11-02-2014, 04:36 PM
(This post was last modified: 11-02-2014, 04:37 PM by camallison.)
In the time of the rolling power cuts during the miners' strike, our little company did the ultimate in repurposing. Excuse me if some of the detail is slightly inaccurate, but here is the account:
We took a slip ring motor (bought as scrap from ICI), brought the star point out, and used it as an alternator, excited by a car battery. That motor was driven by a Morris 1000 car engine, converted to run on towns gas, with suitable flame arrestor between the engine and supply. Cooling water was circulated through the central heating radiators in the factory and offices with the car radiator still attached and cooling fan also. Switch over of mains supply was done manually.
That kept us going 7 days a week, recharging the battery when running and also from the mains supply when power was restored.
It was later sold to a local farmer who had frequent interruptions of supply, and we converted it to run off LPG for him.
Colin
EDIT .... PS - electrical output was 11kVA or thereabouts.
We took a slip ring motor (bought as scrap from ICI), brought the star point out, and used it as an alternator, excited by a car battery. That motor was driven by a Morris 1000 car engine, converted to run on towns gas, with suitable flame arrestor between the engine and supply. Cooling water was circulated through the central heating radiators in the factory and offices with the car radiator still attached and cooling fan also. Switch over of mains supply was done manually.
That kept us going 7 days a week, recharging the battery when running and also from the mains supply when power was restored.
It was later sold to a local farmer who had frequent interruptions of supply, and we converted it to run off LPG for him.
Colin
EDIT .... PS - electrical output was 11kVA or thereabouts.
