As I look at this again, note it's "capacitor". The value to optimize is the power factor near one over a period of wash time, not just the high current at the beginning of the spin cycle. I'm not certain how to do this. The Kill-A-Watt meter starts a timer when plugged in, so the elapsed kilowatt-hours is displayed. Changing capacitor values would allow plotting the kilowatt-hours for a wash cycle versus values of capacitor in farads. There should be a capacitance that produces minimum kWh. The product of voltage times current yields the volt-amperes, not watts. You'd have to keep track of this manually to estimate volt-ampere-hours. Divide Wh/VA-h to get the overall power factor. Experiment!
Frank -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Frank Leslie Sent: Monday, December 05, 2005 10:54 AM To: [email protected] Subject: RE: [microhydro] petrol generator problem - low voltage Allow me to suggest a $30 purchase of a Kill-O-Watt meter. You can then measure the power factor of the washing machine, for example. Normally, a huge power system will tolerate 0.7 power factor (PF), but if you add a capactor inside at the motor terminals, you can change the power factor to near 1.0. Power guys don't normally think of resonance, but at 60 Hz, a resonant system looks resistive as all imaginary power swaps back and forth between the inductive motor and the capacitive capacitor. The source only supplies in-phase current. Loads vary between washing and spinning, so the highest current cycle should be compensated. There aren't many of these loads, but this compensation might help the invertor volt-amperes become all watts. Frank -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Saturday, December 03, 2005 9:55 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [microhydro] petrol generator problem - low voltage Hello, I think like Frank There is a power factor problem I has this problem with fluorecents lamps. Most of petrols generator use bruschless alternator with capacitors and diodes to make the magnetic field. They are very sensible with bad power factors. When you connect capacitors, start the generator without charge. And connect after the xantrex with capacitor in the same time. (it help to create the magnetic field) regards, Eric ----Message d'origine---- >A: [email protected] >De: Graeme <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Date: Fri, 2 Dec 2005 15:38:02 +1100 (EST) >Sujet: [microhydro] petrol generator problem - low voltage > >I am setting up my micro hydro system. Until I get the generator installed at >the waterfall and the transmission line in place I am using petrol generators >to provide power to charge the batteries. > >The only load on the generator is a Xantrex Truecharge 40i+ > >So far I have had a Scorpian DY2500L replaced and the replecement repaired >because of low output voltage (ie less than 200v instead of 230v). I also have >two GMC 850W units that have the same problem. > >I have contacted Xantrex asking if the Truecharge puts a strange load on the >generator but they didn't answer the question. > >I can keep having petrol generators replaced / repaired while under warrenty >but I need to know the likely fault and how to prevent it. > >I do not want to have my hydro generator fail as it is not convienient to pull >out. > >If any-one has suggestions on likely cause and how to prevent it please let me >know. > >Cheers >Graeme > > > >____________________________________________________ >Do you Yahoo!? >Never miss an Instant Message - Yahoo! Messenger for SMS >http://au.mobile.yahoo.com/mweb/index.html > > > > > >Does your company feature in the microhydro business directory at http://microhydropower.net/directory ? 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