sethson.com » Generators

Standby and Portable Power Generators for Home and Business

Brian — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 01:01:21 +0000

In 1960, the entire American Northeast experienced a massive blackout caused by the tripping of a single faulty circuit breaker in one substation. In 1977, New Yorkers stared across the river at the bright lights of New jersey after four lightning strikes caused the entire grid supplying the Big Apple to shut down. In 2003, a massive US blackout affected more than 60 million people. In more recent memory, Hurricane Katrina left New Orleans powerless.

The Consequences of No Power

Those events highlighted the stress those societies were experiencing. The 1960 blackout showed people helping each other get through the incident, even assisting police in unsnarling traffic and keeping order. The 1977 blackout saw the breakdown of government authority with widespread looting and rioting. Things were even worse in New Orleans where thugs shot it out with cops and people waited a long time for any help to come to them, thanks to lack of communications and the resulting inertia.

Our society has come to depend so much on electricity that a few hours’ or days’ loss is a major catastrophe. In some situations, the loss of power for just an hour can spell death. Without power, an airport cannot operate its radars, radios and lights to coordinate aircraft activity in its area Without electricity, hospital patients undergoing procedures and those dependent on life-support systems can die in less than five minutes. Without electricity, food will eventually spoil and water may become unavailable due to the stoppage of pumps. Without power, companies and government agencies might lose irreplaceable information.

What are Power Generators?

It’s reasons similar to these that have prompted many to buy and install a power generator, whether it be in their homes, establishments or offices. Electric generators can supply enough power to keep essential services going during a blackout. They can also bring the benefits of electricity to those living in far-flung areas not serviced by a power utility.

electric generators are motors married to generators. They are also known as gen-sets and are available in wide variety suitable for different situations. Gen-sets can deliver from 30 watts to almost 3000 kilowatts and run by different fuels. There are gasoline generators, diesel generators, CNG generators, LNG generators, and propane generators. These are the most common kinds.

There are machines which function as standby generators, supplying power when the lights go out, or portable generators which can be transported to and supply power virtually anywhere. Generators have supplied power to mines. More exotic ones have powered satellites in deep space (the Pioneer satellites which will eventually exit the Solar System carry thermionic generators with them, because solar cells are useless that far from the sun), and gone with man to the Moon.

Silent Generators with Noise Reduction and Barrier Walls

Brian — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 01:00:51 +0000

Anyone who’s seen a genset in action will know how loud they can be. The biggest and most powerful can produce sound louder than 100 decibels, almost as loud as a jet engine at point-blank range and more than enough to cause deafness.

Generators and Noise Pollution

Since electrical generators are meant to be active for hours at a time, this can be a serious problem for any people in the vicinity. Sustained noise levels as low as 40 dBa have been shown to cause sleep disturbance, hypertension, stress, stimulate aggression, increase accidents, and promote anxiety and anti-social behavior.

Because of this, many cities across the US have enacted anti-noise ordinances. In Boston, for instance, it is illegal to produce noise in excess of 50 dBa between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. or in excess of 70 dBa at all other hours. The punishments range from fines to seizure of property.

Noise Reduction in Generators

Noise is often a function of power. Commonly a generator will produce more noise when it is under load than when it is not supplying power to anything. Generator noise comes from two main sources – engine noise and exhaust noise. Many generator manufacturers offer noise attenuation solutions for their products. There are often aftermarket options available to also reduce the noise that generator sets make.

One way of reducing noise can be to build barrier walls around the generator. As long as these block the line of sight between the generator and the listeners, noise should be reduced. But while this is a good way to reduce airborne sound transmission, a solid floor can still transmit vibrations from the diesel generator or gasoline generator used for standby electric generation purposes. This is called Impact Insulation Class transmission. It can be alleviated by careful design of the building structure and the use of sound-deadening techniques, structures and materials. These include mounting the generator off the floor, or placing it on an absorbent cushion made out of cork or balsa, or separating work and living spaces from the generator location.

Barrier walls are of little use to portable generators, however. Take the case of a generator used to provide electrical power in a temporary campsite. Another way of approaching silent generators is to purchase a quieter generating set in the first place. Most generators are either air-cooled generators or water-cooled generators. Water-cooled generators are often less noisy than their air-cooled counterparts, whose concession to noise control may be as little as a muffler in the exhaust.

Gas Generators Powered by Natural Gas or Propane

Brian — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 00:59:37 +0000

The popularity of electric generators for power use means that several types have been developed. In conventional power plants used for generating electricity, steam is used to power the turbines. This steam is raised using different sources of heat. One common way is through the burning of coal, which is a very cheap and plentiful resource but extremely polluting. Another is through the use of geothermal steam sources. Other, more unorthodox methods of driving generators include using giant rotors to catch the wind (wind generators), solar energy to raise steam or make electricity directly (solar generators), tidal forces, or nuclear reactions. Midway between these ecologically-clean methods and the dirtiness of coal-fired plants lies the gas generator.

Natural Gas and Propane

Energy to drive the generator in gas generators comes from a range of fuels. The most common of these are natural gas and propane. Natural gas is composed of hydrocarbons like methane and is extracted along with crude oil or from gas wells. It is stored in liquefied form (Liquefied Natural Gas, LNG) or compressed (Compressed Natural Gas, CNG) for portable use, or supplied through gas lines for use in establishments and homes.

Propane is a byproduct of the processing of natural gas or petroleum refining. First identified in 1910, it is an odorless hydrocarbon which, like natural gas, is more clean-burning than gasoline or diesel. This means natural gas generators and propane generators are more emissions compliant than either gasoline generators or diesel generators. Propane, which is also known as LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) when used as a fuel, is stored in tanks of varying sizes. Commercial propane isn’t pure. In the US, it is 90% propane and 10% butane and propylene along with odorants so people can detect its presence if there’s a gas leak. Other countries use different propane mixtures.

Advantages and Disadvantages

Both natural gas and propane generators are ideal for small portable generators designed to function as standby generators during blackouts. They are quiet and clean. Small propane generators also cost less than comparable diesel units. In certain areas, natural gas pipelines are already installed, which means that there is no need to store the generator fuel. This increases safety and convenience as there is no need to store a large amount of flammable substance and secure the permits to do so.

This can, however, be a disadvantage during natural disasters like earthquakes. The gas line might rupture and prevent the generator from running just when it’s needed the most. Natural gas and propane also contain less energy than gasoline and diesel fuel. They also present a serious fire and explosion hazard in the event of a fuel line rupture. Natural gas and propane generators are also more expensive to operate than diesel generators.

Industrial Power Generators Using Diesel, Gas and Bunker Fuel

Brian — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 00:59:14 +0000

Today’s manufacturing plants, marvels of modern engineering and efficiency, require huge amounts of electrical power to keep them going. And because many of them, especially in developed countries, use computers and robots to stay efficient and competitive, the need for a safe, constant power supply is now a critical need. A few hours of downtime in today’s business world can cost a manufacturer millions in delayed or lost orders, storage problems and possibly even equipment damage.

The Worth of Industrial Generators

To counter this, many companies have purchased electrical generators either as standby generators to activate in event of a power outage or as supplemental power in case the utility power becomes unstable or is insufficient for the factory’s needs. Either type of generator is able to be switched into or out of a circuit as an automatic transfer switch generator or a manual transfer switch generator. This is important in less well-developed areas where commercial power generation is limited in reach or amount.

Industrial generators are tailored to the loads they are expected to handle. These are measured in volts, amperes and wattage. A volt is a unit measuring the electrical pressure in a current. This is either 110 or 220 depending on the respective country. Amperes are a measure of how much current is flowing through a circuit; 1 amp equal 6.24 x 1018 electrons per second flowing past a fixed point. Wattage is the electrical power produced by the generator.

Characteristics of Industrial Generators

Because there are many types of industry and many varying requirements for combinations of amperes, watts and voltage, there are many types of generators available. Generator power ratings can vary from as little as 30 watts to over 2 million watts in some cases. They can be as small as a footlocker or as large as a building. Some industrial generators are gasoline generators, but most are powered by cheaper kinds of fuel, such as diesel generators, bunker fuel generators or natural gas generators.

Because a premium is placed on economy and reliability, industrial generators are built to last. They have maximum power ratings far in excess of their normal operating loads. They are usually equipped with safety systems that shut them down if they start to overheat. Safety considerations and laws also mean that there are some kind of fire protection and noise abatement systems in place. Since they also represent expensive investments, it is natural that they should be protected in this manner.

Used Diesel and Gas Generators for Backup Electric Power

Brian — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 00:58:44 +0000

electric generator sets can be very useful things to have. If you own or run a business, one might just be the thing you need to ensure the continued smooth operation of your business even during blackouts. This is no idle threat as many business owners have realized repeatedly throughout modern history. The winter storms in Canada, the August 14, 2003 outage in the US and the power interruptions experienced in various places throughout the world are testament to how much our society is dependent on a steady supply of electrical power.

Power Grid Deficiencies

Part of the problem lies with the fact that power transmission technologies have been allowed to lag. In North America, the electricity distribution system is one large interconnected grid. The advantage of this is that if one part of the grid fails, the others are able to raise their own power production and ‘fill in’ for the missing part. At least that’s the theory. In practice, the deregulation of the power industry has resulted in loads rising to almost the full capacity of the systems, cost cutting in critical areas and the loss of information which could help pinpoint deficiencies in power grid design, usage and architecture. You can’t fault them. The way the companies run things makes sense from a business point of view, but it also pushes the entire system closer to failure. It was a mistake for the US government to have treated electricity as a commodity and not as a critical resource.

A Way to Obtain Independent Power at Reasonable Cost

There are many individuals who know this and want to take steps to rectify the problem, or at least alleviate it But purchasing engine-generators, standby generators, commercial generators, and industrial generators is expensive. Depending on the kind of generator, they could spend anywhere from thousands to millions of dollars for a single unit.

One could try to finance their purchase with a loan. But if the purchaser can’t get one or needs the generator as soon as possible, then he or she might consider buying a used one. A quick search online will reveal individuals and companies selling used generators, gasoline generators, diesel generators, portable generators, marine generators, and LPG generators suitable for many purposes including theirs. These can be the means by which they assure the safe operation of their enterprise during power stoppages or the security of their loved ones during the chaos a blackout might cause. As with any investment though, they must make sure that their purchase is a sensible one, compliant with any local laws on the environment and noise, and economic to use and maintain.

Portable, Industrial and Commercial Diesel Generators

Brian — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 00:56:20 +0000

A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine which differs from a gasoline engine in its choice of fuel and the way it works. Whereas a gasoline engine relies on a spark plug to ignite the fuel-air mixture in its combustion chamber, a diesel engine relies on high compression for the same effect. Diesel engines are more efficient, more robust, more reliable, and cheaper to operate than gasoline engines but at the cost of being heavier, dirtier, noisier, and limited to operating within a narrower power band.

Uses of Diesel Generators

These drawbacks are important in applications such as vehicle power where lightness and power ratios are important, but they are not as critical when the engine is used to power an electric generator, so the diesel generator has become a popular purchase for those looking for efficient power sources and independence from the utility electric grid. They come in all shapes and sizes, for use in environments as diverse as the home, in construction sites, mining sites, outdoor recreation facilities, archaeological digs, remote communications and surveillance facilities, farms, logging camps, shopping malls, office buildings, ships, oil platforms, airports, hospitals, and factories.

A diesel generator can be used as an independent generator in remote areas where there is no available electricity, a standby generator to furnish power when the mains go out, or to provide supplemental power in case the main supply becomes inadequate or unstable due to increased loads or equipment failure. There are commercial generators which also contribute to the electrical power supply used in power stations. For example, the UK can call on a reserve of around 2 gigawatts from reserve diesel generators to add to its electric grid when the need arises. While this is expensive, running the diesel generators in this manner is actually cheaper than cycling a large power plant and putting it into action for the limited time a peak load lasts.

Specifications of Diesel Generators

Diesel generator sets can supply anywhere from 30 watts to over 2 million watts. They can put out either single-phase or three-phase AC electrical power at 50 or 60 Hz. They can come in air-cooled or water-cooled varieties and function as portable generators, industrial generators or commercial generators. They can function using a wide variety of fuels, all of which are more energy-dense than gasoline but have trouble staying liquid at low temperatures without the use of additives. They represent a choice of generator sets with distinct characteristics like natural gas generators, gasoline generators and propane generators.

Portable Generators with Diesel, Gasoline, Natural Gas and Propane Power

Brian — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 00:55:46 +0000

Whenever miners of old needed light, they found ways of getting it. The source could be a tallow candle, a gas lamp or a helmet-mounted carbide lamp. But there were drawbacks to using these. If there were flammable pockets of gas in the mines, using these could result in an explosion and injury or death. The development of an electric light was a welcome development because it meant light without the fear of igniting combustible gases.

Typical Portable Generators

But these lights had to be powered somehow. Some of the first electrical generators were used to provide lighting and power equipment in mines and collieries. They were large and very heavy, and once the mine had yielded all its ore, they were useless.

Today’s advanced technology has made portable generators a reality. They are meant to be moved from place to place, so they are made to be mobile, usually mounted on a trailer or cart of some sort. Most of them can provide power for a few hours. A typical small genset can provide up to 20 kilowatts of electrical power, while trailer-mounted generators can provide a million watts. They have many uses – providing power to machines at a construction site; powering portable lighting systems, PA sets, pumps, and radio transmitters; and providing electricity in remote locations such as campsites and farms are just some of the applications they can be used for. They can also provide power to maintain communications and provide lighting, heat and refrigeration during emergencies.

Usefulness of Portable Generators

The utility of a portable power source is well-known by those who, having endured the inconvenience of power stoppages, purchased a portable generator in order to act as a standby generator, as a backup source of power in emergencies. The rolling blackouts of California and the widespread blackout of August 2003, the biggest in US history, showed how vulnerable interconnected and deregulated electric grids are to disruptions caused by something as small as a faulty circuit breaker or a fallen tree, hence, the increasing number of people who have bought portable engine generators for use in their homes.

The smaller generator models are usually gasoline generators. Larger ones can be diesel generators, natural gas generators or propane generators. A portable generator should be bought with the availability, convenience and price of these fuels in mind as well as the loads that they will bear in operation and the noise they will cause. Most portable generator sets provide single-phase electrical power. They might require the use of an external power conditioner to safely operate sensitive electronic equipment, such as computers, televisions, ballasted lights, and so on.

Combustion Generators Powered by Gasoline and Petrol

Brian — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 00:54:39 +0000

Do you own a standby generator set? If so, it is probably a petrol generator. Gasoline-powered generators are the most familiar types of generators to most consumers. They are made up of two main parts, a generator head to provide the electrical power and a gasoline engine to move the generator.

The internal combustion engine revolutionized mankind’s way of life. It provided a cheap source of motive power that helped create the automobile and forever changed the way man traveled. Without a lightweight, efficient and reliable petrol engine, the Wright Brothers would have never made that historic first flight at Kitty Hawk in 1903. These qualities also make it a logical choice to use in engine generators.

Advantages of a Gasoline Generator

A gasoline engine is a good choice to drive a portable generator. For one thing, its fuel can be obtained easily. Gasoline has good energy density compared to other generator fuels. It is easier to store and handle than propane or natural gas, and it is also not as dangerous. They are also cleaner-burning and lighter than comparable diesel engines. Another factor is that gasoline engines are easy to manufacture and their fuel systems are less complex than that of generators that run off natural gas (NG). That’s why gasoline-powered generators are a good standby generator choice over diesel generators, propane generators, compressed natural gas generators, liquefied natural gas generators, or other types of electrical generators. Portable gasoline generators come in a price range that enables more people to buy them than other types of emergency generator.

Disadvantages of Gasoline Generators

Of course, they have their drawbacks. Gasoline is more expensive than diesel, NG or propane, so it doesn’t make economic sense to use it in situations when the genset is meant to pull prime duty (be the prime source of power) or used for very long, like industrial generators or commercial generators. It is more reasonable to use it for jobs which only last for a limited time. Gasoline also cannot be stored for very long as it tends to gum up in the generator fuel tank and lines if left alone. It also produces dangerous fumes during operation and so needs good ventilation. Portable gasoline generators often put a premium of transportability and so are often air-cooled and not housed in an enclosure. This means they are less fuel-efficient and noisier but cheaper to procure and easier to maintain than liquid-cooled units.

Electric Power Generator for Blackout Prevention

Brian — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 00:53:42 +0000

An electric generator is a machine for converting mechanical energy into electrical energy. The mechanical energy can come from a variety of sources. There are hand-cranked generators, generators powered by falling water, wind generators, thermoelectric generators, photovoltaic generators, magnetohydrodynamic generators which extract energy directly from hot gases, and generators coupled to various types of internal combustion engines – gasoline generators, diesel generators, natural gas generators, and propane generators.

How an Electric Generator Works

Virtually all generators function on the electric induction principle discovered by Michael Faraday in the early 1830s. This basically means that if a magnet in close proximity to a length of electrically-conductive wire is moved, the electrons in that wire will be induced to flow, and a current will be produced. The only generators which don’t work like this are electrostatic generators, which are used mainly for scientific purposes.

The first dynamos were developed in the 1800s and represented the first practical devices that could be used to supply electrical power. They revolutionized factories and changed man’s way of life.

Value of Electric Generators

One way in which electric generators have changed man’s life is through their use as power supplies. Residential, commercial and industrial requirements have ballooned so much over the past few decades and have put so much demand on the power grid that in places it’s starting to run at near-capacity loads. This puts wear and tear on its systems, increasing the chances that a breakdown will occur and a power outage will result. Since modern technological society is so dependent on a steady supply of electricity, a blackout of even only a few hours can spell “millions of dollars” worth of lost income, damage and even deaths. If, for example, a hospital loses power, all the patients under life support will die. If a factory stops producing goods, the delay may cost it millions of dollars.

With the increase in blackouts in the past few years, people, businesses and government agencies have taken to buying electric generators as standby generators, waiting to go into action a few seconds after the utility electricity goes out. There has also been an increase in the use of small, light portable generators to furnish power in places not serviced by the electric company.

Generators are classified according to output power, cycle and voltage. Choosing the right one for a job is critical. If the generator is forced to run near its peak capacity, its parts wear out, and its service life is shortened. If it runs at far below its maximum rating, then money is wasted in buying capacity that isn’t used.

sethson.com » Generators

Standby and Portable Power Generators for Home and Business

The Consequences of No Power

What are Power Generators?

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Silent Generators with Noise Reduction and Barrier Walls

Generators and Noise Pollution

Noise Reduction in Generators

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Gas Generators Powered by Natural Gas or Propane

Natural Gas and Propane

Advantages and Disadvantages

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Industrial Power Generators Using Diesel, Gas and Bunker Fuel

The Worth of Industrial Generators

Characteristics of Industrial Generators

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Used Diesel and Gas Generators for Backup Electric Power

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Portable, Industrial and Commercial Diesel Generators

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Combustion Generators Powered by Gasoline and Petrol

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Electric Power Generator for Blackout Prevention

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