Re: Might be wet in the west...

Edward <eddien@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> writes
Oz <Oz@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

I still don't see why it ages.

I thought everything ages. I put it down to being constantly warm and
the electrical characteristics deteriorating.

If its solid state and properly designed then it should have a life in
decades. Infact the first thing to go should be the electrolytic
capacitors (easily replaced).

That had to have a transistor replaced. It has a
giant heat sink on one end of the box.

Might be getting too hot, or underspec device.

You will note that there are 2 controllers in the system, field
regulator and ballast regulator. They can end up working against each
other causing wild oscillations.

OK. Is the ballast switched in in smallish chunks?

You stop that by having the right
amount of ballast dump available to match the output of the genny,
approx 120 percent of the output in kw.

Er, is this one dirty great chunk of ballast?

alter the ballast load when you alter the genny output by adjusting
the valve openings. This applies, even if you are taking most of the
output into the priority circuits.

OK.

No, if you try and have 15kw of ballast and are producing 5kw, you get
wild oscillation. Watching the ammeter thrashing backwards and
forwards from 0 to 60A every second and the voltmeter in a
synchronised dance, is not conducive to tranquillity!

Is the voltage and current in phase.
Does it switch on and off as the ballast is switching on and off?
Does the wheel change speed audibly too?

If not can't you have more power zones so you can have two ballasts?
Ballast is resistive heating load, storage radiators and ordinary
convectors. You just switch them off and on as necessary.

Ok, so you have this under separate control with a 'ballast wiring' and
a 'priority wiring'. possibly even several of each.

As a safety device, the field regulator has an over/undervoltage trip
in the circuit, which switches off the excitation if the output gets
outside the parameters.

Sensible.

That's a bit all or nothing.
I assume its continuously variable.

No, the cure is to use a higher spec device. In this case probably gold
plated everything, surprisingly cheap. Even a fully sealed relay (spare
kept in the house). All relays worth bothering with will plug in.
Probably, but since it only happens once every few years, I probably
won't bother.

Do it next bearing change.

It uses 1 cufoot per second and gives about 12kw.

It should be capable of vastly more unless you are short of water.

Is water limiting?

It shouldn't be hard to make up some new nozzles.
Phosphor bronze turnings. Festiniog railway loco works will probably
get the job as they do outside jobs like this.

I would go for stainless, very hard, last forever.
If its not excessively large I could probably pop a few off on my little
lathe (if phosphor/silicon bronze). I imagine the thread is bsp
(assuming you can even get the old ones off.

You could have about another 4 wheels if you wanted...
Uneconomic for Summer flows.

Probably.
Would heat your house (and some more) quite well in winter though.

However, it's free, so, provided there is enough water
most of the time, I don't worry. Replacing the nozzles is not as big
a job as replacing the turbine bearings, which last about 10 years.

Damaged by rust or just wear out?
Just wear.

I'll bet its a sweat pulling them off the shaft!
Roller bearings or just a bush?

Ah well! Try Dulas Environmental.

Nothing there either.

--
Oz
This post is worth absolutely nothing and is probably fallacious.



.

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