Dear List users At this small end of the scale it is best today to adapt motorcycle engines to 100% biogas [biogas start and biogas run] systems. Modern motorcycle engines are highly tuned and have multiple spark plugs and carburettion /ignition advance can be controlled through various software based engine control units (ECUs]. Therefore one can get biogas-2-electricity efficiencies upwards of 20-22% i.e. getting 1.42-1.5kWh electrical per standard cubic metre of biogas. This is something unheard of at this end of the scale.
Earlier we did modify the older petrol-start kerosene-run Honda /Yamaha /Villiers engines for this purpose. The compression ratios of these engines have been kept low to avoid knocking [4.5 to 5 for running with kerosene] and so the energy efficiency comes down to about 6-8.5% (requiring about 1.8-3 cu.m biogas per kWh). Therefore if you have the wherewithal and required skills then it would be better to take up a 100 -125cc modern motorcycle engine and get a high efficiency even at compression ratio of 9 [instead of the ideal 13] and compensating the low flame velocity by alternative methods of firing such as multiple spark plugs, etc. which these engines anyway allow in their software. They can also be tuned for lean burn enormously increasing efficiencies at low loading!! Just for the record We did just filed a patent and got a company to agree for mass manufacture. You could ask "Race Dynamics" for engines of this kind happy hunting Chanakya > > > Dear friends, > > > I am looking for advice/information on very small (5-10 kW) > water-cooled gensets suitable for being fueled by biogas. Prefer > US-based options, but any information would help. > > > d. > > _______________________________________________ > Digestion mailing list > > to Send a Message to the list, use the email address > [email protected] > > to UNSUBSCRIBE or Change your List Settings use the web page > http://lists.bioenergylists.org/mailman/listinfo/digestion_lists.bioenergylists.org > > for more information about digestion, see > Beginner's Guide to Biogas > http://www.adelaide.edu.au/biogas/ > and the Biogas Wiki http://biogas.wikispaces.com/ > > > -- > This message has been scanned for viruses and > dangerous content by MailScanner, and is > believed to be clean. > > -- Dr. Hoysall Chanakya Centre for Sustainable Technologies (Assoc. Faculty at Centre for Infrastructure, Sustainable Transport and Urban Planning (CiSTUP) and Centre for Contemporary Studies) Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560 012 ph 91-80-2293 3046; fax-91 80 2360 0683 -- This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by MailScanner, and is believed to be clean. _______________________________________________ Digestion mailing list to Send a Message to the list, use the email address [email protected] to UNSUBSCRIBE or Change your List Settings use the web page http://lists.bioenergylists.org/mailman/listinfo/digestion_lists.bioenergylists.org for more information about digestion, see Beginner's Guide to Biogas http://www.adelaide.edu.au/biogas/ and the Biogas Wiki http://biogas.wikispaces.com/
