and Murphy says it will
fail when you need it most.

Hurricanes can create outages that will challenge the hardware store
generator, the outage sometimes outlives the generator :-) Here's a story
from a DIYer who is new to the utterpower pages. Note how resourceful Steve
is. Names and brands have been omitted, I have enough people disgusted with
me already, readers who visit often know who those people are .. here's
Steve's message.. 

 Amazingly Katrina came along after we had bought off ebay a 12kw "kit"
from @#$%&^. Unfortunately I wish after the fact that I'd seen your web
page. You are particularly correct on the issue of the integral radiator
and alternator-fan drive system. Many little glitches presented themselves
during its use after the storm while waiting for "grid" power to be
restored. I had to relocate the fuel tank as it was bent on self
destruction and was causing an oil leak at the long stud in the middle.
Next I had to pull the flywheel and redrill and tap the holes which mounted
the drive sheave for the alt-fan (fortunately had a cordless drill and
proper tapset on hand). Then the muffler cracked around the mounting pipe,
fell against the oil pressure indicator melting it ( but amazingly not
creating an oil leak). I spent about 2 hours gas weld repairing only for it
to break again the following day. I gave up on the muffler and let her rip.
Then the radiator started to disintegrate. I was able to stabilize it
through the judicious use of a ratchet strap. My engine is a XXXXX ZS1115NM
and I want to purchase your hopper cooling conversion kit and also you
"utterpower CD". Will it fit? Attached are a few photos of my "improvised
as I went" set-up. Fortunately I got to work on the foundation immediately
and that was in good order prior to the storm. Please let me know if your
cooling kit is proper for my engine. 

thanks, Steve M. 

Just to note, the cooling manifold does fit, and retrofits are not uncommon
as you might have guessed.

 

What I want to share is the simple facts, a Briggs and Stratton 4 cycle
flat head is good for about 600 hours (my experience). 

 Not all power plants are built to provide long term service, people demand
features, and some factories will attempt to deliver those features even if
they are not properly engineered!
 
If it is not part of the design, it doesn't fail, the engine that Steve
bought has so many design flaws that it may not live as long as the Briggs
and Stratton in stationary power applications (IMHO).

I have readers who swear they have run 4000 hours of 24/7 operation with
the Changfa Brand engines, 195 &1115s using the thermal cooling system I
recommend. The design is solid, and it can provide long and dependable
service, but you need to pay attention to the basics. look around you, you
will see countless examples of sound engineering, Have you ever seen an
auto engine with the radiator hard mounted to the engine? Have you ever
looked at a properly engineered exhaust system? How are fuel tanks mounted
in autos, and motorcycles? What is most likely to fail, a cooling system
with no moving parts, or one with belts, idlers, pulleys, tensioners,
bushings, water pumps, etc? 

If you hard mount an exhaust system to an engine, you better pay attention
to the resonance problems! At this moment in time (9/05), metal prices are
thru the roof, and there are a bunch of engineers who are forced to cut
corners, they often report to some 'bean counter', only thing worse than a
bean counter is an attorney, but we're not likely to see a company run very
long without both of them.. I have personally noted that the metal used in
some of these exhaust systems is getting thinner as the price of metal goes
up. Engine builders also cut other corners, they leave off clamps in the
middle of external HP fuel lines, leave out isolators and rubber mounts off
fuel tanks, etc. 

I know an importer who tried to chisel a better deal on a respectable
brand, the Factory refused and offered another brand at less cost. The
point is, not all engines are built the same, and some sell for less money.
(These lessons are learned by importing many container loads, and getting
accurate feed back from associates and readers, I am honored and fortunate
to have the relationships that allow me to collect this data. Report from
Associate John D; he spends a good amount of time in China. There are 10
grades of bearings in China, what grade did they put in your We-Foo-U
engine?  

If you are building a stationary generator, it's simple to build one
right...pull everything off the engine that doesn't need to be there,
remote mount the fuel tank, the radiator, gauges, fuel filters, etc.
Provide proper support for external fuel lines, like a rubber clamp in the
middle of the line so it doesn't work harden and spring a leak when you are
not there to catch it! Build a proper exhaust system with a flexible joint
between the engine and the rest of the exhaust system.

It is hard for some of us to to accept the fact that some stuff is made to
sell, and some who sell it are simply salesmen. Opinions vary, and I'd bet
the person who sold this stuff to Steve has an opinion that differs from
mine. EBay offers us valuable information about a seller, but another
category of feedback that would tell us more is a follow up on the sale,
present feedback is given shortly after people open the crate.

more stories might be posted here if I get the time, and at the moment, I
don't have time to read all my mail.. yikes!  

All the best,

George B.