Diesel Generator

Three Phase Diesel Generators

2009-09-03T21:18:00.002-07:00

Lowest Prices - Guaranteed!
Call us today and get the very best deal on your three phase diesel generator !

Have you ever contemplated the difference between a Three Phase Diesel Generator and a Single Phase Diesel Generator? Commercial and industrial applications normally require a Three Phase Diesel Generator, which is better suited for running larger motors. Whereas a Single Phase Diesel Generator better meets the needs of the individual homeowner with lower voltage requirements. Three Phase Diesel Generators produce either 120/208v or 277/480v. Three Phase Diesel Generators are well suited for any large-scale industrial or commercial situation where power source dependability is a requirement.

Three Phase Diesel Generator Models

One of the quality Three Phase Diesel Generators on the market today is made by Robin Subaru, Model RGV13100T. This diesel generator will meet the most rigorous power demands in any industrial and/or commercial environment. For applications up to 13,000 watts, this is the perfect diesel generator choice.

Other features of the RGV13100T include the following:

Three-Phase
Super Easy Start
Subaru Engine – Industrial Grade
Heavy-Duty Twist-Lock Receptacles
Meets Strict EPA Standards
Superior Performance/Cost Ratio

The RGV13100T Three Phase Diesel Generator is also backed by a full two-year warranty from the manufacturer.

Diesel Generators and Electric Generators

2009-09-03T21:18:00.001-07:00

Diesel Generators and Electric Generators

Genset Central We have over 60 years experience in supplying diesel generators and electric generators for industrial military and residential generator power requirements. If you are looking for a diesel generator or electric generator look no futher. We supply standby emergency power diesel generators, Kubota generators, gaseous generators, construction portable and mobile generators, diesel fuel tanks, ASCO transfer switches, manual transfer switches, Lister Petter generators, mobile light towers, agricultural generators, switchable voltage generators, RV and commercial compact diesel and gas generators, container generators, electrical generator ends for AC and DC applications, tactical quiet super quiet generators, commercial and residential super silent, trailer mounted construction generators, power modules, electrical transformers, switch gear, parallel equipment, mobile generators, generator controllers, Lister Petter generator and Cummins generators

We can assist you in selecting the product for any application. From the 8kW generator for your summer cabin generator to your backup power generator 2800KW industrial for your plant - we can help!! Our sales engineers each have a minimum of ten years experiences! We offer all electric generator accessories for residential and emergency gensets, standby generators industrial generators, portable, trailer or mobile generators, long run generator fuel tanks, battery chargers and automatic transfer switches.

Generators Types and Features

We recommend diesel due to their longevity and lower operating costs;

1. 1800 rpm water cooled diesel operate on average 20-30,000 hours before major engine maintenance is required.

2. 1800 rpm water cooled gas normally operate 6-10,000 hours because they are built on a lighter duty gasoline engine block.

3. 3600 rpm air-cooled gas engines are normally replaced – not overhauled at 500 to 1500 hours.

Because gas engines burn hotter (higher btu of the fuel), you will see significantly shorter lives. Our gensets are from the world’s top manufacturers. We offer products for high-end residential customers with larger homes to industrial and military customers seeking prime power or critical emergency backup generators.

Electric equipment is designed to use power with a fixed frequency: 60 Hertz (Hz) in the United States and Canada, 50 Hertz in Europe and Australia. The frequency output depends upon a fixed engine speed. To produce 60 Hz electricity, most diesel engines operate at 1800 or 3600 RPM. Each speed has its advantages and drawbacks. At 1800 RPM, four pole electric power sets are the most common and least expensive. They offer the best balance of noise, efficiency, cost, and engine life. At 3600 RPM, two pole generators are smaller and lightweight; they are best suited for portable, light-duty applications. In simple terms it’s like operating your car at 90 mph, versus 45mph — at 45mph your car will last longer; it is quieter, requires less maintenance, and has a longer life. Most 3600 rpm gensets are twin cylinder air-cooled lawn mower engines, while the water cooled 1800 rpm units are comparable to those found in diesel forklift and diesel tractor engines. The 1800 rpm water cooled engine will last longe r, offerless maintenance problems, and be more fuel efficient. We recommend diesel! Gensetcentral Systems can provide for all your backup power needs from 2 Mega Watt generator for industrial, residential and military applications. We can provide you with high quality gensets. We offer only top quality products that are priced at or below our competition who offer lesser brands Our diesel products are powered by world class diesel engines - we feature SDMO, Lister Petter, Katolight, Baldor, Kubota, John Deere and Cummins power plants

Power Generation - Diesel Generator Set 591-800kW Powered by the Caterpillar C27

2008-09-10T01:17:00.000-07:00

Caterpillar Inc. introduces its latest in the line of diesel-fueled generator sets with ACERT™ Technology. With rating ranges of 650 – 800 ekW for standby applications and 591 – 725 ekW for prime use, this generator set is EPA Tier 2 certified.

Offering the latest in engine design technology, this clean diesel generator set provides emissions compliance without sacrificing performance or fuel economy. Operating at 60 Hz, it is powered by the Cat® C27 – a 27.03-liter displacement, four-cycle diesel engine.

An ADEM™ A4 controller, mechanically actuated electronic fuel injection (MEUI), and crossflow cylinder heads comprise the building blocks of ACERT Technology. The generator set features an advanced EMCP 3 control system, an Air-To-Air After Cooler (ATAAC) cooling system and single-point access to accessory connections. The self-excited generator offers a Class H insulation system. Designed for enhanced performance and output, the generator set delivers maximum efficiency with minimum total harmonic distortion. For additional information, visit http://go.cateps.com/pop or contact your local Cat® dealer.

Diesel thermal generators to be phased out next month

2008-08-29T11:40:00.000-07:00

All diesel thermal generators will be phased out with effect from next month (September) as government battles the power shortage that has led to endless load shedding. The government can no longer afford to run the expensive generators, which have apparently not created any impact as far as bridging the power supply gap is concerned.

In his response to the report of the National Resources Committee on the Ministerial Policy statement and budget estimates for the financial year 2008/9 on August 20, Energy Minister Mr Daudi Migereko said that by September this year, the government will have 50MW of Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) at Namanve.

Mr Migereko said the HFO, will be followed by 10MW of HFO at Tororo by Electromax, followed by 50-85MW of HFO at Kaiso Tonya, followed by 50MW of HFO at Njeru by Invespro. He said the HFO equipment being procured will also be able to use natural gas from our Oil fields as discoveries and production of oil and gas progress.

“Our biggest problem has been the limited power generation and supply capacity which had given way to load shedding. This necessitated installation of expensive emergency diesel thermal generation capacity of 100MW as a stop gap measure,” Mr Migereko said. The Minister said all big power projects will in future also be financed by the government to avoid past experience of delays like in the case of Bujagali. He said the projects will be readily facilitated by funding through the Energy fund.

The government decision stems from numerous complaints about the viability of the power project. The Committee has expressed concern about the Bujagali costs, a matter that has been raised a number of times on the floor of the House.

On the Renewable Energy projects which are ongoing in Kakira, Nyagak, Bugoye, Mpanga, Buseruka, Ishasha, Kisizi, Mr Migereko said, that the work being undertaken with the development of the renewable, oil exploration and production plus development of the large hydros, will help Government address diversification of energy supply mix.
“All this is possible because Government has come up with the right policy framework and incentives. We are trying to see how we can improve on the incentives for instance Private Sector Foundation financing the feasibility studies upfront,” he said.

On the Bujagali project, Mr Migereko said both the developer and the contractor were procured through international competitive bidding.
He said there are a number of key considerations that needed to be taken into account. He cited world price of materials like steel, cement and fuel. He also cited limited appetite of Development Finance Institutions to finance projects in the country.

“The above are reflected in additional costs like interest during construction debt service reserve account, and high insurance premiums. All these led to the high development cost for Bujagali,” he said.
The committee raised concern regarding the feeding of the Karuma generated power into the National grid at Kawanda substation which is about 200Km from the source of power.

“I wish to inform the house that the Karuma Power Project will have three transmission lines namely Karuma – Olwiyo, Karuma – Lira District, and Karuma–Kawanda,” he said. On Umeme issues raised by the committee, Mr Migereko said the government has requested the Electricity Regulatory Authority to study the Umeme/government agreement with a view to ensuring better performance on the part of Umeme.

Diesel costs cut rides, raise prices at carnivals

2008-08-23T08:56:00.000-07:00

The ladybug cars, the dinosaur slide and the children's tank ride awaited 3-year-old Jonas Smith as usual at this year's Johnson County Fair, but something was missing.

"It looks like there are fewer rides," his mother, Marcia Smith, said as she strolled the grassy midway. "The swing ride we rode last year is gone. And when I went to buy tickets with a group of moms, our jaws dropped."

Traveling carnivals throughout Iowa and the nation are facing a scary ride this summer as high diesel costs shorten tour routes, inflate ticket prices and limit the number of rides that many can offer at local events and county fairs.
The cutbacks come during the peak season for the carnival industry, as county and state fairs commence across Iowa and the nation.

"There's no question it's putting a strain on our industry," said Bob Johnson, president of the Florida-based Outdoor Amusement Business Association. "It's taken a big bite out of our operating costs."

Carnivals in the United States still draw an estimated 350 million visitors each year and offer a cheap alternative to vacations and other entertainment, said Johnson, whose group represents most of the 350 traveling carnivals in the United States and Canada.

But diesel prices in the Midwest averaged $4.52 per gallon this week, up $1.64 from this time last year, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. The national average hovered at $4.61 per gallon, a $1.72 increase from last year.

The increase forced Superior Equipment, which once served fairs throughout the Midwest, to limit its travel this year to Iowa and southern Minnesota, said manager Shawn Exum. The Clarence, Ia.-based carnival operator also reduced the amount of equipment it carries, and cut about five traveling workers who act as backups for ride operators.

"We won't attend as many fairs this year, and we won't drive as far to get to them," Exum said. "The cost of fuel, insurance, transportation, merchandise we have to buy, all greatly increased this year. It just came to be too much."

Fuel-related expenses for Superior Equipment have more than doubled since last summer, Exum said. The company's rides and games, like most modern carnival machines, run on electric generators powered by diesel engines.

The problem worsened this summer when severe weather and record floods swept through Iowa, blocking key travel routes and displacing thousands of regular fairgoers.

Financial pressures forced one local fair in northern Iowa to go without rides this year. The North Iowa Fair in Mason City had scheduled Merriam's Midway Shows to visit in late July, but a scheduling conflict prevented the carnival from attending, said fair manager Katy Elson. In its place, she said, the fair erected inflatable games for children and managed to secure a slingshot ride from another company.

Todd Merriam, who owns Merriam's Midway Shows, said he helped the fair's organizers find a replacement carnival to fulfill his three-year contract. The replacement carnival then canceled abruptly because it went out of business.

"We did the best we could," Merriam said. "Unfortunately, it was strictly financial."

Ticket prices also could rise if fuel expenses continue to grow, Exum said. Some operators, including Superior Equipment, have effectively raised prices already by requiring more tickets for a single ride, he said.

"People can't pay as much as we need to be charging," Exum said. "We're trying to raise it just enough to get by."

Exum said parents this year are telling their children to choose just one or two rides. Last year, he said, the number of 20-ticket family packs he sold outnumbered single-ticket sales by a ratio of 4-to-1. This year, single tickets -- at $1 apiece -- outperformed the $18 family packs.

Demetrious and Charlotte Ramirez of Iowa City scampered across the midway at the Johnson County Fair last week, past the spinning strawberry ride and the pink-and-green lights near the game pit. Their mother, Margo Ramirez, watched 6-year-old Demetrious hop aboard a children's tank ride while Charlotte, 3, eyed the flying swings.

"They had more cool stuff last year," Margo Ramirez said. "I can tell they're offering fewer rides, and the ones they are offering are smaller."

Mac's Carnival Rides & Attractions, a South Dakota-based carnival that serves seven states, raised its ticket prices 25 percent this year to offset fuel costs, said co-owner Lon McWhorter. Travel expenses for the show's 15 rides have grown to $3 per ride for every mile traveled, he said. Last year's rate was less than $2.

Researchers seek power from exhaust

2008-08-23T08:46:00.002-07:00

Researchers are competing to meet a challenge from the U.S. Department of Energy: Improve fuel economy 10 percent by converting wasted exhaust heat into energy that can help power the vehicle.

General Motors Corp. is close to reaching the goal, as is a BMW AG supplier working with Ohio State University in Columbus. Their research into thermoelectrics -- the science of using temperature differences to create electricity -- couldn't come at a better time as high gas prices accelerate efforts to make vehicles as efficient as possible.

GM researcher Jihui Yang said a metal-plated device that surrounds an exhaust pipe could increase fuel economy in a Chevrolet Suburban by about 5 percent, a 1-mile-per-gallon improvement that would be even greater in a smaller vehicle.

Reaching the goal of a 10 percent improvement would save more than 100 million gallons of fuel per year in GM vehicles in the United States alone.

"The take-home message here is: It's a big deal," Yang said.

The Energy Department, which is partially funding the auto-industry research, helped develop a thermoelectric generator for a heavy-duty diesel truck and tested it for the equivalent of 550,000 miles about 12 years ago.

John Fairbanks, the department's thermoelectrics technology development manager, said the success of that generator justified the competitive search in 2004 for a device that could augment or replace a vehicle's alternator. Three teams were selected to participate in the program, with GM and thermoelectrics manufacturer BSST separately working on cars and a team from Michigan State University focusing on heavy-duty trucks.

Fairbanks said thermoelectric generators should be on the verge of production in about three years.

"It's probably the biggest impact in the shortest time that I can think of," he said.

The technology is similar to what NASA uses to power deep-space probes, a perk being it doesn't seem to be susceptible to wear. Probes have used a thermoelectric setup for about 30 years.

Thermoelectric devices can work in two ways -- using electricity to provide heating or cooling, or using temperature differences to create electricity.

The second method is Yang's focus, and for good reason.

In an internal combustion engine, only about one-fourth of the total energy from gasoline is used to actually turn the wheels, while 40 percent is lost in exhaust heat and 30 percent is lost through cooling the engine. That means about 70 percent of the available energy is wasted, according to GM.

"If I can use some of that heat energy and convert it to electricity, you can improve the overall efficiency," Yang said.

A Suburban produces 15 kilowatts of exhaust-heat energy during city driving, which is enough to power three or four air conditioners simultaneously.

But it's not possible to harness all the exhaust heat a vehicle produces, so when the Suburban is cruising between 50 and 60 mph, the generator can produce about 800 watts of power, Yang said. That electricity could go to accessories such as a GPS device, DVD player, radio and possibly the vehicle's water pumps.

Yang's prototype device is to be tested in a Suburban next year. A similar prototype created by Ohio State scientists and BSST could also be tested next year in a BMW.

The thermoelectric generator works when one side of its metallic material is heated, and excited electrons move to the cold side. The movement creates a current, which electrodes collect and convert to electricity.

While it's not clear how much the device would add to the price of a vehicle, the whole point of the research is to make it cost-effective, Yang said.

"There are several other steps that are required to commercialize the material, but we're cautiously optimistic that these steps can be carried out successfully," said Lon Bell, president of BSST, a subsidiary of Northville-based thermoelectrics supplier Amerigon Inc.

BSST also is working with Ford Motor Co. to develop climate-control systems based on thermoelectrics.

Ford wants a system that would target a person's extremities when it's cold or the back of the neck in summer heat, rather than blow out a lot of air to change the temperature of the entire vehicle.

"We think we can make people feel cooler more quickly, feel comfortable more quickly, and that will translate into less power in the central AC system," said Clay Maranville, a Ford senior research scientist.

Honda Motor Co. also has supported university research into thermoelectrics, but a spokesman said the automaker doesn't have its own research program.

Cold War effort a problem now

2008-08-23T08:46:00.001-07:00

FEMA took over responsibility for this and other programs once administered by the Civil Defense Agency in 1979, by which time some 700 radio stations had participated in this voluntary program. The tanks are made of steel, and over time, rust and corrosion can create leaks that remain undetected for years.

Why does this matter to Delmarva residents? Two of these aging tanks are located here, one in Salisbury and another in Georgetown. FEMA plans to evaluate these tanks, which may or may not be leaking. If they are, it's bad news, not just for the environment, but for people living nearby as well.

One gallon of leaked fuel can contaminate 1 million gallons of drinking water. And what are the consequences of drinking water contaminated by diesel fuel? It increases the risk of cancer, kidney damage and nervous system disorders.

FEMA has said it is dedicated to inspecting and remediating, removing or upgrading these tanks as necessary. It has, according to a FEMA spokesman, taken decades just to go through the paperwork from various federal agencies that participated in the program at one time or another.

The sooner these tanks are inspected and dealt with, the better. The program was deemed important when it was put in place. People were living in fear of a nuclear holocaust and any measures that might help rein in chaos in the event of an emergency were well-received. The problem is a lack of foresight and planning for future consequences.

Let this be a lesson for us in making sure --as much as possible -- that whatever we do today to make our lives better, more secure or more convenient will not come back to bite our descendants someday

Piezoelectrics to relish billion-dollar future

2008-08-23T08:45:00.000-07:00

The emergence of wireless communications and the increased need for wireline-based data transmissions have swelled demand for piezoelectric quartz crystals and crystal devices. Emerging industrial and consumer applications are steering the industry—once overly dependent on military demand—to a more balanced mix of apps.

Data transfer must be synchronized in high-bandwidth systems, a requirement that has boosted demand for timing products. Crystal devices provide the precise timing signals needed to ensure reliable data transfer at high speeds in applications ranging from notebook computers to network switches, the study observes.

Among the seven major market segments for piezoelectric crystal frequency control devices, telecommunications has the largest market share—as much as 30 percent. It is followed by consumer applications including video games, A/V and amusement, computing, military and government; automotive, industrial; and medical.

The iRap study notes that in the 1980s, Japan was the world leader in mass-produced piezoelectric crystals and crystal devices. In the later part of the 1990s, however, the balance shifted, with China and South Korea taking over the low-end products. Japan still supplies the high end.

At present, Japan and South Korea are supplying quartz devices for microprocessor-based and extended-temperature products. China is supplying large quantities of low-end products for applications such as toys and games.

Govt explores ways to beat diesel crunch

2008-08-23T08:44:00.002-07:00

The government has called the chiefs of state-run oil companies to discuss the problem of diesel shortage in the country.

“There have been reports of diesel shortages in Pune and other parts of Maharashtra, among other places. I have called a meeting of oil PSU chiefs on August 19 to seek an explanation,” petroleum minister Murli Deora said.

The demand for diesel has risen nearly 25 per cent in recent times as it is increasingly being used in power generation instead of fuel oil and naphtha that are costlier.

“The demand-supply gap seems to have widened because of this,” Deora said.

Indian Oil Corporation chairman Sarthak Behuria has said the company would not be importing diesel and sell it at low prices to meet the rising demand.

Diesel is heavily subsidised because it is used in the public transport system and by the farm sector and truckers.

Oil marketers say the fuel is now being used by commercial and industrial users, which is pushing up the demand. There is also a heavy demand for the fuel in shopping malls and housing projects as they use diesel generators for back-up.

The high-powered committee on the financial health of oil companies, headed by B.K. Chaturvedi, which has been pushing for a price hike in petrol and diesel, has suggested different pricing norms for industrial and commercial users.

The committee felt industrial units, which account for about 10 per cent of the total consumption of diesel, should not be eligible for subsidy. The sale of the fuel to industrial and commercial users should be done at market prices.

It has also proposed an increase of 75 paise per litre in the price of diesel every month till 2010. In addition, it has suggested a “metro extra” tax of Rs 2 a litre.

Oil companies are losing Rs 23 a litre from selling diesel at subsidised prices, even after a price hike of Rs 3 per litre in June.

The annual consumption of diesel is around 48 million tonnes (mt).

The government continues to subsidise the fuel heavily as it is fighting a 16-year high inflation of 12.44 per cent. Diesel is the favoured fuel of truckers and any increase in its price has a cascading effect on inflation.

Truckers helped by technology

2008-08-23T08:44:00.001-07:00

In New Brunswick, he said, almost 100 per cent of goods move by truck, and the high fuel costs are passed on to consumers, who end up paying more for things such as clothes, food and medicine.

So in order to lighten their environmental footprint, and help save money on diesel fuel, the industry is looking to new technologies for help. In the fall of 2006, an ultra low-sulphur diesel fuel was introduced, and the new 2008 truck engines come equipped with a diesel particulate filter.

"As we purchase these new trucks, we're reducing our nitrous oxide emissions by 40 per cent and our particulate matter output by 90 per cent," Nelson said. "We're the only transportation sector in North America that has gotten that far, that fast. And that's all because of the new technologies."

In addition to the innovation in fuel and engine filters, Nelson said the industry will soon be adopting a single, wide-based tire to replace the dual configuration.

He said there's evidence that these tires can create fuel savings of one to two litres per kilometre, which translates into thousands of dollars per year.

"It doesn't seem like a big deal," he said, "but when you're travelling 150,000 kilometres a year to 200,000 kilometres a year, it makes a huge difference."

They've also slowed their trucks down to 100 km/h instead of 110 on two-lane highways.

"Depending on the driver, that can save anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000 a year," he said. "We're the only transportation sector in North America that has gotten that far, that fast. The new trucks, especially the ones that Sunbury Transport is using, are incredibly cleaner and greener than the trucks of five years ago, because of the new technologies."

At a tree-planting ceremony at Sunbury's Fredericton headquarters last Wednesday, Environment Minister Roland Haché presented them with the 2007 Environmental Leadership Award on behalf of the provincial government, for their idle-time reduction program and the development of a fuel efficiency, e-learning program for other carriers.

The winners are selected by an independent panel of judges.

In December, Sunbury was given $475,000 from the New Brunswick Climate Change Action Fund to install the diesel-powered auxiliary generators on its fleet to provide climate control and power to parked trucks, eliminating the need to idle.

It was given another $200,000 from the fund to install the aerodynamic skirting on its van trailers to reduce air drag.

"We want to be leaders, not followers, and we have to compete with the world too," said Vernon Seeley, specification manager and technical advisor for Sunbury and Irving Transport. "Our tractors are the most aerodynamic in the world, and the skirts on the trailers deflect the wind, so it slips through the wind a bit faster."

He said the skirts save six per cent on fuel consumption, while the move from single to double trailers has led to a 30 per cent fuel reduction.

Added to this is a four to 10 per cent reduction because of the new tires and that translates into Sunbury using 200,000 litres less fuel in 2006 alone.

Oil that fries your food in a restaurant could be what powers your car's engine

2008-08-12T09:27:00.000-07:00

The use of biodiesel has increased "greatly" over the past five years, dropping off, though, over the past year and a half due to the cost of the plant oil, said Dennis Miller, a professor of chemical engineering at Michigan State University.

Unlike Santa Cruz's fuel, most biodiesel comes from soybeans, canola and other sources, all of which have increased dramatically in price because of increased demand and speculation on demand, he said.

Locally, there is a "small but passionate group of individuals" running their vehicles on biodiesel, said Maggie Striz Calnin, program coordinator of Greater Lansing Area Clean Cities, a nonprofit coalition of local governments and businesses.

"For one, they see the connection between the environment and public health and alternative fuels," she said. "They're also starting to see the benefit of using domestically produced fuel rather than imported fuel, because our lives are so interconnected with transportation."

Santa Cruz estimates that to fill the 25-gallon tank of his 2004 Dodge Sprinter van with regular diesel fuel, it would cost $125.

But by using 50 percent biodiesel in the van's tank, he's only paying half the price, saving him anywhere from $300 to $400 a month on fuel costs.

"I'm a green-feeling person," Santa Cruz said. "I take this with sincerity: We're in a real crisis, and I think we need to look at alternative means." Got grease?

Biodiesel isn't the only alternative that's attracting interest.

Sales have increased for Greasecar Vegetable Fuel Systems, which bills itself as the nation's largest retailer and manufacturer of vegetable oil kits, said Justin Carven, founder and owner of the company based out of Easthampton, Mass.

The fuel system allows diesel vehicles retrofitted with conversion kits to run on straight vegetable oil, or grease, often obtained from restaurants for free.

Carven said slightly more than 5,000 kits have been sold in the last eight years, most of which were sold in the last two years.

As fuel prices climb, he said, so has interest in the system.

"There's not too many places for people to turn, and this is a relatively straightforward and affordable way to go," Carven said.

In 2007, he said, Greasecar sold just fewer than 1,000 kits. Carven expects 2,000 kits to be sold by the end of this year.

Researchers work to turn car's exhaust into power

2008-08-12T09:26:00.000-07:00

The stinky, steaming air that escapes from a car's tailpipe could be an answer to using less gas.

Researchers are competing to meet a challenge from the U.S. Department of Energy: improve fuel economy 10 percent by converting wasted exhaust heat into energy that can help power the vehicle.

General Motors Corp. is close to reaching the goal, as is a BMW AG supplier working with Ohio State University. Their research into thermoelectrics -- the science of using temperature differences to create electricity -- couldn't come at a better time as high gas prices accelerate efforts to make vehicles as efficient as possible.

GM researcher Jihui Yang said a metal-plated device that surrounds an exhaust pipe could increase fuel economy in a Chevrolet Suburban by about 5 percent, a 1-mile-per-gallon improvement that would be even greater in a smaller vehicle.

Reaching the goal of a 10 percent improvement would save more than 100 million gallons of fuel per year in GM vehicles in the U.S. alone.

"The take-home message here is: It's a big deal," Yang said.

The DOE, which is partially funding the auto industry research, helped develop a thermoelectric generator for a heavy duty diesel truck and tested it for the equivalent of 550,000 miles about 12 years ago.

John Fairbanks, the department's thermoelectrics technology development manager, said the success of that generator justified the competitive search in 2004 for a device that could augment or replace a vehicle's alternator. Three teams were selected to participate in the program, with GM and thermoelectrics manufacturer BSST separately working on cars and a team from Michigan State University focusing on heavy-duty trucks.

Fairbanks said thermoelectric generators should be on the verge of production in about three years.

"It's probably the biggest impact in the shortest time that I can think of," he said.

The technology is similar to what NASA uses to power deep space probes, a perk being it doesn't seem to be susceptible to wear. Probes have used a thermoelectric setup for about 30 years.

Thermoelectric devices can work in two ways -- using electricity to provide heating or cooling, or using temperature differences to create electricity.

The second method is Yang's focus, and for good reason.

In an internal combustion engine, only about a quarter of the total energy from gasoline is used to actually turn the wheels, while 40 percent is lost in exhaust heat and 30 percent is lost through cooling the engine. That means about 70 percent of the available energy is wasted, according to GM.

"If I can use some of that heat energy and convert it to electricity, you can improve the overall efficiency," Yang said.

A Suburban produces 15 kilowatts of exhaust heat energy during city driving, which is enough to power three or four air conditioners simultaneously.

But it's not possible to harness all the exhaust heat a vehicle produces, so when the Suburban is cruising between 50 and 60 mph, the generator can produce about 800 watts of power, Yang said. That electricity could go to accessories such as a GPS device, DVD player, radio and possibly the vehicle's water pumps.

Yang's prototype device is to be tested in a Suburban next year. A similar prototype created by Ohio State scientists and BSST should be tested in a BMW in 2009.

The thermoelectric generator works when one side of its metallic material is heated, and excited electrons move to the cold side. The movement creates a current, which electrodes collect and convert to electricity.

While it's not clear how much the device would add to the price of a vehicle, the whole point of the research is to make it cost-effective, Yang said.

"There are several other steps that are required to commercialize the material, but we're cautiously optimistic that these steps can be carried out successfully," said Lon Bell, president of BSST, a subsidiary of Northville-based thermoelectrics supplier Amerigon Inc.

Thriving in the world of utility giants

2008-08-12T09:24:00.000-07:00

In these days of skyrocketing energy prices, owning an electric company is a good way to keep costs under control.

Just ask some folks in Burrillville, where the Pascoag Utility District, owned by its customers in Pascoag, serves that village and part of neighboring Harrisville with electricity as well as water service in Pascoag.
They are paying a little over 7 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) for electricity. By contrast, National Grid, which serves the rest of Rhode Island except for Block Island, recently won a rate increase from the Public Utilities Commission, upping its charge for the electricity to light lights, power air conditioner, and supply the juice for the televisions, radios, computers and myriad other necessities of the plugged-in society of the 21st Century, to 12.4 cents per kWh.
That means the average monthly electricity bill for the typical Rhode Island household — once distribution rates, taxes and a list of other confusing charges are added up — is about $93 a month, while Pascoag Utility customers pay just $71. So more than $260 a year stays in the Pascoag family’s budget for food, gasoline, clothing and all the other things whose prices are also increasing inexorably. Customers of the even tinier Block Island Power Co., which generates electricity using expensive diesel power, pay — this is not a typographical error — $330 a month for the typical 500 kWh.
How does this mini-utility district (just 5,000 households) manage to obtain and distribute electricity so much cheaper than the international energy conglomerate that serves the rest of the state’s 240,000 electricity-using households?
“We’re the littlest guy in the world with a stone and a slingshot,” says General Manager Ted Garille. But he says Pascoag bargains hard when it signs contracts to buy electricity.
“When we put out a request for proposals and get prices back, that isn’t the end of the story, it is the beginning,” Garille says, “we negotiate from there.
“It’s a wonder they don’t throw me out of their office, some of these big guys,” Garille adds with a chuckle when recalling previous bargaining sessions.
Pascoag has been able to survive and thrive in a time when the energy business is dominated by huge mega-corporations, Garille asserts, because, “we went with the concept of having the lowest rates possible and the highest level of customer service possible. That is more than an inscription on a piece of paper. It is truly our mantra up here. It is how we do business.”
As an example of the customer service Pascoag provides, Garille noted, “our typical response time to a trouble call is between 10 and 15 minutes.” He notes that almost all of the employees live in Pascoag and Harrisville or nearby, so are available quickly in an emergency.
The community utility was created back in 1887 as the Pascoag Fire District, and in 2001 General Assembly passed legislation allowing the electricity and water providers to split from the fire service and form a quasi-municipal, not for profit corporation.
The district holds regular meetings where Pascoag residents and property owners vote to, among other things, elect a seven-member board of commissioners that sets policy and hires administrators.
“The people we are serving are literally the owners,” Garille said. “There are no shareholders, there are no dividends to be paid.”
That not-for-profit, quasi-municipal status gives Pascoag numerous advantages. A principal one is that it allows the utility to purchase cheap hydroelectric power from the New York Power Authority (NYPA), something that is not available to National Grid. When NYPA recently tried to cut back the amount of power it sold outside of New York, many of its customers had to cut the amount of power they purchased in half, but Garille said Pascoag managed to purchase a bit more than it had been from the generator in Messina, New York, on the St. Lawrence River and the same amount that it had been from Niagara Falls.
Tom Kogut, spokesman for the RI Public Utilities Commisison (PUC) explained that because those generating facilities were developed using tax dollars, NYPA is directed to sell to bordering states. Because a “water border” exists between New York’s Fisher’s Island Sound and Rhode Island’s Block Island Sound, Rhode Island qualifies as a border state.
The low-cost hydroelectric power comprises at least 20 percent and sometimes as much of a third of what Pascoag buys.
Another 25 percent or so comes from a 40-year contract Pascoag has to buy electricity from the Seabrook nuclear plant in New Hampshire. The utility has been a participant in the Seabrook facility since 1986 and its contract runs until 2026.
For the rest of its load, Pascoag puts out requests for proposals to energy providers, most of which generate power using fossil fuels like oil, natural gas or coal.
By comparison, National Grid gets just 3.2 percent of its power from hydroelectric, according to David Graves, the company’s spokesman, while 33 percent comes from burning natural gas, 28 percent nuclear, and lesser amounts of coal, oil and diesel.
Those built-in advantages Pascoag has as a non-profit, quasi-municipal agency are just one reason that Graves says that comparing National Grid with Pascoag is “apples and oranges.” Garille agrees, using the same words in a separate interview.
“Pascoag serves 5,000 customers in a highly concentrated geographic area,” Graves told The Times. “They have limited equipment to maintain in terms of poles, transformers, miles of wire, that type of thing. They also don’t pay municipal taxes. They pay something in lieu of taxes, but National Grid pays tens of millions of dollars in property taxes to cities and towns and to the state as well.” In 2006, the last year for which figures are available, Graves said National Grid paid $20 million in property taxes to Rhode Island cities and towns.
“We also have a renewable surcharge that we pay of about eight-tenths of a cent per kWh,” to acquire a portion of the energy supply from renewable resources, he said. “We also support an entire infrastructure throughout the entire state. We’ve got about 5,100 miles of overhead line, over a thousand miles of underground cables, 115 substations.”
Despite the criticism it has taken lately for sharp rate hikes cause by increases in the price of natural gas and oil, Graves said National Grid’s “standard offer” to household customers “served the people quite well for a long period of time,” Graves said. “It is only in the last few years that we have seen some spikes in the cost of the commodity.
“Up until August, 2004,” he added, “customers paid less than six-tenths of a cent per kWh. It is only in the last four years, as the price of natural gas and oil have run up, have the cost of a kWh increased as well.”
Garille warns that the cheap ride may not last forever.
One of its contracts with a fossil fuel provider, Dominion Power of Virginia, expires in 2010. “Am I going to be able to go out to the market and get another 7.6 per kWh contract? I don’t know the answer to that.
“I can tell you that when I look at the daily spot market prices, it’s 10 cents, it’s 12 cents, it’s 14 cents, so it’s moving around all the time,” Garille said.
Recently, he suggested, “there has been a reluctance on the generators’ part to give you a benefit” for multi-year contracts. “We have seen a complete reversal of that, whereby generators have refused to enter into long-term contracts or have quoted a higher price out three or four years.”
So that means power in Pascoag could become more expensive in the coming years?
“Absolutely,” Garille answers, adding quickly, “I hope not.”

Russia plans new carriers, subs to boost navy

2008-07-29T09:03:00.000-07:00

Russia announced plans on Sunday to revive its once-mighty navy by building several aircraft carriers and upgrading its fleet of nuclear submarines in the coming years.

Russia's power at sea is a shadow of the formidable Soviet navy which challenged U.S. military dominance in the Cold War. But, with a strong economy now from booming oil exports, it is seeking to raise its profile on the world stage by modernizing the armed forces.

Russia will build five or six aircraft carrier battle groups in the near future, RIA news agency quoted Navy Commander Vladimir Vysotsky as telling Navy Day festivities in St Petersburg, the second city.

"We call this a sea-borne aircraft carrier system which will be based on the Northern and Pacific fleets," Vysotsky said. "The creation of such systems will begin after 2012."

He said such carrier groups would operate in close contact with Russia's military satellites, air forces and air defenses.

Russia now has only one aircraft carrier, the Soviet-built Nikolai Kuznetsov, which was launched in 1985 but did not become fully operational for 10 years due to the turmoil following the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991.

In fact, it is not even a fully-fledged aircraft-carrier, being officially called an air-capable cruiser. It carries fewer aircraft than U.S. carriers and features a steam-turbine power-plant with turbo-generators and diesel generators, while all modern carriers are nuclear-powered.

Ohio Amish hurt by higher fuel prices

2008-07-29T09:02:00.000-07:00

Ohio's Amish community, the world's largest, is known for shunning the use of cars, tractors and electricity. But the plain people in the rolling hills of Holmes County and elsewhere still feel the pinch at the pumps.

That's because some Amish have left their farms for work in construction, tourism and furniture making. So they pour diesel into generators to power sanders and table saws, or they chip in gasoline money for a van ride to a construction site or visitors center.

And the Amish who have remained on the farm use generators to power washing machines and irrigation equipment.

"They use fuel in different ways, but certainly they use it," said Steven Nolt, a historian specializing in Amish culture at Goshen College in Indiana.

While they avoid many modern conveniences, the Amish never objected to technology outright, Nolt said. Rather, faithful Amish employ technology selectively and with some consideration, avoiding machines that might weaken community cohesion.

Ray Miller, a volunteer at the Mennonite Information Center in Berlin, doesn't own a car. But he is sensitive to the cost of gasoline because he relies on a van service for the 50-mile round trip between home and the center.

As of Friday, the cost of a ride had risen to $1 a mile, and as he ushered visitors into the information center for presentations, Miller lamented how much his volunteer work is costing him.

Power shortage in Karnataka shoots up demand for diesel

2008-07-26T10:38:00.000-07:00

Panic buying and hoarding of diesel has hit Karnataka in the wake of massive power shortage following monsoon failure, oil companies and dealers say.

Industries, commercial establishments and even some residential complexes are forced to use the diesel-run generators for uninterrupted power supply as India's IT hub and other parts of the state remain without power for hours together.

"Demand for diesel has gone up by nearly 40 percent in Bangalore alone since July 20. The daily supply to Bangalore has gone up from around 1,800 kilolitres to about 2,500 kilolitres," a senior Indian Oil Corporation official, declining to be identified, told IANS Wednesday.

With the state government indicating Wednesday that there would be no power supply for up to six hours in Bangalore and other major towns and up to 10 hours in rural areas, the demand for diesel would only go up, oil companies and dealers fear.

Many dealers in Bangalore and other parts of Karnataka have begun restricting diesel sale to 10 litres at a time.

Since July 20, there have been long queues at several petrol bunks in Bangalore.

"People are stocking up to run the generators as they fear massive disruption in power supply in the coming days," the official said.

The official said people need not go in for panic buying as that only creates artificial shortage. The oil companies have adequate stocks to meet the normal demand and hence there is no fear of short supply, he said.

According to state Energy Minister K.S. Eshwarappa, Karnataka needs 128 million units of power a day whereas only 100 million units are available, 65 million units generated within the state and 35 million units received from the central government power units.

The shortage has meant long hours of unscheduled power cuts across the state. Many areas in Bangalore, including the central business district, remain without electricity for up to four hours a day.

Eshwarappa announced Wednesday that daily supply will be restricted to 100 million units, which means no power for up to six hours in Bangalore and other major towns and up to 10 hours in rural areas.

Instead of the random power cuts as of now, there will be scheduled disruption from Aug 1 with the government notifying which areas will be without electricity for how many hours a day.

The time table is expected to be released Friday.

The government is hoping monsoon will revive and fill the reservoirs as Karnataka is heavily dependent on hydel power.

"Monsoon failure has made the power situation precarious. Around 60 percent of power generated in Karnataka is hydel-based. We will review the situation every week, Eshwarappa said.

MAN Diesel wins Alice power station contract

2008-07-26T10:37:00.001-07:00

A Sydney-based company has been awarded a $60 million contract to design and build a new power station south of Alice Springs.

The Power and Water Corporation says MAN Diesel Australia will begin work on the Owen Springs Power Station in the next few weeks.

Stage one is expected to be completed by April next year.

The Corporation's John Linton says separate tender submissions to relocate the two noisy turbine generators from the Sadadeen complex to Owen Springs are now being assessed.

He says the Taurus generator is expected to be moved later this year and the Titan in 2009.

Bus, Library, Platform, Ski Resort

2008-07-26T10:35:00.000-07:00

The Beijing bus happens to be an electric hybrid vehicle. A hybrid vehicle uses an engine to power an electric generator. The electricity from the generator powers a motor that turns the wheels. And the wheels on the bus go ‘round and ‘round.

But even better, this bus puts out ultra-low emissions. That’s because reducing engine emissions is critical in China, where pollution is so bad. The electricity that powers the bus comes from an on-board device called a “microturbine.” In the case of the Beijing bus, this is a small engine that burns compressed natural gas. The gas spins a turbine and generates electricity. And it moves that bus.

OK, but how is the Chinese bus similar to the Reagan Library? Well, the Reagan Library also gets its electricity from microturbines. There are 16 microturbines at the Reagan Library, delivering over 95 percent of the power that the large building uses. (Large? Hey, the Reagan Library houses an entire Boeing 707, the former Air Force One, in a gigantic hangar section.)

The microturbines at the Reagan Library burn natural gas. The gas comes from the regional pipeline system. So yes, the library buys natural gas. But it hardly ever has an electricity bill. Even better, the heat from the turbines actually gets recycled to run the library cooling system.

Yes, you read that right. At the Reagan Library, the heat runs the cooling system. I know it seems strange, kind of like Reaganomics did at first. But hey, it works. And the library has much lower electric costs than if it bought power from the Southern California grid. The microturbines eliminate all but a small electrical connection to the larger grid. The process is highly efficient.

And how about that ski resort near St. Petersburg? It too is off the electric grid. But without a reliable source of power, the Russian resort is out of business. So the resort uses a series of microturbines that burn natural gas (and it being Russia, sometimes kerosene). These microturbines are the sole source of power and heat for a luxury hotel and other facilities like chairlifts and water pumps.

Out in the Gulf of Alaska and the North Sea, many offshore platforms now obtain power from rugged microturbines. These platforms are no ski resorts or stately libraries. These platforms are serious industrial facilities, exposed to salt water and the heaviest storms that Mother Nature can blow at them. And there are earthquakes in Alaska.

Traditionally, almost all offshore platforms have used diesel generators to crank out power to run the on-board systems. Things like oil pumps, lighting and signaling devices, and crew quarters. This requires that the platform operators send out diesel fuel by barge to the platforms. Then they have to pump the fuel into holding tanks.

Karnataka on a power trip

2008-07-26T10:33:00.000-07:00

ACCORDING TO the ‘Times of India’ (dated July 24), the newspaper that I take, power blackouts in the state of Karnataka are to get longer. Bangaloreans ‘who are already facing four-hour power cuts will have to brace for a 5-7 hour load shedding per day. It is worse in rural areas: this would mean 12-18 hour blackouts for them’. This is an understatement. Being a resident of Bangalore city, I can say with confidence that the truth is much worse. Every hour of power supply is followed by two hours of power outage, in the aggregate. At the most, power supply is available for eight hours out of 24 hours! Even after 9pm, power outage is enforced.

The state’s power minister said in the assembly on Wednesday (July 23) that the government had decided to shed 20 per cent load in July and 25 per cent load in August. This explains why I called the newspaper report an understatement. The minister implies that 20 per cent of load-shedding is equivalent to making power available for eight hours; thus, 25 per cent of load-shedding implies that power will be made available for six hours. On its part, the electricity supply company, viz, Bescom, admitted that it would roughly translate into five to seven power cuts per day.

The government though is yet to announce the load-shedding calendar. But people already know that what the calendar says will be an understatement. Commenting on the energy situation in the state, Principal Secretary (Energy) Jairaj told an all-party meeting that the demand had risen to 116 million units but the state could mobilise 100 million units at the maximum. The projected average deficit from October 2008 to May 2009 was 700 MW, assuming a 5 per cent growth in energy consumption.

The meeting, convened to find a solution to the power and fertiliser crises and Hogenakkal remained inconclusive (as usual). It is understandable given the fact that there can be no solution to it. As far as power is concerned, presently the government has to buy it by paying cash down. But it has no money, given its profligate spending; nor will it have money in future (vide, ‘Karnataka budget: Core sector ignored’ and ‘Karnataka Budge today’). After the meeting, chief minister BS Yeddyurappa (BSY) said he would convene another meeting with opposition leaders on the issue. He said that nothing had been decided as yet. After the second meeting, a statement would be made in the assembly.

Well, this is not the first time the state is facing power crisis. Such crises have arisen before. But the government is yet to learn from past mistakes. Reduced availability of hydel power and hampered coal supplies due to poor transportation linkages are the major reasons for this state of affairs. But failure of monsoons is not something unheard of in the Indian context. With regard to the monsoons, the government has to ‘expect the unexpected’. Since trade and industry in particular has come to depend upon generators given the dismal power supply, power outage has triggered diesel shortage too. It is time the government gave up profligate spending and wisely invested in power infrastructure. Hopefully, it will not resort to provision of colour TVs to the ‘poorest of the poor’. The latter cannot watch it when most of the time there is power outage.

Zimbabwe: Econet Acquires 98 Generators

2008-07-23T08:18:00.000-07:00

Each time there is a major power failure in an area, the company is forced to shut down the base station, effectively cutting off thousands of people from service.

The installation of more generators will go a long way in improving the quality of service."

Econet yesterday also assured its customers that measures have since been taken to restore normal supply of recharge cards to the market without delay.

Recharge cards for Econet pre-paid subscriber have been in short supply over the past few days following the increase in tariffs on July 10.

As these measures take effect, the company said customers should expect a dramatic improvement in the availability of airtime vouchers over the next few days.

"We encourage our customers to make more use of these electronic airtime purchase systems, which are more reliable and efficient than buying from street vendors," said the company.

It said the shortages had been due to a range of supplier bottlenecks, which had now been attended to.

Econet has widened subscribers' access to airtime recharge through an extensive electronic value distribution network.

These are a chain of retail outlets nationwide from which customers can easily access airtime electronically via point of sale terminals.

Meanwhile, Mr Mboweni also revealed that the company's international contractors who had suspended work during the election period had all returned, and were now busy with work to expand the network capacity from 800 000 to 1,2 million subscribers.

Mr Mboweni said due to the delays, work that had been originally set for completion by the end of August would now be completed by end of November.

Diesel is killing Nigeria —Oscar Ibru

2008-07-23T08:17:00.000-07:00

THE vice chairman, Ibru Organisation, Oscar Ibru, has called on responsible institutions and individuals to commit their resources to better their immediate environment. Two of recent examples are: Mobil Oil that tarred and electrified former Malu Road, Apapa, Lagos a few years ago and Zenith Bank that last year rehabilitated the dilapidated Ajose Adeogun Street, Victoria Island, Lagos. Ibru has just joined them.

Those who pass through the Oshodi-Apapa expressway from Mile 2 to Wharf, since the oil tank farm of Ibru sprang up in the Ibru Port Complex know that the service lane has for sometime now become a “no go area.”

Oil tankers occupy the entire stretch of the service lane from the DTV/Capitol Oil access road end of Mile 2 to the U-turn at Coconut Bus Stop on the Tin Can Island Port complex end of the 10-lane highway, impeding traffic flow on all sides of the highway. But the worst impact is the total deterioration of the service lane on the tank farm side.

It is a matter of divine providence that a fuel laden tanker had not tipped over, spilling its deadly content on the road to cause monumental havoc.

It was to avert such a catastrophic possibility and reduce the stress that his workers and tenants go through daily when going to and returning from their offices that Ibru undertook to rehabilitate the service lane. The stretch of road is about 1,037 metres long. The tarring and clearing of the gutters, overflowing with silt and solid particles, is costing him in excess of N40 million.

His company, Ibru Organisation, brought the tank farm, reputed to be the largest private enterprise of that nature in Africa, to the area. Today, there are over 12 stakeholders of various sizes stocking oil products in the farm. They include major and small oil dealers in the country. The lure is that the complex has a standard port, built in the 70s by Oscar’s father and chairman of Ibru Organisation, Olorogun Michael C.O. Ibru. It is believed to be the first privately owned port complex in the country.

Ibru recognises that the tank farm is the hub of the fuel business of the nation and the access road to the farm should therefore be in top shape for the lumbering tankers to safely move through. “It bothers me to no end that the roads are continuously blocked,” he said in his office at the Port Complex recently. He also dismissed insinuations from some quarters that the tank farm, in which volumes of highly volatile products are stored, is a threat to the neighbourhood. In the last five years or so, more tank farms have sprung up along the same part of the road. There is one beside the Tin Can Island bus stop, along Olorogun Michael Ibru Boulevard (formerly Creek Road).

To such cries of fear, Ibru said that the Ibru Port Complex was built at the present site before Olodi-Apapa expanded to meet it. He explained that when his father acquired the area, it was all swamp. There was no habitation around, even the expressway had not been constructed.

“The Ibru Port Complex paved the way for the development of the area. Those harbouring fear of fire are simply unaware of what the stakeholders have in place. I can assure you that there will be no fire here, we have the equipment, the manpower and the wherewithal to fight any emergency and with the professionalism of our workers and those of the various stakeholders, I absolutely do not foresee any disaster whatsoever happening. Even the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) is indeed satisfied with what we have on ground to tackle emergencies,” he said.

Energy crisis: MMA seeks N8bn to acquire generator

2008-07-23T08:15:00.000-07:00

Though sources at the airport declined to disclose the capacity of the existing generator, it was, however, learnt it supplied power to both the local and international wings of the airport.

The management of the facility stated that it was ready to revisit the suspended issue of an IPP for all the 21 airports in the country.

When he was contacted by our correspondent on Thursday, the General Manager (Public Affairs) of FAAN, Mr. Akin Olukunle, said that the moves were aimed at finding a permanent solution to the perennial problem of power outage at the airports.

On July 1, a massive power outage at the MMIA occurred when the Power Holding Company of Nigeria cut off its supply.

The PHCN action occurred at the same time when the airport’s generators malfunctioned.

This affected operations, incapacitating the radar and air traffic control and forcing Lagos-bound aircraft to be diverted to Port Harcourt.

The outage also affected the airport’s cooling system, causing the collapse of the air-conditioning system at the arrival and departure halls, such that passengers and other users of the airport had to endure choking heat.

”We cannot afford to be at the mercy of the PHCN all the time,” Olukunle said, adding though that the FAAN management had held talks with the PHCN, which had restored power to FAAN.

Olukunle said, ”Irrespective of that, we are getting new generators. We are going through all the necessary process and we have the support of the Ministry of Transport and the Federal Executive Council. I can assure you that within the present quarter, we will be coming up with something concrete.”

Olukunle said he could not come up immediately with the financial implication of the new generator, but a source close to the technical unit of FAAN said a generator that would replace the present 30-year-old one that serves both the local and international airport, as well as the power requirement of all the organisations that operate within the airport, would cost about N8bn and would have to be manufactured to specification.

“It is not something we can order today and expect it to arrive the next day,” the source said.

Meanwhile, Olukunle said Aisuebeogun, had visited China about two months back, where he held talks with some firms which, he said, had indicated interest in going into partnership with FAAN on its IPP.

”We are still holding talks with them and looking for other investors because it is not just MMIA that we are talking about, but the 21 airports in the country,” Olukunle said.

FAAN‘s recent interest in an IPP is not the first time that the organisation will be making such moves. Early last year, the organisation‘s former MD, Alhaji Muhammad Yusufu, had made the same move and given the same reasons.

Then, Yusufu had noted that “it would be more cost effective for FAAN to build an IPP than to continue to run the airport on generators in the face of the rising cost of diesel.”

Yusufu had lamented that incessant power outage at the airport had destroyed some very sensitive navigational equipment, vital to safe flight operations.

Diesel Generator Compressor Combines Two Products Into One, Space-Saving Unit

2008-07-22T07:36:00.002-07:00

Service vehicles and race car trailer owners who want to conserve valuable space have to look no further than Next Generation Power. Their latest product combines a powerful generator and heavy-duty compressor into one, compact unit. The sleek Generator Compressor measures just 42" L x 26" D x 30" H and weighs only 375 lbs.

Now diesel-powered vehicles no longer need to have a separate fuel supply for gasoline compressors and generators. Able to run on the same fuel system, the two-in-one, diesel-powered Generator Compressor produces 20 cfm at 150 psi and 5 kW of electrical power. Operating at a very low 1,000 rpm for longer service life, the powder-coated, belt-driven Schulz air compressor has all CNC-machined parts.

This diesel-powered unit offers a longer life, lower maintenance and better fuel efficiency than gasoline. Tried and trued, the efficient Next Generation Power gen-set features a durable, 2-cylinder Kubota Z482 engine. Water-cooled, it runs at mid-speed, peak torque at a comfortable 2,800 rpm. A vortex combustion system creates greater energy output with less fuel consumption and cleaner burning exhaust.

Diesel shortage hits Nagpur

2008-07-22T07:36:00.001-07:00

In what is being termed as a fallout of rising crude prices, the city is facing an acute shortage of diesel.

Except a handful, all major filling stations within city limits ran out of diesel on Sunday. Customers were being directed to outlets outside city limits, but there is no guarantee one would find diesel there, said pump owners.

They said that most diesel outlets ran dry on Sunday after three or four days of low stocks, with quite a few having run out of diesel a couple of days ago.

Petroleum dealers said that with almost every car brand having a diesel version, several four-wheeler owners were finding it difficult to refill their tanks as they were turned back at almost all local pumps. With load-shedding also going up by another hour from Saturday, those running diesel generators too are finding it hard to find enough diesel to run their sets, say the dealers.

However, the exact reason for this sudden shortage is unclear. Retail outlet owners say that the oil companies have fixed a monthly quota of fuel since the last month for every petrol pump.

"This is the reason supplies have shrivelled substantially," they said. The quota has been fixed according to the monthly average of diesel sold at the particular pump in the last one year, said dealers.

Letter: Nuclear power for Cayman

2008-07-22T07:35:00.000-07:00

At the moment, Cayman, other islands, and remote areas that are dependent on diesel generation are being strangled by the rising cost of oil. All the signs point to a continuing and deepening world supply-demand crunch.

We all need a viable alternative to burning oil for power generation.

Finally, after many years of sitting on modular nuclear reactor designs for years, the world is starting to move toward building and marketing some of them.

A company called Hyperion Power Generation was formed recently at the Los Alamos nuclear laboratory. It is already funded and expects to start delivery of units beginning in 2012.

The units are about the size of a large bathtub and can generate 70 megawatts (thermal) or 25 megawatts (electrical) for 7 to 10 years, and cost $25 to $30 million. They are self regulated, are clean burning, have no moving parts, and the amount of waste after 7 years of operation can fit in a softball.

The self-regulation is provided by the laws of physics operating in the core, not by control rods or any other kind of neutron absorber. And, rest assured, the laws of physics never change.

The company is taking orders now, for delivery in 2013. With our electrical load now nearing 100 megawatts, two or three of these units could supply CUC’s base load.

CUC’s existing diesel generators would only have to run to supply the peak load.

Twenty five megawatts for 7 years is 1,533 million kilowatt-hours. A gallon of oil contains 45 kilowatt-hours (thermal) or about 16 kilowatt-hours when burned in a 35% efficient diesel generator.

If $30 million can buy 1,533 million kilowatt-hours, the cost is 1.9 cents per kilowatt-hour, and this is worst case. If the best case is assumed, the cost drops to about 1 cent per kilowatt-hour.

Of course, these costs do not include the capital cost of the steam generator and turbine-generator. But once installed, the cost of these is only to service the debt and some very small cost per kilowatt-hour for maintenance.

Given these numbers and the projections for oil prices, it is not too soon for CUC to negotiate a place in line for some of these units.

Balloon festival to go on despite rising fuel costs

2008-07-22T07:32:00.000-07:00

Despite rising fuel prices, the show will go on next month at the Metro NY Balloon & Music Festival at Broohaven Calabro Airport in Shirley.

Newton Shows, an East Northport company, will provide the amusement rides, all of which are powered by diesel fuel. A year ago, Mike Newton, who co-owns the company, said he paid close to $3 a gallon for diesel. This year, local prices have climbed to more than $5 a gallon.

"It did throw us off, but the show must go," Newton said. "You almost can't even look at it. You hope that you have a good season and that revenues keep up with expenses."

Last year more than 120,000 people attended the show, which this year runs Aug. 8-10. Besides amusement rides, the festival - which real estate company Re/Max of New York Inc. is producing - features hot air balloons, monster-truck shows and live entertainment.
Newton Shows provides the amusements for the midway, which will feature more than 30 rides and games. Three generators will provide the juice for that entertainment, which includes Pharaoh's Fury, a giant swinging boat, and Super Shot Drop Tower, a ride with a 90-foot descent, Newton said. Each generator uses about 18 to 22 gallons of diesel an hour.

Because of the spike in fuel prices, Newton raised the pay-one-price ticket to $30, from $25 last year. (The festival's general admission price remains at $20 prepurchase and $25 at the gate.)

Newton said he may try to conserve fuel by not running all of the carnival lights during the day. Other than that he is hoping a bigger turnout will help offset his higher fuel bills.

"You just try to work with a great sponsor like the Balloon Fest and our other sponsors to draw people to keep revenues healthy enough to overcome the additional expense," he said.

And he is expecting a higher turnout because of - guess what? - higher fuel prices.

"We're expecting more people because they can stay close to home and enjoy a fully loaded, family friendly and affordable event," Newton said.

Diesel Generators Explained

2008-03-17T00:53:00.000-07:00

A diesel generator is composed of a diesel engine and an alternator or an electrical generator, which converts the power created by the engine (expressed in RPM, revolutions per minute) into the required voltage for homes, industry and remote work sites. The need for power for homes and sites, which are not connected, to a power grid is a growing need throughout the world. Remote areas of Central and South America are no longer too poor to afford electrical power but not at the stage to built vast hydroelectric projects or large power grids.

They can afford to build local village electrical power plants, which can meet the modern needs of the people until the modern power grid can reach out to them. There are places in the United States that are developing ahead of the ability of the local power company to expand; other places throughout the world are at the edge of civilization. All of these require power for business, commerce, medical treatment facilities and communication. The price of the modern diesel generator, the new technology incorporated into these units and their availability throughout the world make them an immediate solution.

Homes and ranches, villages and towns and remote sites should create a power needs list that includes every appliance in the home, business, school and public facility in order to determine the wattage needed. After this the home or ranch owner, city engineer or site foreman can select the proper sized diesel generator. Every diesel generator is rated at how many kilowatts of power it produces. If the home or ranch requires 22 kW to 25 kW then the sized generator should be at least a 30kW. A brigade sized army unit twenty years ago used a diesel generator(s) rated at 90 kW but its’ needs were lighting and mess hall refrigeration. Today it could be quite a bit more considering the new technology.

When you decide to provide power through diesel generators then you should consider whether you need a backup. The power of the generator is rated at 50% engine speed. The 30 kW diesel generator actually operates safely at 25 kW at 1800 rpm for prolonged periods of time. It would be safer if the home or ranch had two generators scheduled to operate in an alternating schedule of 12 hours each. This would ensure that the proper maintenance and care could be given the generators while providing continuous power. Other considerations in selecting a power generator involve selecting one that is a four-cycle, water-cooled industrial diesel generator.

A water-cooled generator operates more quietly than an air-cooled and it lasts longer. There are two electrical systems involved with a diesel generator, the DC (direct current) and the AC (alternating current) systems. The recommended DC system should have a starter motor with a battery-charging alternator with a solid-state voltage regulator. It should have an engine pre-heat electric switch and start/stop switch.

It should have an emergency engine shutdown system to protect the engine in case of oil pressure loss, excessive generator speed, over cranking and engine high water temperature. Finally, it should have DC electric system breakers. Make sure that the AC system is a four-pole revolving field and is has an AVR (automatic voltage regulator). These generators will provide power that is within -+2% as compared to utility company variation, which is -+5%.

Lagoon 420 – Diesel Electric Sailing Vacations

2008-03-15T03:21:00.000-07:00

Interested in finding out what the future in yachting will be like? The best way to get a close and personal introduction into diesel electric yachting is through chartering one of these “Green” yachts. The Tortola Catamaran Center will be able to give you this opportunity through their acquisition of a Lagoon 420, called “Dignity”. This kind of propulsion system makes minimal noise, and does not create smoke.

The Lagoon 420 is the perfect example of what happens when luxury and technology work together. Space and comfort were not limited in the design of this boat. The large master cabin is in the port hull. The other cabins provide substantial room for crewmembers. This catamaran is not run short of storage area. Privacy can be easily attained since all cabins can be closed off from the salon.

Experience all of Lagoon’s innovations on an environmentally sound vessel. “Dignity’s” electric propulsion system consists of two standard electric motors connected to propellers by straight shaft transmissions, one generator and two set of 6 batteries.

Even while this vessel is running on the electric system crew members can rest assure that they are not creating any pollution? This system is so advanced that the batteries actually charge while the vessel is sailing. Regeneration occurs on the downside of waves. The generator provides electricity for the motors, the batteries and the daily boat needs (air conditioning, power sockets, washing machine, etc.). This arrangement creates energy savings for you. Experience what it’s like to enjoy sailing the ocean in a 21st century electric catamaran. The fact that you are sailing in a non-polluting vessel will mean enjoying Mother Nature without damaging it.

When batteries are 100 % charged, the boat will be able to function with both motors for approximately two hours (depending on speed). When batteries are 80 % charged, the generator will automatically start and charge the batteries in order to provide electricity for the motors.

Be one of the first to participate in the future of sailing.

Why Small Diesel Generators Top The Emergency Power Generation Class!

2008-03-12T00:25:00.000-07:00

Small diesel generators have become an essential household item for many families throughout the United States. In areas prone to hurricane, tornadoes and severe winters, small diesel generators provide life saving aid. One only has to live through a power outage lasting several days in below freezing conditions to realize how difficult life would have been without one of these superb little machines.

Small diesel generators have always had wide acceptance within industrial, rural or building applications. However, with the advance in diesel technology and the small engine over the past few years, diesel is fast becoming the preferred option for household generator owners. These small compact units are not only safer to operate, but they are now much quieter and last much longer than their petrol counterparts.

The reality of small diesel generators being incredibly noisy and smelly is now fast disappearing. One only has to look at sales figures of these engines to the domestic market over the past couple of years to realise how quickly this has happened. More and more home stand-by generators are now diesel powered.

Suburbia, particularly in those areas that are prone to power outages through one reason or other has become inundated with diesel generators of latter years. This has historically been the domain of the small petrol generator which was relatively lightweight and easy for the home handyman to operate. In the wrong hands though, the toxic emissions from these types of generator have proven to be deadly. Safety for many people is reason enough to change to the small diesel generators. The exhaust fumes are not nearly as toxic as those that are emitted from gasoline engines. The fact that they require less maintenance is also another main reason for the change. No ignition system, carburettor or spark plugs means that there is far less that can go wrong.

In a stand-by situation the small diesel generator shows why it is so good. It is built to work for hours on end, in fact the harder it has to work the better it likes it. Gasoline generators on the other hand are more than likely going to self-destruct if put to the same kinds of tasks as the diesel generators. They are designed for intermittent use and when working under load they are also usually very noisy. Homes today are also not the simple affair that they used to be. Now fitted with modern electronic devices, they require a back-up power system that provides high quality stable power. Small diesel generators provide this quality that protects this sensitive equipment from damaging power surges.

The only real downside with the small diesel generators is their initial cost. This cost though much greater will soon be offset by the lower maintenance costs, and the long problem free life that you can expect. Ten to fifteen years is not an unreasonable life expectancy of a small diesel generator providing regular maintenance requirements are carried out.

Benefits Of A Generator Sitemap

2008-02-26T04:01:00.000-08:00

Generator sitemap programs can be downloaded from various sources on the Internet. Generator sitemap programs have two fundamental purposes. Generator sitemap programs help surfers navigate a site effectively. At the same time, a generator sitemap program encourages search engine spiders. Google offers one of the most popular generator sitemap programs ever to hit the Internet.

The generator sitemap of google makes it possible for a website to get listed and get updated by the google search engine. Setting up the generator sitemap helps speed up the addition of the web pages of a site to the google listing. The generator sitemap also makes it easier for a site to get noticed by online surfers. In addition, any changes made to a website that has a generator sitemap is immediately picked up by google. The generator sitemap also helps keep online information fresh and up-to-date for users.

Visibility is key to generator sitemap

Visibility is a major concern when using a generator sitemap. A website that is completely indexed has better chances of getting top search engine placement in page results. Many of the popular browsers used by searchers and that support java recognize generator sitemap programs. These include firefox and Internet explorer.

An online consumer that searches for a specific content on the web can immediately be directed to any one of the web pages of a particular site. The generator sitemap makes it easier for a search engine to provide accurate results from web pages they are familiar with.

Who can benefit from a generator sitemap?

A generator sitemap is highly recommended for websites that often do repeated modification of their web pages. A generator sitemap can be used for websites of any size, regardless of the number of web pages a site may contain.

Although using a generator sitemap is not a guarantee of increased site rankings, it does however provide a website a better opportunity of getting listed on a search engine.

Working with a generator sitemap

Most of the available generator sitemap programs available on the web make use of extensible markup language or XML. Similar to hypertext markup language or HTML, XML is used widely in blogs and syndicated feeds on the Internet. Each line of a XML code for a generator sitemap has a specific purpose.

The location or .loc identifies the name of the web page of a website. The line .lastmod indicates when the web page was last modified. The format for .lastmod can either be dd.mm.yyyy, dd.mm.yyyy hh:mm, dd/mm/yyyy or dd/mm/yyyy hh:mm. Shortcuts can also be used to simply the assignment of dates to the cell.

.changefreq advises the search engine of a specific time frame when the web page is regularly updated. This can either be done on an hourly, daily, weekly, monthly or yearly basis. For web pages that are not updated, the value 'never' is used. .priority indicates the level of priority that a search engine should give a particular web page of a website. These levels range from 0.0 for least priority to 1.0 for high priority.

Creating a dynamic generator sitemap

Creating a dynamic generator sitemap is useful for websites containing various web pages. The google search engine makes it easy for users to adapt their google sitemap with the help of a python script.

The python script generates a sitemap using sitemap protocol. This creates a sitemap from either access logs, URL lists or from web server directories.

Tips for using a generator sitemap from google

As one of more popular search engines offering a generator sitemap for websites on the Internet, google offers a few tips for its loyal users. Using the google sitemap url encoder/decoder is helpful for submitting sitemaps to google. For websites that have numerous web pages, creating a sitemap can be a tremendous task. For this situation it is best to click on the column title in order to make it easier for a URL list to get sorted.

The google generator sitemap allows users to save their settings after creating a sitemap. Users can use these saved settings as a guideline for succeeding generator sitemap updates. The generator sitemap also recognizes the use of robots.txt files.

5 Buying Tips You Need to Know Before Buying a Key Word Generator

2008-02-26T03:46:00.000-08:00

What is Key Word Generator?

Basically, it's a software to help you generate as many as useful, low competition and money making key words for you Adwords, SEO or Adsense projects, etc.

There are tons of this kind of software, which one is good, which one is bade. It's so confused to find out.

How to choose a best Key Word Generator for yourself?

1. Generate relevant key words

If the software can give you 1 million key words right away but they are not related to your product, it's totally useless to you. You want super relevant keywords, right ?

2. Generate a lot of key words

Once criteria 1 has been met, you should target on software that give you a big list of relevant keywords. More keywords should lead to more traffic and sales !

3. Help you analyze the key words

The key word generator should be ready to help you to analyze and pick out what keywords are getting more traffic while with low competition no matter it's for Adwords or SEO.

4. Teach you how to succeed

The software provider/owner should provide you a series of training materials to help you cut the learning curve and achieve success as soon as possible. No one would like to waste months to figure how to use a key word generator.

5. Upgrade itself continuously

Search engine gets updated several times a year on their algorithms, ranking methodology, or so. If a key word generator doesn't catch up with the changes, it will be garbage in 3 months. Make sure the owner supports life-time grade.

Conclusion

It's not impossible to find the best key word generator you need. But you only need to filter through the choices rationally and pick the best one you need.

Homebuilt Wind Generator Power

2008-02-25T04:12:00.001-08:00

One hot summer afternoon, someone decided to test their craftsmen ship and take it upon themselves to make a homemade wind generator. It surprisingly took under $100 to make this wind generator. Although it does not work quite as well as a commercial bought generator and it would not hurt the design to have a few improvements.

If time is not a problem and you have a really flexible schedule then this could be something for you to try as well. However if you do not have a lot of time and have some expendable money then you can go buy a commercial generator prices vary and will save you a lot of time. However if you want to save yourself a couple of hundred dollars then try this out.

The propeller chosen for use on this machine has a 3 bladed design. It was made out of spruce 1" X 4" boards that were knot free. If you use a propeller that is not too heavy then this helps the machine start up faster and can help preserve the bearings on the generator. As for the alternator, the one chosen was a 2 horse power induction motor that he took off a Taiwanese milling machine. He used a four pole motor therefore it needed 4 alternating poles in the alternator. The most important part and also sometimes the must neglected is the tower. A high tower is needed and he used a pine tree for this which is supported by 4 guy wires which are 1/8" diameter aircraft cable with turn buckles on the ground that are used for adjustment.

If you choose to build your own home generator you get the reward of satisfaction and also get to save some money. It is always good for people to provide results of their own personal experiences of building their own machines. It will help give other people ideas on how to build their own wind generator at home.

Diesel or Petrol? Take Your Decision!

2008-02-25T03:54:00.000-08:00

Have you ever played snakes and ladder?
Two opponents playing at a similar pace and suddenly one falls due to snake bite. Similarly petrol and diesel are actively having a cut throat competition between them. They play on similar grounds but as we say the demand curve keeps changing. They never know when they will climb the ladder of success at one step and be thrashed by venom on the other step.
Tata Indica Diesel and Tata Indigo Diesel are good example of diesel cars. The debate on choosing between diesel and petrol is never ending. There are few factors to be considered to make the choice easier.

Before accelerating the discussion further, let’s break a little to check out the speed breakers.
• Speed: Now if we compare petrol cars and diesel cars, the speed of petrol cars is much better. They are fast speed cars.
• Fuel consumption: Diesel cars have better fuel consumption ability which gives a good pulling power to the car. And of course there is less gear changing in this case.
• Mileage: In case of high mileage driving Diesel cars are easier to sell than a petrol car.
• Carbon dioxide: The emission of carbon dioxide is very unhealthy for our environment. It leads to global warming. The fuel consumed by diesel cars is 30 to 40% less than petrol cars, so diesel cars produce less carbon dioxide.
• Hydrocarbons: It contains very harmful chemical called benzene. It is produced more by petrol engines then diesel engines.
• Particulates: Diesel engines emit more PM10 particles that are particles which have a diameter up to 10 microns. These are invisible particles which penetrate into human lungs and cause a lot of health issues.
• Cost: As far as cost goes, a petrol motor has an advantage even before you drive out the showroom doors. The diesel option - particularly a turbo-diesel - can add thousands of rupees to the already high price of a four-wheel-drive.
• Running costs: A comparison of the running costs for petrol and diesel engines will often find the petrol models are cheaper - aside from fuel. Diesel models will normally require more frequent engine oil and filter changes.
• Cost of fuel: A petrol vehicle is a very thirst vehicle. The diesel vehicle wins the race where fuel economy is in stake. A diesel engine will use mere fraction of the fuel as compared to a petrol engine doing the same job.
• Carbon monoxide: It is a deadly poison and kills without even letting us know. A diesel engine wins in this situation as it does not produce carbon monoxide. Though catalytic converters are trying to solve the problem of carbon monoxide in case of petrol engines.
• Refinement: Diesel engines have always been very noisy in comparison to petrol engines. Though the new models of diesel are no doubt a better version but still there is a lot of scope to improve.
• Smooth drive: A petrol engines acceleration response is more desirable. Diesels particularly naturally aspirated ones need more input from the gear box to maintain the traffic flow.
• Performance: Some time back diesel engines gave poor performance as compared to petrol engines. But with the coming up of turbo chargers the situation has fairly improved.

Bio Diesel Fuel - An Energy Source Now and for the Future

2008-02-19T04:01:00.000-08:00

Bio Diesel fuel is a diesel equivalent, processed fuel derived from biological sources, such as vegetable oils, which can be used in unmodified diesel engine vehicles. It can also be used as a heating fuel in domestic and commercial boilers. There are a number of naturally occurring and renewable resources it can be refined from including algae, vegetable oils, animal fats or recycled restaurant greases. It can also be processed where ever the raw materials to make it exist.

Bio diesel fuel is nearly completely free of sulfur and aromatics and is a naturally oxygenated fuel because it is composed of almost 10 percent oxygen. Because of this biodiesel provides a significant reduction in particulate and carbon monoxide emissions then petroleum based diesel fuel.

It is also safe to handle and transport because it is has the biodegradability of table sugar, is 10 tens less toxic then plain salt, and has a high flashpoint, the temperature at which it catches fire, of 300 degrees Fahrenheit as compared to regular diesel fuel which flashes ate 125 degrees Fahrenheit. Bio diesel can also be blended with petroleum diesel to create a biodiesel blend as well as its ability to be used in almost any diesel engine without any modifications.

Many gas stations are beginning to make biodiesel available to consumers and a growing number of transport fleets are using it as an additive to their fuel. It is important that fuel grade bio diesel be refined to tight industry specifications in order to ensure proper performance. One of the benefits of this fuel is it lower engine wear. In fact some vehicle manufacturers are beginning to make engines specifically for bio diesel for this reason.

Because it is a better solvent then regular diesel it tends to clean the engine when first used and removes deposits from the fuel lines which can clog fuel injectors. After switching to biodiesel most car manufacturers recommend changing the fuel filter to help prevent this. Use of this fuel leads to lower engine emissions while improving engine lubrication. Many government fleets on the federal and state level as well as utility fleets are now required to purchase 75 to 90 percent alternative fuel vehicles these days. Since biodiesel is the lowest cost alternative fuel option many of these fleets are converting to its use.

The Best Hot Water Portable Generator Revealed

2008-02-19T02:37:00.000-08:00

Camping is great, unless you have no portable hot water generator and you're at a primitive campsite with no shower facilities. One of the most serviceable and easily portable hot water generators to resolve this problem and keep you, your family and all your dishes and camping equipment squeaky clean is Hot Wash's 4-Gallon Model# HW2104.

This unit is terrific at generating hot water for camping showers, dish washing, or cleaning your motorcycle, boat or car outside your home.

You can plug this hot water portable generator into any standard 110-volt electric outlet, into a portable generator, or the inverter of a motor vehicle.

This handy generator has thermostatic controls with insulation that assure a high degree of efficiency and lots of great hot water. This lightweight portable (only 23 pounds) is easy as pie for one person to setup by her or himself. It can be used every day and still offers a limited six-year warranty on the tank and one-year warranty on the complete unit.

The capacity for this strong little tyke is four gallons of water. It can be mounted on your wall or your floor and it recovers 12 1/5 gallons of water each hour, at 130 degrees Fahrenheit. A relief valve is installed in this portable hot water generator, as well as NPT water connections of 1/2 inch. It has a 1500-watt capacity for heating water at a temperature range between 65 and 145 degrees.

Diesel Pusher or Gas Powered Motor Coach

2008-02-18T04:58:00.001-08:00

Do you know the difference between a diesel pusher and a gas powered motor coach? If you are in the market for this top of the line Class A recreational vehicle it will be important for you not only to know what the differences between a diesel pusher and a gas powered motor coach are, but also which one would be best for you and your budget and lifestyle. Many future RV owners may think that cost is the most important factor, but you should also consider power and features as well. The diesel pusher has many qualities which may make it a more appealing and practical choice for your RV.

Don’t be put off by the price tag you see on some diesel pusher models. The top of the line models are generally more expensive than gas powered, but they are also the most luxuriously equipped. Manufacturers do this to appeal to their high-end clients. However, it is also possible to get a smaller or more basic diesel pusher for a price that is comparable to a gas-powered Class A. But remember, the most basic Class A RV is still the most spacious and luxurious recreational vehicle on the market.

A diesel pusher is more fuel efficient and powerful than a gas powered RV. The fuel tank is generally larger as well. This is important if you are planning on towing a car or boat behind your RV. You can also travel farther and up steeper mountains with less engine strain if you have a diesel engine.

Whether you choose a gas or diesel powered motor coach, you will find that they are roomy and have lots of storage space. This makes them appealing for families and people who plan to spend a lot of time on the road. They are fairly simple to drive and maneuver if you have a little practice.

Low Jitter Pulse Generator & Digital Delay Generator

2008-02-18T04:55:00.000-08:00

The newly released Model 565 Digital Delay Pulse Generator and 505 Pulse Generator provide 2, 4 or 8 delay and width outputs capable of synchronizing to either external or internal triggers. The Model 565 Digital Delay Pulse Generator features delay and width resolution of 500 ps. The Model 505 Pulse Generator offers delay and width resolution of 100 ns.

Channels for the Model 565 Digital Delay Pulse Generator and 505 Pulse Generator can be selectively gated, enabled or disabled with each channel delivering selectable output polarities and an independently adjustable level. These models also allow the selection of a reference to which each channel is synchronized. For example, any channel can be synchronized to an external trigger (To), internal trigger (also To) or the leading edge of any other channel (T1 thru Tn). The channels operate in modes independent of the other channels. Mode availability includes gated, enabled, burst, single shot, normal, duty cycle (divide by N).

The Model 565 digital delay generator or Model 505 pulse generator also operate in triggering modes common to all channels. A continuous mode provides pulse periods with 500 ps and 100 ns resolution, for the 565 Digital Delay Generator and 505 Pulse Generator respectively. This allows orders-of-magnitude finer control of the triggering interval than with a frequency controller. A single-shot mode produces a single pulse with each pushbutton or each external trigger. A burst mode produces a burst of pulses selectable from 1 to a million. The duty cycle mode provides M pulses on and N pulses off (divide by N, if you want). Both Models provide the ability to store several complete setups into memory for future recall. The Model 565 digital delay generator supports RS232, GPIB, Ethernet and USB programming. The 505 pulse generator supports RS232 and GPIB. The 565 has 3 output selections; the 505 offers one. Standard with the Model 565 Digital Delay Generator are a fast logic output, an adjustable level up to 12 V, and an optional 35 V. The Model 505 Pulse Generator offers an adjustable level up to 20 V.

* New 500 ps resolution model

* Up to 8 fully defined-pulse channels

* Independent channel timing and pulse properties

* Gate, burst, divide by N, delayed enable

* USB, Ethernet, IEEE 488 and RS232 programming

* 2, 4 or 8 independent, digitally controlled outputs

* Incomparable value and flexibility with on-screen menus

* Model 565 Digital Delay Pulse Generator Datasheet

* Model 565 Digital Delay Pulse Generator Comparison Chart (PDF)

* Downloads

* Request a Demo

* Quick recall of up to 6 system configurations

* RS232 computer interface & GPIB

* On-screen menus and help

* Continuous, burst, single shot with external trigger or gate

* 100 ns resolution

* Burst mode and divide-by-N functions for all channels

* Selectable delay and pulse width

Diesel or Petrol? Take Your Decision!

2008-02-14T01:51:00.001-08:00

Darwins Theory of Diesel Performance!

2008-02-14T01:50:00.000-08:00

If Darwin himself were alive today I dare say that he would be driving a diesel. No other engine out there has more perfectly illustrated his theories of evolution than the diesel. Now as true as it might be that diesels were once known for being the “slow and smelly” vehicles on the road car makers as well as several performance companies have set out on a mission to put an end to that reputation. With the additions of a turbo or multiple turbos (i.e. '08 Powerstroke) and intercooler(s) as well as intakes, chips/modules and exhaust systems the reputation once held by diesels is now evolving, Darwin would be so proud.

So why diesel performance? In the past there never really was a question as to which “species” was more dominant when it came to performance. It has not been until recently that there has even needed to be a debate as to which is better, gas performance or diesel performance and even today you will have people try to argue that gas performance is where it is at but I am here to say that not only is there more horsepower available for the money when it comes to performance products for diesels but you will have longer engine life as well as maintain if not increased fuel mileage.

One of the strongest points in the argument for Diesel Performance is the fact that you can add engine mods to a diesel engine and it won’t harm the engine or make it burn hotter to the extent of damaging the engine permanently. Don't get me wrong you can still fry your engine but diesel engines are built much stronger and much more durable. One of the main reasons that diesel engines are so durable or will last longer in general is the way that combustion occurs in the engine. Diesel engines “fire” or “combust” differently than gas engines mainly because of the type of fuel that is used. In gasoline engines a spark plug is used to combust the fuel but in a diesel combustion occurs mainly due to the temperature of the compressed air which causes the fuel to ignite. Because of this diesel engines are built more durable because they have a higher compression ratios (20:1 for a typical diesel vs. 8:1 for a typical gasoline engine) it is being built to withstand this higher compression that makes these engines more ready for performance modifications straight from the factory.

As the diesel engine has evolved over the years turbo chargers have been added to increase power as well as efficiency, this has made way for huge increases in horsepower both stock as well as with the addition of after market products. One of the main reasons that diesel performance is so much more viable is the fact that because the engine is built for a higher compression ratio anyway so it is going to be able to withstand the boost that is created by a turbo much better than a gasoline engine, also allowing the addition of performance modifications without shortening the life of the engine as usually happens with gasoline engines when performance mods are added.

Why Choose A Disesel Generator For The Hurricane Season

2008-02-13T02:08:00.000-08:00

Diesel engine generators can offer you more benefits than a gasoline powered generator. While they can be slightly more expensive than gasoline generators, diesel generators usually offer a long lifespan and more efficiency. Below you will find some additional information about what diesel generators can offer for your home, business, construction site or farm.

Why can diesel generators offer a better choice?

- Longevity – diesel generators usually offer a longer lifespan

- Lower costs – diesel generators usually offer a lower fuel consumption rate, which saves you money

- Lower cost to maintain – diesel generators usually offer more reliable engines

- Quietness – diesel generators can often times be quieter than other types of generators

Diesel generators offer reliability over gasoline generators. Many times, diesel generators can operate more than 10,000 hours without requiring any maintenance. Because the fuel burns at a lower level than a gasoline generator, there is less wear and tear on diesel powered generators.

Here is a breakdown of maintenance requirements for typical diesel and gasoline powered generators:

- 1800 rpm water cooled diesel units can usually operate on average 12-30,000 hours before requiring major maintenance

- 1800 rpm water cooled gas units can usually operate 6-10,000 hours before requiring major maintenance. These units are built on a lighter duty gasoline engine block.

- 3600 rpm air-cooled gas units are usually replaced – not overhauled after 500 to 1500 hours of operation

As you can see from the information above, diesel generators offer a significantly longer lifespan, less maintenance, and more reliability and a gasoline powered generator.

Generators - A Guide to Purchasing

2008-02-13T02:07:00.000-08:00

The diesel generator produces electric energy using the combination of an electrical generator and a diesel engine.

Ships often use diesel generators, to power the electric system and to propel the ship. Wherever the electrical grid is unstable, a diesel generator is used as a back up during supply failure. Even with the best alternative system such as solar energy or wind energy, sometimes the weather may not cooperate and land us in darkness when the main power source fails. To keep our power system running, a backup engine generator may be just the thing. For businesses with sensitive computer networks, or homes with critical medical equipment, a back up power system such as a diesel generator may be necessary even when grid power is available.

The intended power load and the ability to supply the same is the basis for the selection of diesel generators.

High quality gasoline generators and diesel generators will provide reliable backup power to small offices and most homes. When you have a good backup generator sized to support your important electrical equipment and power systems then you need not bother or worry when there is a major supply failure.

Diesel generators can be switched on or off unlike other alternative power sources so there are no need for a dedicated charge controller. The generator can be connected to the main power system through an inverter using the generator’s auto-start feature. Alternatively, it can also be connected to the generator auto-start battery charger.

When buying a diesel generator make a list of the lights and equipment that will be running off the generator. Total the wattage requirements to determine the capacity of the generator. Compare wattage requirement and the price of the generator. If the generator is to be connected directly to the electrical system, then it is advisable to hire a qualified technician to install the transfer switch. Ensure that the generator has adequate storage capacity, longer usage time at a stretch, overload protection and auto shut off facility.

How the Jenesco Ozone Generator Can Eliminate All Smoke Odors

2008-02-11T02:48:00.000-08:00

The Southern California wildfires have left devastation in their wake. As of this point in time, the damage tally now tops one billion dollars. And, this billion dollar tab does not include the thousands of properties that are now plagued with serious smoke odors as the result of the Southern California wildfires.

If you are a home or business owner in Southern California that is trying to deal with smoke odors from the wildfires, you may have found yourself scratching your head. You may have found yourself wondering whether there is a product on the market that can eliminate all of the smoke odors that resulted from the horrible Southern California wildfires.

There is a product on the market today that is proving time and time again to be effective at eliminating all smoke odors - no matter where they may be found. The Jenesco Ozone Generator is the premier smoke odor eliminating product available today. The most unique feature is that it can and will eliminate smoke odors from literally everything.

The most fundamental fact that you need to keep in mind about smoke odors is their insidious nature. By this it is meant that smoke odors can and will get into and on absolutely everything in your home or business. If you have suffered through the Southern California wildfires and want to fully and completely deal with smoke odors, you need to understand that these foul smells can and likely have invaded everything in your home or business from carpeting to furniture and even the inventory or stock that might be associated with your business enterprise.

Many home and business owners actually could be found in despair following the Southern California wildfires. While relieved, of course, that the fires didn't destroy their home or business (or both as the case was in some instances), these individuals nevertheless found themselves facing the prospect of trying to come up with an effective way of dealing with and elimination the stench, the smoke odors that followed in the wake of the blazes that ripped through Southern California. These people were convinced that they would have to spend a great deal of money and a whole lot of time to even make a minor dent in resolving the smoke odor problem.

With this in mind, it becomes crucial that you utilize a comprehensively effective product such as the Jenesco Ozone Generator. All you need to do is place the Jenesco Ozone Generator in a room, turn it on and the machine does the rest. In a matter of hours, the Jenesco Ozone Generator will eliminate even the toughest smoke odors - from everything. You do not have to spend an ungodly amount of time on your own trying to scrub away smoke odors. Moreover, you do not have to spend a significant amount of money seeking professional assistance or services to try and remove the horrific smoke odors that plague many homes and businesses in the aftermath of the raging Southern California wildfires of 2007.

This Generator Will Have Your Sound System Green With Envy

2008-02-11T02:42:00.000-08:00

If you're considering a generator for an emergency power supply, and for some peace of mind, there are many things you need to consider, and this article will give you a few suggestions. You can perform a wide variety of tasks with various types of generators and Honda offers many different models including the honda 2000i and the honda quite eu 2000. There are many manufacturers that offer or some wonderful machines that can give you high-quality power that is reliable and convenient for recreation, boating, camping, home standby, rental, and construction needs. The honda 2000i, for one, is well known for its quiet operation, and if you're looking for a good camping application, the honda quite eu 2000 is a good choice. If you're looking for construction applications or home standby, you'll be satisfied with the industrial or deluxe series model. Electric start is preferable and convenient, but the manual, recoil starter is adequate and available on many economy models. For ease of mobility, many models come standard with wheels that allow you to move the generator from storage to the work site, but be sure to always consider your options before selecting the model for the job you are considering.

Generators produce a voltage very similar to that available in your home, which is AC. Your electric utility is going to produce sufficient power for all of your electrical devices, but the generator will be limited in power output being directly relational to the engine horsepower. The power generated is rated in watts and is generally rated at 90% of maximum power as certain components lose their efficiency from use once they are heated. The generator that is well known for its wattage power is the yamaha ef3000iseb. When determining your wattage requirements, you should estimate which devices need to be powered simultaneously and what the starting wattage requirement is for each device. Many manufacturers have wattage calculators online you can use to assist you. Using simple power management techniques, your small generator can provide adequate power for recreational or home applications. Coleman is another well-known manufacturer and has a good reputation for coleman 10hp generator parts, as well. If you currently own a generator, visiting an online manufacturer is a great way to get parts that you might need.

When operating your generator, it should not be run at maximum power output for more than 30 minutes. As an example, a 2500-watt generator will produce a maximum of 2500 watts of power. When operating this unit at full power, it can light up 25 100-watt light bulbs at the same time. With the 90% of maximum power in mind, this generator should have a rated wattage of no more than 2300 watts, and should only be used to power a maximum of 23 100-watt light bulbs. Some household appliances such as your furnace or refrigerator have internal fans that come on intermittently and extra wattage power is needed to start the fan. You can refer to this type of load as a reactive load, as it contains an electric motor. Some examples of reactive type loads are furnace fans, well pumps, air conditioners, air compressors, bench grinders, power tools, refrigerators and freezers.

Programming the Diesel Performance

2008-02-08T02:18:00.000-08:00

Want to squeeze every little amount of fuel in your fuel tanks? Want to gain every last ounce of power from your engines? Want to gain better fuel economy, while saving the last penny in your billfolds? Or want to drive a more powerful car, SUV or truck? Want to achieve all of the above? If you answer yes, then better install a diesel programmer in your car, SUV or truck.

Also known as Diesel Performance chips, Diesel programmers do all the things above.

Diesel performance chips have evolved in the last decade or so that they have been in use, and vastly gained popularity. The reason for their evolution and following is because the diesel performance chips are able to dramatically increase engine power. There are diesel performance chips that can increase power as much as 230 horse power and 400 foot pounds of torque. That is comparable with the power of some bone stock diesel trucks.

There are three ways that diesel performance chips are able to create and increase the power and improve fuel economy.

1. Diesel performance chips are able to increase the power and improve fuel economy through duration. By duration, we mean that the fuel injectors are opened for as longer period of time so that more fuel can be injected into the cylinder. More fuel means more power. Diesel performance chips that use duration are not good choices for a gain of fuel mileage, but it creates a lot of power.

2. Timing. It means that the fuel is injected earlier than usual. Timing, when used correctly, adds a lot greater amount of power and also adds to fuel economy. The goal of fuel timing is that the fuel is injected into the cylinder at a more efficient time. Then more power is extracted form every molecule of fuel.

3. The third way is through pressure. Pressure means that the fuel rail lines pressure is increased, so more fuel is injected (creating more power), but at the same time having more pressure on the fuel when it gets to the injector helps it create a finer mist or atomize, so that the fuel exits the finer holes in the injector tips. The improved atomization also helps the fuel to get mixed even better with the air that enters the cylinder and is able to extract more power out from the fuel.

Most diesel performance chips use two or even three of these techniques. By essentially adding a lot more fuel and improving how the engine burns them, the diesel performance chips can increase both power and economy.

Darwins Theory of Diesel Performance!

2008-02-08T02:17:00.000-08:00

Benefits Of A Generator Sitemap

2008-02-07T02:14:00.000-08:00

5 Buying Tips You Need to Know Before Buying a Key Word Generator

2008-02-07T02:13:00.000-08:00

Free Traffic Generator information

2008-02-06T02:22:00.000-08:00

Increasing the website traffic to your website helps you to make more money through ads. And this is reason why webmasters are searching for the best tips and trick which help them to build the traffic to their websites.

Is there any such web traffic generator program which helps to increase the web traffic and that too available for free? In the following paragraphs, we will see about free traffic generator programs and how they work.

Traffic generators are software programs which are designed to increase the traffic of the website. There are several companies which offer such traffic generator programs which bring about guaranteed targeted website traffic. Most companies who offer traffic generator programs charge some amount of money for their program. But there are several companies which offer free traffic generator programs.

One of the most popular free traffic generator software programs is the "Traffic Swarm". Till now, the software has been generating lots of positive feedback from its users.

Free Traffic generator programs come in various types. Of the most popular type is a HTTP traffic generator for testing web based applications. These types of applications allow its users to request count and interval between two requests. The generated requests are transferred to the specified website URL. One of the major advantages of these types of applications is that they are simple and fast programs which can simulate client activity.

Another popular type of traffic generator available in the market is a packet Traffic Generator program which can be used to distinguish the performance of packet switched network communication protocols. The packet traffic generator program is designed so as to generate and receive one way packet traffic streams transmitted from the user level process between traffic source and traffic sink nodes in a network. The program allows the user to test various versions, or versions of the similar protocol, and determine the differences in performance.

Whichever type of free traffic generator program you are using to increase the traffic to your website, the main point one need to know is that the traffic a website generates is a cumulative effect of various crucial factors such as keyword optimization, S.E.O techniques, and link exchange. So together with free traffic generator software make sure that your web pages have enough contents optimized with the targeted keywords.

Low Jitter Pulse Generator & Digital Delay Generator

2008-02-06T02:21:00.000-08:00

Diesel Engine Pros and Cons

2008-02-05T00:55:00.000-08:00

The diesel engine is fast becoming on of the more economical choices for individuals. With the herising costs of fuels, it is seen that diesel is still one of the more affordable options. It in the best has generated a reputation for being very much a major source of pollution but in recent times has been cleaned up to a great extent.

The biggest advantage of the diesel engine is seen in the fact that the fuel is much more economical. The diesel engine gives a lot more than the gasoline engine for much reduced costs. There is an approximate advantage of using diesel of as much as 30% at times. There is less fuel consumed for the same task and you therefore do not have to refill your tank as often.

The reason many persons do not opt for the diesel engine is in fact the initial start up costs of installing such an engine. The extra costs are quite high for the engine and its installation. If you however look into the savings overall the diesel engine will in fact be the more economical choice.

It is seen too that the vehicle that is installed with a diesel engine will retain more value than the gasoline engine. This is due to there being a demand for vehicles that are fuel efficient on the market as the cost of fuel continues to rise. T diesel engine vehicles also tend to stay on the road longer. If properly maintained these will outlast the typical gasoline engine.

It can also be seen that the diesel engine will give a different drive from a gasoline engine. The vehicle running on a diesel engine will have more of a zip too it. The vehicles will also have more power for tasks such as towing as the diesel engine can handle more load.

There is also another downfall associated with the diesel engine. This is the fact that it is much noisier when compared to the gasoline engine. This noise level is however no where as loud as the past and is in fact quite bearable to users. In fact most of the typical drivers on the road will not be able to tell the difference between a diesel engine and a gasoline engine.

Emissions continue to be a cause for concern for the environmentally conscious. It is true that the diesel engine has come a long way from times gone by in terms of emissions but it is still dirtier than the gasoline engine. There is more visible pollution from the diesel engine and this is due to the fact that the diesel engine will throw out more particulates from the exhaust tailpipe as well as more nitrogen oxides. There is however less carbon dioxide pollution. This is a tradeoff but it is the dilemma that many persons face when choosing between the gasoline and the diesel engines.

One of the other concerns when dealing with the diesel engine is the fuel availability. The diesel fuel is commonly found at truck stops on highways bit is not as common in neighborhood service stations. It is vital that consideration be made of where you will source fuel for a diesel engine. It is also seen that there are not that many options when purchasing a diesel engine car so the choices are limited.

Some Generators Make Good Neighbors

2008-02-05T00:54:00.000-08:00

There are generally two main components that make up generators. One part is the motor that burns fuel, which usually consists of natural gas, diesel, propane or gasoline, and the generator head is the second part that is essential. It is the generator head that turns the power into electricity. Whether it is a 5kw generator or a 10kw generator, the motor and the power generator comprise the standard unit. The electricity generated is measured in terms of voltage and watts. Voltage is a measure of the pressure of the current and wattage is more like the measure of volume of electricity being created. It's important that you know the specific voltage your situation calls for, and then you can then take the model that supplies enough wattage for everything you're going to be running. Honda, coleman, and yamaha are three popular manufacturers.

The standard household current is a single-phase 120 volts. The service entrances to most homes have a 120/240-v service, which means they have two 120v circuits. Combined, they provide 240 volts for all of your power- hungry appliances including central air conditioning, water pumps and electric ranges. Made by Honda, the 2000i and the eu models are popular and are known for their reliability. If you have a large business, it's obvious you are going to have varying power requirements. Often you're going to need to have three-phase power, which is better for running heavy-duty motors. Three days’ power in the United States usually produces 120/208 volts or 277/480 volts. Manufacturers such as honda make power generators that are available for all common voltages, but make sure you know the voltage requirements for your business, so you will be able to find the right match.

Wattage is different than voltage, and it's based on your existing circuits and your electrical service. The requirement for wattage increases with each additional appliance or piece of equipment you want to power with your generator. Even your smallest eu or coleman generator produces around 800 watts. Large industrial generators can produce 500 kW or 500,000 watts or even more. For small businesses, you'll find 15 to 100 W are common. There are two types of generators, the standby generator and the portable generator. Standby generators are used to offset the effects felt from power outages and can be permanently installed as an emergency power source for your business. Hardwired into the building’s electrical system, they are designed to be used for only a few short hours at a time. This type of generator is much smaller and less expensive. Most generators have built in the fuel tanks, which allows them to run anywhere and you can plug in ordinary extension cords. The smallest type of generator is under 1 kW with the largest being over 15 kW. The 5kw generator is common for residential use.

There's also a sub-class of tow-able generators that is designed for towing to construction sites. These run on diesel and can produce over 200 kW or more. Generator engines are cooled by water or air, and it’s the air-cooled systems that are the most cost-effective. You will get better temperature control with liquid-cooled generators and they're also quieter, which is especially good if you're considering running these in a residential neighborhood. Please keep in mind that you're going to need an experienced electrician, and pipe fitter to install your unit. This will ensure that you will have many carefree and safe operating hours. If you're in the market for a new generator, visit some user forums and gets some testimonies and make a valuable purchase decision based on a wealth of information available to you right here on the Internet.

Hand Held Diesel Programmers

2008-02-02T02:06:00.001-08:00

There are many types of hand held diesel programmers out there, the ones we are going to talk about today are the Diablosport predator tuner, the Hypertech power programmer, and the Bullydog Triple Dog. These all have similar functions and power increases and a few unique features to each.

The first one that we are going to talk about today is the BullyDog Triple Dog. One of the unique features of the Triple Dog is that it will work on any of the newer Ford, Dodge or Chevy diesel trucks. So it can be pulled off of a Ford Powerstroke and put directly onto a Chevy Duramax or Dodge Cummins. That is a very nice feature, because you can sell your truck and buy a new one even from a different company and not have to purchase another performance programmer. Also there is a free extreme program available to Triple Dog owners from Bullydog’s website. On some trucks the extreme program adds up to 230 extra horse power.

The second one we will talk about is the Diablosport Predator. This hand held programmer comes with three built in tunes for economy, economy while towing, and all out performance. This unit loads its program into the truck via the trucks diagnostic port. The Diablosport Predator also offers the ability to check and clear trouble codes as well as calibrate the speedometer for larger tires. Diablosport has a predator tuner for most new vehicles both diesel and gas. The Diablosport Predator also comes with a screen about three times larger than the competitions.

The Hypertech power programmer also comes with three programs built in and a programmer for the diesel trucks and most gas vehicles. It also has the ability to adjust the speedometer for larger tires and can check and clear trouble codes, which can save a trip to the mechanics which is worth its weight in gold at times.

Alternative Cheap Diesel Engine Fuel Sources

2008-02-02T02:04:00.000-08:00

As the run down, beat up, diesel auto pulled into a parking spot in front of our health store I could see what looked like advertising in the window. Thinking it was a "For Sale" sign I was surprised to see "This VW diesel runs on used veggie oil". Okay, now I really had my interest piqued, but the owner was hesitant to give many details other than to say he was recycling vegetable oil from restaurant deep fryers.

The wonders of the internet made it easy for me to satisfy my curiosity and delve into the subject of alternative fuel sources. Trips to the library and a purchase of one particular book called "From the Fryer to the Fuel Tank" and I was on my way. I invested in all the hose and fuel lines with electrical fuel selector valves.

Heat is a necessary component in this venture. Without a heated tank the oil will not reach a combustible temperature. Feeling confident in the alternative fuel system on the vehicle, I decided to test it and made a round trip of 150km. With that being a success, I pushed the system a little harder and with tools in hand, and extra vegetable fuel on board, drove a distance of 1100km return.

The exhaust, when running on WVO, smells like burnt deep fried oil. The emissions are considerably reduced and there is no sulfur. Restaurants are more than happy to give away the oil, as they have to pay, to have it taken away. It needs to be filter down to about 5 microns before it can be used so there will be no damage the injectors or the injector pump. The possibilities are endless, as any diesel engine can run on used vegetable oil. This is a win/win situation for everyone involved.

Diesel Engine Pros and Cons

2008-02-01T01:34:00.000-08:00

Some Generators Make Good Neighbors

2008-02-01T01:33:00.000-08:00

Wajax announces diesel electrical generator acquisition

2008-01-31T02:23:00.000-08:00

VANCOUVER, British Columbia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 30, 1996-- Wajax Limited today announced it had acquired 100 percent of the shares of Generatrice Drummond (Drummond Generators) the distributor of the Kohler electrical generator product-line in Quebec.

Generatrice Drummond, based in Drummondville, Quebec, will be integrated with Wajax's Detroit Diesel-Allison Canada East ("DD-ACE") subsidiary, which was acquired by Wajax in 1995.

The addition of the Kohler product-line, together with the management and service expertise of Generatrice Drummond, will enhance DD-ACE's generator business, which is complementary to its main business of providing parts and service support for diesel engines and transmissions. Wajax is already a successful distributor of the Kohler product-line in Alberta, via its Waterous Detroit Diesel-Allison subsidiary.

With this acquisition, and the recently announced acquisitions of RCL Industrial and Marten Fluid Power, Wajax is continuing its focus to grow and enhance its diesel engines and industrial components core businesses, as well as its traditional core business engaged in the distribution and after-sales support of mobile equipment.

Ecuador's diesel-powered electric generators forced to pay for diesel - Around the World of Diesel

2008-01-31T02:17:00.000-08:00

According to a report from BusinessNews Americas, diesel-electric generators have stiffed the state oil company (Petroecuador) for $100 million in unpaid diesel bills. Under a contingent loan agreement with International Monetary Fund (IMF), the electricity producers will join a trust fund that forces them to pay their diesel bills on time.

Make Bio Diesel for Yourself

2008-01-30T01:19:00.000-08:00

Bio diesel is not a new concept it has been around for quite some time, it is largely the idea of using oils such as vegetable oil and canola to power a diesel vehicle. This is not really a strange concept since the first diesel engine was not made to run on our modern day fossil fuels, but instead was run on peanut oil. Diesel motors do not require the same refined process that is used with modern cars, this in mind diesel engines are not designed for smooth high powered running either, they are more like the draft horse of engines, and will generally last a lot longer than a normal car motor.

Many people who make bio diesel themselves use either used cooking oils or grow crops of canola, and crush it to get oil. Ideally if you have the acreage to grow a crop of canola this is the best method as you are getting clean oil to begin making bio diesel so no time will be wanted in the process of cleaning it. Although used oil from fish and chip shops is just as effective provided that you clean and drain it properly the end result is just as good.

There are many different methods available for making Bio Diesel, A simple one that I have found uses the following ingredients: used cooking oil, Methanol, Sodium Hydroxide.

Note that the oil must be heated and drained twice to ensure that you have got all of the muck out of it, if you don't take the time to do this you will block up your fuel filters. It is advisable to begin with a test batch of bio diesel, this is easily done by using kitchen scales and a blender, with a ratio of 6 grams of sodium Methoxide to 1 liter of cooking oil. This measurement is only a guide that is why you do a test batch, to find out the exact calculation that will be required to make a larger batch.

Heat the oil, add the Methoxide solution and mix this in the blender, and let the mixture stand to settle. If the test batch is successful you will see that the glycerin has sunk to the bottom of the mix once settled, Glycerine looks black, and sinks to the bottom of the blender, but the bio diesel will be an amberish color and will float to the top.This means you have separated the mixture and changed the molecular structure of the oil, it can never revert back to its original status again.

Once you have your calculations correct you can start mixing bigger batches, You will then need to make up a plant for handling larger amounts of oil. There are blue prints of designs all over the internet, they vary in design, just as much as the recipe for bio diesel does! Find one that you feel is easy to make and understand.

On a final note, when you make bio diesel be sure that you always test the oil first as once you have began the process you cant change your formula. So take care to make sure that all of your calculations are correct before trying to make larger batches. When working with Methanol and Sodium Hydroxide be very careful to take safety precautions to protect yourself from burns, or injury.

Nissan to Introduce Diesel Powered Maxima

2008-01-30T01:16:00.000-08:00

The recent spikes in the price of gasoline have forced car buyers to look for more fuel efficient vehicles which in turn affected car manufacturers. Automakers are now focusing on the development of smaller cars which are considered more fuel efficient than large vehicles such as sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks.

Car manufacturers like the Toyota Motor Corporation, the Honda Motor Corporation and the Ford Motor Company have developed and produced fuel efficient vehicles using the hybrid technology. While hybrid vehicles boast of a good fuel economy, they are priced much higher than conventional gasoline engined vehicles.

While hybrid vehicles are popular in the United States, in the European car market, clean diesel engines are viewed as a better answer to the growing threat of global warming. German car companies such as Mercedes Benz and Audi have been developing and producing clean diesel engines. Following the steps of these European brands is a Japanese brand - Nissan. The car company’s chief executive officer recently announced that they will be offering a clean diesel engined car in the United States in the near future. This is an effort to address the growing demand for fuel efficient vehicles which are also environment friendly.

Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn announced just recently that they will be releasing a diesel powered Maxima in the United States auto market by the year 2010. The announcement made auto industry experts to predict that Nissan will be offering vehicles which closely resemble those made by German car manufacturers such as BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Audi.

Aside from the United States, Nissan will also release the diesel Maxima in other countries like Japan and China. Currently, diesel-powered Nissan vehicles with or without Nissan vent visors are made available by the Asian brand in the European car market.

In developing a clean diesel engine for future vehicles to be released in the global market, Nissan is expected to solicit the help of its partner, the French car manufacturer Renault. The development and subsequent release of clean diesel engines by Nissan is a step towards meeting stricter emission standards that will take effect in the near future. These technologically advanced diesel engines are also considered to be Nissan’s effort to protect the environment amidst growing concerns about the threat of global warming.

“Nissan is fully engaged in reducing emissions and improving fuel economy and efficiency. Launching a clean diesel engine in the U.S. will offer customers the benefits of fuel economy, CO2 reduction and a satisfying, fun-to-drive performance that is a hallmark of the Nissan brand,” says Nissan and Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn. “You can expect to see more diesel engines in our product lineup in Europe, Japan, North America and China by fiscal year 2010,” added Ghosn.

In Europe, diesel engines are increasingly becoming popular. That is why Nissan is currently offering the said engine in that region. New technologies made these diesel engines perform better and produce less greenhouse gases. In the United States, diesel engines have received a bad reputation in the past decades which makes them not as popular as gas electric hybrid vehicles which seems to be the current trend in the industry.

Last year, Nissan revealed their “Green Program” which focuses on the reduction of greenhouse gas emission. This is one of the major steps being taken by the Asian brand to support the effort of the United States government and a large portion of its citizens to become energy independent.

Automotive and Diesel Schools

2008-01-29T22:48:00.000-08:00

For those who love to repair engines, there are many automotive and diesel schools ready to qualify you for a career in large and small diesel engine maintenance, repair, and service.

Automotive training schools will cover subjects of engine types, functions, and operations; types of electrical, braking, cooling, drive train, and vehicle suspension systems; advances in technology that will include ignition systems, development and characteristics of new fuels; and emission control regulations. Changes in the automotive and diesel engine industry are being introduced daily, and schools are being pressed to update automotive and diesel courses on a regular basis.

Students will learn to repair, and sometimes rebuild, mechanical systems, such as air and water pumps, fuel injectors, generators, power units, and transmissions. Depending on the school, automotive and diesel courses may include working on cars, trucks, buses, train units, construction equipment, stationary diesel engines, and even ships.

Automotive training and diesel mechanic training may also include mathematics, welding, and safety, reading detailed blueprints, and the importance of good business practices in relation to customer service and satisfaction.

Automotive and Diesel schools prepare students for broad careers in auto and diesel repair. Graduates can choose from many occupations in automobile repair, trucking, farming, construction, or service stations as their area of practice. Some may choose small diesel engine repair and others may decide to look into the field of auto body repair.

If you would like to know more about Automotive and Diesel Schools, feel free to search our site for more in-depth information and resources.

What Is Bio-Diesel

2008-01-29T22:46:00.000-08:00

Quick Facts

Bio-diesel is a clean burning fuel which is produced from domestic resources, such as soybeans and the best part is that they are entirely renewable.

Though there is no petroleum content in it but certainly it becomes a powerful bio-diesel when mixed with petroleum.

Diesel engines can use bio-diesel without any modifications, making it the best biodegradable, nontoxic form of fuel available. This is safe to the extend that the common table salt has been found to be more toxic that bio-diesel.

Normally the usual vegetable oil based fuels need some kind of alteration done which can fuel specially made combustion- ignition engines, but the fact is that bio-diesel can be used in its simplest form to power the everyday diesel engines on the market today. Imagine companies shipping their products in big rigs run on bio-diesel and farmers running their equipment on this biodegradable product.

Process by which Bio-diesel is made is termed as transesterification. In this method the glycerin is removed from fat or vegetable oil. The process naturally leaves behind byproducts, including methyl esters, which is the chemical name for bio-diesel, and glycerin, commonly used in soap production.

The USP of bio-diesel is that it is free of sulfur and aromatics, something that can't be said about traditional fuels.

Bio-diesel has to its credit the registration with the Environmental Protection Agency as a legal fuel for sale and distribution, wherein it has cleared all of the health effects testing requirements of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments. The same doesn’t hold true for other companies where they can’t sell vegetable oil fuel alternatives as they can't meet the fuel specifications that are necessary for registration with the EPA.

From environment point of view also Bio-diesel is much better as compared to the traditional fossil fuels. As this made from renewable resources that makes it better choice ensuring the protection of our environment for future generations as it has significantly lower emissions compared to the petroleum diesel most people put in their vehicles.

In a way Bio-diesel is also better for the economy as when bio-diesel is produced from USA grown products, such as soy beans, it lessons the countries dependence on foreign oil and reinvests American money back into the American economy.

With time this inventive fuel is befitting more by being available at a few select places or purchased directly from producers and marketers. Though this is a bit more high-priced than traditional fuels, but as the requirement for safe, biodegradable fuel alternatives increases, the price of bio-diesel should speedily descend.

Why Choose A Disesel Generator For The Hurricane Season

2008-01-28T23:40:00.001-08:00

Generators - A Guide to Purchasing

2008-01-28T23:35:00.000-08:00

Is Diesel Performance Dead?

2008-01-18T04:18:00.001-08:00

In a day where phrases like Ultra-Low Sulfur Diesel, Exhaust Gas Recirculation, Urea Injection and most of all Diesel Particulate Filter are being used in an industry that is more accustomed to phrases like "Boost Fooler" and "Mufflerectomy" many people are wondering if this is the end of the Diesel Performance era. Many people are even asking, "Is Diesel Performance Dead?" Now there are a couple of different ways to approach this question and with a topic so close to many people's hearts it’s oftentimes very difficult to know which way is the best to approach the topic.

For many people that have voiced their opinions about the stringent standards that the EPA is putting on Car Manufacturers this is the end of an era much like the end of the muscle car era. There are many people saying that January 2007 was much like January 1972, marking the end of what is being a called the "Diesel Performance Era" just like 1972 is looked on as the official end of the Muscle Car Era. If you take a step back and compare the two "Era's" there are a couple of similarities, those being mainly the race to see which company can make more frame wrenching horsepower and torque after decades of research and development and then also being shut down by the EPA and new emissions laws.

So where do we go from here? Is that the end of diesel? Will the even tighter restrictions that will be enforced in 2010 be so smothering that automakers decide to abandoned diesel lines altogether? Well as of right now, all signs actually point to a bright future in the diesel arena itself. Several automakers are talking about adding diesel engines to their lineup including Honda who has a diesel Accord set to enter the market in 2009 and there are rumors of Toyota adding a diesel option to their Tundra, but guys can only hope right?

If we look again at the parallels between the two eras we can see a bright glimpse of hope for the Diesel Performance Aftermarket in a couple of different ways. Definitely since the end of the muscle car era in 1972 aftermarket performance has changed, well even more so in the past decade with just the upload of a program you can be 100 horsepower above stock in just a matter of minutes, that is definitely a far cry from the performance modifications of old. It's my guess, and take it for what you will but I see the diesels of the last decade or so becoming much like the muscle cars of the 60's and 70's, sort of the last of the fun vehicles, less restriction and more possibilities for big power. Although new diesels will continue to increase more and more in power I think that the new restrictions are going to make it even more difficult to create programmers, chips, intakes etc. that will work without setting off check engine lights and throwing codes etc.

So in the end I say that the future looks bright for Diesel vehicles as a whole, and as for Diesel Performance, if you have a 1994-2006 Diesel either hold onto it or give me a call because the value is going to increase, just watch and see.

Portable Generators - Finding the Best

2008-01-18T04:15:00.000-08:00

Many people find portable generators extremely useful. Homeowners make up a huge part of this group, since they are able to take portable generators from room to room, or area to area, in a house.

If you are in the market to buy a portable generator, then this article may be of interest to you. Below you will find a guide to follow when you are shopping for portable generators. Remember this: don’t become overwhelmed when looking to find the right portable generator for your needs. Simply follow these tips and your purchasing experience can be stress-free.

Why use portable generators?

Portable generators can save a household that experiences frequent power outages. People who live in areas that are often hard-hit by hurricanes, strong storms, and tornados should certainly consider owning a portable generator. Without power, you have no light, no energy for cooking, refrigeration, or pumping water. Lack of power can make the simplest tasks in life seem incredibly difficult. However, with a portable generator, you can live your life uninterrupted when the power is cut off.

The wattage on portable generators

In order to determine how much wattage to look for on a portable generator for your home, you first need to make a list of all of the appliances and lights that you want to run off of the generator. The wattage of all of these things combined will tell you how much wattage your portable generator should have. If you are unsure of how to determine wattage, simply multiply amps by volts. Regardless of which portable generator you choose, you must make sure that it has the maximum output and rated output that you need to run your appliances and lights. Maximum output will start an appliance or light, while sustaining that wattage depends upon the generator’s rated output.

Time to shop

Darwins Theory of Diesel Performance!

2008-01-11T02:39:00.000-08:00

Programming the Diesel Performance

2008-01-11T02:36:00.000-08:00

Reducing Noise with Buying a Silent Generator

2008-01-02T04:35:00.000-08:00

There is not such thing as a totally silent generator because after all there is an engine that is running and producing electrical power. What does happen is, these manufacturers of power generators will sometimes invest money in designs and materials that help reduce the noise through the engine or with sound dampening products. So when people talk about silent generators, they are really talking about noise reduced generators. There are some really well designed generators with good noise levels.

My first recommendation to people who have never brought a power generator is to ask someone who has one and go around and listen to how it sounds. For really bad designed generators, you can notice the difference at the engine sounds more like a lawnmower and can be very annoying not only to the owners but to the neighbors. If you do not know anyone with a generator, consider a generator with a noise level under 70 dB at 7 meters. This is around the average for many central AC units and should meet most municipal noise pollution laws. A good silent generator should have noise levels around this level or lower using sound dampening techniques.

Silent generators are also great for RV and marine vehicles. Because the vehicles are more enclosed and noise is more of a bother to the individuals in them. No one wants a noisy generator while trying to enjoy a boat ride or camping. A silent generator really solves this problem by lowering the noise level enough to talk over. Onan's MicroQuiet series is a good example offering really low noise levels for RV vehicles. There are a lot of other manufacturers as well that offer either quiet models or special sound shields or additions to lower the overall noise levels of their generators.

Many applications of generators also require quiet noise levels. Many municipalities and home owners associations have rules regarding the amount of noise pollution. These include how long lawn mowers and other noisy tools can be run. The same rules apply to generators and having a noise reduced generator that meets these standards is not only an option but a must. Many parks and other recreational areas have similar noise rules as well and quiet RV or marine generators will insure no problems arise from their use.

Build A Wind Generator

2008-01-02T04:31:00.000-08:00

When our family decided that our small solar panel array just wasn't big enough to power our off grid home we had to make some choices on what to do. Learning how to build a wind generator was not at the top of the list at first, but it soon developed into the best option.

We could either diversify our Renewable Energy System, a choice between hydro power from our small stream or put up a wind generator. We also had the option to just buy more solar panels. We decided to learn how to build a wind generator and here is why - You may want to build your own wind generator too.

There are times of the year when even a hundred solar panels and 10 times our present battery storage would not run our home. In the fall and winter the sun may not shine for weeks at a time. Thus, no power is produced from the solar panels, no matter how many we would have. We really wanted to smooth out the wrinkles in our charging cycle as well as produce more power for our home, that meant adding more solar panels just wouldn’t work for us.

Hydro power is probably the most cost effective option if you have enough running water with an adequate drop to produce power. Water power will produce 24/7 , but we had a problem with this option. From November until April our stream freezes solid and in order to produce power we need running water. Unless we could figure out a way to run ice through the hydro turbine that is.

That left us with the wind generator option. A quick assessment of our site told us we had wind energy potential. Open space and a site that was free of obstructions for over 300 yards. We would only need a 40 foot tower to get up to the good wind.

So, we started shopping for a wind generator. The wind definitely went out of our sales, so to speak, when we started looking at the price of new and used wind generators.

During our search for a wind generator a friend of ours suggested why not build a wind generator. He had done just that recently with some plans he had downloaded from a website called Off Grid Living. We took a look at the nice job he had done on his wind generator and decided to download our own plans.

They cost us $19.95 , but compared to the price in the thousands for a new or used wind generator to meet our needs it was a real bargain. The plans were simple and easy to follow and provided sources for all of the material we would need.

Once we knew where to look, the DC motor used for a generator was quickly located, as well as the free PVC pipe we used for the blades. Our family is quite happy learning how to build a wind generator. It produces about 600 watts of power at 24 volts.

Lagoon 420 – Diesel Electric Sailing Vacations

2007-12-19T22:33:00.000-08:00

How to Buy a Used Diesel RV... Do your Homework Before Buying

2007-12-19T22:32:00.001-08:00

When looking to set out on your RV road trip, you might find yourself at RV dealers staring down prices that you’d rather not be forced to pay. But, if you want a good deal and a decent RV, a used diesel RV might be the way to go instead.

Used diesel RVs are a great decision for those who want to save a few dollars, but the used RV market can be a bit overwhelming. Like any used vehicle, a used RV needs to be thoroughly checked out before purchasing. Here are a few things you’ll want to keep in mind before purchasing any used RV:

Age of the Recreational Vehicle
Any vehicle depreciates immediately upon purchase. There’s a fine line though, as to how long to wait when buying that vehicle used, especially with an RV. For a used diesel RV, you’ll want a vehicle at least a year old, probably two. At that point the price depreciates substantially, but you’re still getting a nearly new RV with all the newest features.

If you wait until the RV has been used for more than four or five years, you face a lot of issues, including high mileage, expired warranties, and necessary repairs.

RV Maintenance
Which brings up the next point. If you’re looking to buy a used diesel RV, you’ll want to make absolutely sure that it’s as cleanly maintained as possible. It’s likely that you might buy from a private seller. If so, make sure to have a certified diesel RV mechanic look at it before you cut that check.

And while it may be cheaper to buy a used RV from a private seller, keep in mind that getting a warranty is impossible unless they still carry one from their original purchase. Dealer’s used diesel RVs might cost a bit more, but they’re often better maintained and carry certain guarantees of quality.

Why Diesel?
A diesel RV is going to be a top of the line RV. Not only are you looking at some of the highest quality, feature packed RVs on the road, but it’s going to save you money on fuel as well, with the higher mileage rate of most diesel engines. A used diesel RV as opposed to a gas RV is generally the best choice.

Regardless of the features or mileage options you’re seeking, a used diesel RV is the best choice for any road warrior looking to set out on a cross country trek. And most important, you save a decent bundle of money by buying one used.

RVs are an American tradition that can become quite pricey if one doesn’t do the right research before making a purchase. Reading as much as you can on the available RVs in your area and establishing just which features you want is a great first step in any major purchase. If you know exactly what you want in a used diesel RV, you won’t spend as much time looking at a vehicle that doesn’t fit your needs.

Diesel Cars for United States Auto Market

2007-12-13T23:36:00.000-08:00

We are just into the fifth month of the year and car manufacturers are already promoting their 2008 model year vehicles. The 2008 Ford Escape and its hybrid version have already been released and so are other auto models from different car manufacturers.

In the United States, as prices of gasoline increases, hybrid cars have been gaining popularity. For the 2008 model year, it is expected that car manufacturers will be introducing more hybrid vehicles as the demand for this type of automobiles increases. Another technology though is set to be unleashed into the United States and Canadian auto markets in the form of clean diesel engines. Next year, it is expected that European and Japanese car manufacturers will be introducing diesel cars in the said auto markets. In Europe, the use of diesel engines is already popular, thanks to companies like Volkswagen and Mercedes Benz. The success of diesel engines in the region is expected to give diesel engines a better reputation in the United States.

For years after the 1970s and 80s decades, Americans have been staying away from diesel engines. It can be remembered that this engine technology was introduced in the 1970s in the United States. Unfortunately, the diesel engines of old are known for their black soot emissions and in some cases poor reliability. Newer diesel engines though have overcome this problem with the use of better emission filter technology.

The Ford Super Duty already available in the market boasts of having a powerful diesel engine with emission similar to that of a gasoline engine. The Super Duty is one of the vehicles that can promote the use of cleaner diesel engines. The problems encountered in the use of bio-ethanol is also another reason seen that will help popularize the use of diesel cars.

Flex-fuel vehicles in the United States which are designed to run on a combination of gasoline and bio-ethanol is recently being criticized due to the lack of fuel refilling stations offering E85 - the alternative fuel composed of 15 percent gasoline and 85 percent bio-ethanol. In a recent study, it was found out that 99 percent of flex-fuel vehicles in the United States are actually using conventional gasoline thereby beating the purpose of these supposed to be environment friendly vehicles.

Already, European car manufacturers have expressed their intentions to release diesel vehicles in the United States next year. The German Volkswagen has been selling diesel-powered vehicles in the U.S. for decades and at present, they will upgrade their engines by using a cleaner technology dubbed as the Blue Motion. The first Volkswagen auto model which will use the clean diesel technology is the Jetta.

Another German car manufacturer which will introduce diesel-powered vehicles in the U.S. next year is Mercedes Benz. Sport utility vehicles or SUVs, known as the favorite of American car buyers, will be what Mercedes Benz will be equipping with their clean diesel engines. Already announced to be released in the United States auto market are diesel versions of the M-Class, R-Class, and the GL-Class. These vehicles will be equipped with clean diesel engines and other soot cleaning technologies from the engine to their Mercedes Benz mufflers and out the exhaust pipe. Aside from these European carmakers a Japanese company has expressed their intention to introduce a diesel car in the U.S.

Nissan, the third largest Japanese car manufacturer announced that they will be producing a diesel-powered Maxima sedan in the near future.

One problem in the way of the promotion of use of diesel engines in the United States is the availability of diesel fuel. Not more than 50 percent of all refueling stations in the country are offering diesel engines. Fortunately though, the oil industry is clearly supporting the use of diesel-powered vehicles. The Marathon Petroleum Company recently earmarked $3.2 billion for the expansion of their refineries that is expected to increase the availability of diesel fuel in refilling stations across the United States.

Another problem faced by diesel powered-vehicles in the country is consumer acceptance. Although new technologies have made diesel engines cleaner than their ancestors, its reputation has been tarnished heavily. Gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles are also popular among car buyers and it would be something that diesel cars must contend with. Furthermore, the use of advanced emission cleaning technology gives these diesel engines a price almost equal to that of hybrid vehicles. In the end, it would be a matter of preference that will spell the success or lack of it for diesel-powered vehicles.

How to Buy a Used Diesel RV... Do your Homework Before Buying

2007-12-13T23:34:00.000-08:00

The Clean Diesel Technology Tour to Come to Sacramento

2007-12-06T05:30:00.000-08:00

The recent increase in gasoline prices have forced car buyers and the automotive industry to look for more fuel efficient alternatives. One alternative fuel which has captured the attention of the auto industry is diesel.

Diesel, as a fuel, costs less than gasoline and can prove to be one temporary solution for the United States to become energy independent. For years, diesel engines have suffered from a bad reputation due to the huge amount of soot that a diesel engine gives off. But continued development in the auto industry led to cleaner diesel engines which provide even more power than the previous generations of diesel engines while producing lesser pollutants. In fact, some diesel engines have been proven to produce relatively lower greenhouse gas than some gasoline engines.

The continued popularity of diesel engines has led the Diesel Technology Forum to organize the Clean Diesel Technology Tour. The Diesel Technology Forum is an association of different companies which manufactures diesel engines, engine components, fuel, and emissions control systems. The organization is working to promoter the use of diesel engines in the hope that they will be making a difference for the environment.

In their effort to encourage consumers to use diesel engined vehicles, The Clean Diesel Technology Tour was organized and it will be the biggest event of its kind as it will host a huge number of attendees. Different personalities in the development of clean diesel technologies will be present along with vehicles equipped with clean diesel engines. The event will also be attended by environmentalists, manufacturers and legislators. The tour will take place at the Sacramento Convention Center on the 19th of April this year.

The event will open with a press conference which would be graced by the presence of Allan Schaeffer who is the Executive Director of the Diesel Technology Forum. Aside from Schaeffer, other executives from ember companies will also be present at the press conference which will start at 9:00 in the morning. After the press conference, exhibitors will then present their developed vehicles, engines, or technologies.

After the presentation and luncheon, attendees will be given the chance to get to take that spot behind the wheel of some of the vehicles displayed at the event. The event will features keynote speakers from the government. Senator Alan Lowenthal (D-Long Beach) is one of the keynote speakers during the event. The legislator is one of the leading advocates of port emission reductions.

Dan Skopec, the undersecretary of the California Environment Protection Agency, will also be speaking at the event. Skopec is also Governor Schwarzenegger’s point person on California’s effort to promote the use of low-carbon fuel. The undersecretary will be speaking about the Governor’s take on global warming and what he thinks the problems that needs to be addressed by the auto industry.

The event of course will host the showcase of different technologies developed by different companies. Banks Power, a producer of aftermarket engine-power systems for large vehicles equipped with diesel engines, will be present at the event. Gale Banks, the founder and the president of the company will present their developed technologies which are concerned about the amount of air that enters the combustion chamber of the engines.

Caterpillar, “the world's largest manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, and industrial gas turbines” will also be presenting their developments at the event. Douglas Oberhelman, the Group President of Caterpillar, will be the company’s presenter at the event.

For Cummins, a leading manufacturer of diesel engines, Edward Pence will present their developments in the clean diesel engine technology. Pence is the Vice President for Engine Business of the company.

Aside from these companies, the event will also be attended by other companies specializing on diesel engines.

The event will also allow attendees to ride and drive several vehicles equipped with clean diesel engines. Some of the vehicles which will be showcased at the event are the Audi A6, the BMW 535d, and a Mercedes-Benz E320 CDI with Bluetec. These vehicles are not only known for the stylish looks of their fenders and other exterior styling concepts but are also proven to be environmentally friendly.

Diesel Vehicle Offerings Poised To Expand

2007-12-06T05:26:00.000-08:00

Diesel powered vehicles have never been popular in the US, despite previous attempts to promote this technology by leading manufacturers. Indeed, many motorists recall GM’s failed bid to market diesel engines during the late 1970s to mid 1980s as a big reason to stay away from diesels. As you may recall, GM had to recall and replace the engines as they were plagued with crankshaft bearing problems. Many motorists cited other problems too including, blown head gaskets, warped heads, and bad fuel injectors. A well publicized class action suit against GM shut down the company’s diesel program and resulted in GM replacing thousands of diesel engines with gasoline engines. Despite the earlier problems, many automakers are now poised to offer diesel engines as engineering changes have made diesels much more reliable and environmentally friendly. Let’s take a look at the diesel engines powering current and future vehicles traversing America’s highways.

Mercedes Diesels – With five diesel models offered, Mercedes is leading the way. Its 3.2L 24-valve inline-6 diesel engine powers the E320, resulting in fuel savings of up to 30% and lower greenhouse gas emissions.

Dodge Trucks – Cummins has been producing turbo diesels for Dodge Ram trucks for years. The current 610 model offers best in class horsepower, excellent torque, and terrific towing capacity.

Jeep Liberty – Using Mercedes technology, the Jeep Liberty common-rail diesel powering some models helps to boost torque by 45% and bump up fuel mileage by about one third. The Liberty diesel has been a strong seller for the Jeep brand.

Volkswagen – Mentioning “diesel” and omitting “Volkswagen” would be a travesty. Indeed, the German automaker is one of the largest producers of diesel engines in the world. For the U.S. market, a 1.9L four cylinder powers the cars while a humongous ten cylinder diesel can be found in the Touareg, the automaker’s luxury SUV.

Honda – New to the game, Honda is promising that diesel versions of several of its cars will be made available by 2009. Along with its hybrid emphasis, Honda is pushing diesels to bolster its already well earned “green” image.

BMW, Range Rover, Ford, GM, and Chrysler all offer diesels although with the first two they are only sold in Europe. Ford taps Navistar for its big diesels while GM uses Duramax, a joint venture between it and Isuzu.

Smaller diesels have yet to grab hold, but that may all change. Talk of smaller, lighter diesels built for American cars have been circulating for years with joint ventures involving Isuzu, Honda, VW, and Mercedes mentioned as possibilities.

Demand for diesels is increasing as fuel prices continue to surge. Auto registration records are indicating that diesel purchases have doubled in the past five years alone. With cleaner technology in place and all of the kinks worked out, consumers can be expected to demand diesels in greater numbers. This is good news for those who are concerned about America’s over dependence on foreign oil.

Hybrid vs Diesel

2007-11-26T05:15:00.000-08:00

In these days of soaring gas prices, it seems that everyone is looking to increase their gas mileage. In the past, those looking to drive the most fuel-efficient vehicle had just one option: diesel trucks and cars. Diesel vehicles use significantly less fuel than cars that run on regular gas.

There is an option to diesel vehicles. Recently, hybrid vehicles have been appearing everywhere. No longer are they just slightly odd-looking compact cars. Hybrid technology can be found in everything from compact cars to SUVs. Are you better off with the old, diesel standby or do hybrid cars really offer more?

Diesel vehicles

For years, the gas-conscious consumer chose the diesel vehicle. These earlier diesels were generally noisier, dirtier and handled the road more poorly than their gas counterparts did. In fact, five states currently do not allow the sale of diesel vehicles due to strict emissions standards.

However, this image of the diesel vehicle is very outdated. Modern diesel vehicles are much cleaner than their earlier counterparts are. Low-sulphur diesel fuel and new technology that helps trap emissions particles are making diesel engines cleaner than ever before. In addition, modern diesel vehicles handle nearly as well as their gas-powered cousins and are less noisy as well.

Fuel efficiency is still paramount when it comes to driving a diesel vehicle. With their average nine miles per gallon increase over gas-powered vehicles, diesels are a viable option for the fuel-conscious consumer.

Hybrid vehicles

Hybrid vehicles are the newcomer to the mileage game. These vehicles run on a combination of gas and electric power, and they promise vastly increased gas mileage and lower emissions.

While these vehicles deliver on the promise, there are a few shortcomings as well. The first and most glaring disappointment is that many drivers find that the advertised mileage and the actual mileage the car achieves are vastly different.

For instance, the Toyota Prius advertises gas mileage of 55 miles per gallon, according to U.S. government reports. However, when Consumer Reports magazine tested the car under actual driving conditions, the mileage achieved was only 44 miles per gallon. While this is still excellent gas mileage, it is far less than advertised.

In addition, the sheer price of hybrid vehicles can be daunting. While a diesel vehicle generally costs an average of $1000 more than its gas-powered version, a hybrid vehicle costs several thousand dollars more than a gas-powered car. The Honda Civic Hybrid base price is $4800 more than the standard Civic with the same options and amenities.

Given that the gas mileage on the hybrid is about 30% greater than on the standard vehicle, it would take an average driver at today's gas costs more than twelve years to recoup the cost difference. However, one must consider that some of this additional cost can also be recouped with the one-time federal tax credit. In addition, some states and even employers offer rebates to those who drive hybrid vehicles.

Ford's Power Stroke Diesel Technology

2007-11-26T05:14:00.000-08:00

Diesel engines have received a bad reputation in the United States due to the amount of emissions they give off. However, it seems like the wheel is indeed turning and diesel engines’ reputation is slowly changing as car manufacturers continually develop ways to equip their vehicles with a clean diesel engine.

One such company is the Ford Motor Company which has introduced their new Power Stroke diesel technology. This new one promises a good performance from the engine while keeping the emission level equal to that of a gasoline engine. The engine will be the workhorse of the new 2008 Ford F-Series Super Duty lineup and it already has received much praise for its fuel efficiency.

The massive 6.4-liter Power Stroke diesel engine has an improved performance over the previous diesel engines employed by Ford. The technology also reduces emissions and NVH or noise, vibration, and harshness. The high performance of the engine and its low emission are two things to like about it. But it is also important to keep in mind that this engine also has 25 to 30 percent better fuel economy rating than gasoline engines. In fact, the newer generation of clean diesel engines is taking over the European market and Ford hopes to do the same in North America. Ford hopes to launch the technology successfully since a large number of Super Duty buyers opt for a diesel engine under its hood.

One great thing about the engine is that it exhibits no turbo lag and according to Richard Truett, engineering reporter for Automotive News, “I have never felt that performance out of a diesel before.” This he stated after going 60 to 65 miles per hour while towing. He further said that he “can’t find anything to dislike about it (the engine)”. His rave review of the technology is shared by John Stewart, editorial director of Diesel World Magazine: “It’s a tremendously quiet engine. It has torque everywhere you look. The technology that they have brought to bear is the latest in the field. When you drive it you think, this thing is a great cruiser. We need to go on a trip with this.”

The people at Ford said that the Power Stroke diesel is the company’s cleanest and quietest pickup diesel ever. Its particulate emission, which in the past has given it a bad reputation, is reduced to almost the equivalent of gasoline engine emissions. It gives that clean emission while giving out 350 horsepower that would take a high performance disc brake and an EBC brake rotor to efficiently stop the vehicle. The engine also provides 650 lb-ft of torque at 2,000 revs per minute with the help of its two-stage turbocharger. The Power Stroke engine is the first pickup engine in the US to feature the common rail fuel injection system with piezo-electric injectors.

The development of the diesel engine was made possible with the help of Ford’s European connection. Power Stroke diesel Manager Enio Gomes stated that they have tapped the knowledge of the company’s European diesel experts in order to integrate the cutting edge technologies in the new engine especially the fuel injection system stated earlier. Another part that the European diesel engines experts help integrate in the new diesel engine is the particulate filter that significantly reduces the amount of emissions being released by the engine.

Ford is counting on their new diesel technology to propel the company to the top of the diesel engine equipped vehicle market which is expected to increase significantly in the next couple of decades. In fact, they have already revealed their plan of offering a Ford F-150 equipped with a diesel engine which will be another first for the company’s light-duty pickup series.

Automotive and Diesel Schools

2007-11-15T23:56:00.001-08:00

Portable Generator Safety

2007-11-15T23:55:00.002-08:00

The external surfaces of the generator may become quite hot, so you need to keep your children away from the unit when it is running. Additionally, generators pose three common hazards:

-Carbon monoxide fumes

-Electrical shock

-Fire

Internal combustion engines give off carbon dioxide as a byproduct of fuel consumption. This gas is both odorless and colorless, so you cannot know that you are breathing the fumes. For this reason, generators should never be run indoors, or in confined spaces. If you should begin to feel light-headed, dizzy or nauseous while your generator is running, get to fresh air immediately. Install a CO alarm to check for deadly carbon monoxide levels, and change the battery frequently, whenever you adjust your clocks for daylight savings time.

To prevent shock, make sure your generator stays dry. Do not touch it with wet hands or when you are standing in a puddle. Make sure your unit is properly grounded. Don't overload the generator and make sure that if you are using extension cords, they are rated for the load they will be supporting. NEVER plug your generator into your house's wall outlets. Doing so will create backfeed in the electric lines, possibly causing electrocution of unsuspecting utility workers who are trying to place your home back in service.

Finally, because you are running a motor fueled by a flammable substance, you must take care to avoid fires. Store the gasoline away from the generator in properly labeled non-glass containers. Gas vapors can run along the floor and ignite from the heat of the generator. Always turn off the generator and allow it to cool prior to refilling the gas tank to protect against spilled gas ignition. Do not smoke or allow open flames near your generator.

Free Traffic Generator information

2007-11-15T23:55:00.001-08:00

Electric Generators

2007-11-05T01:59:00.001-08:00

Electric generators are used to supply power to homes, commercial and industrial establishments when there is a disruption of power. It is also used in places where there is no supply of electricity. Electric generators come in a wide variety of models, size, and prices. Choosing the right electric generator depends upon an individual’s need. A homeowner first has to identify the appliances to be powered by the generator. The total wattage required to run these appliances has to be added up, including the starting wattage requirement of some of the appliances such as refrigerators. This makes up the total wattage power required from the generator. Lights and other smaller appliances require 120 volts of power, whereas appliances like electric stoves and driers require 240 volts. It should be checked whether the generators have the necessary voltage ratings.

There are few features that have to be considered before buying an electric generator. First, make sure to check to see if the engine has an overhead valve. An engine that comes with an overhead valve start easily, last longer and is less noisy. Second, check whether the engine has a cast iron sleeve in the cylinder to protect the engine from early wear and tear. In addition to this, electric generators come loaded with many convenient features such as electric start, power switch to alternate between 120 and 240 volts, low oil shut down that shuts the engines when the fuel in the tank reaches a certain level and an hour meter to show the duration of time the engine has been running. Electric generators are generally powered by gasoline, diesel, propane or natural gas. There are inexpensive but have a short life. Diesel generators are fuel-efficient, have a longer life but are relatively expensive. Propane and natural gas generators are best suited where fuel is ready available.

Certain precautions have to be taken while using generators. They should always be located outside the house to prevent exposure to harmful carbon monoxide. They should always be kept dry and should not be touched with wet hands to avoid getting electrocuted. Generators should not be refueled when in operation -- spilling of fuel on hot components may cause fire. It is always wise to invest in a good quality generator. Electric generators can be purchased at any appliances or hardware store. Industrial and commercial electric generators are available with their respective dealers. All brands and models of generators are listed on the web sites.

RV Generators

2007-11-05T01:57:00.000-08:00

RV generators are what truly make your RV fully self-contained. What a feature, instant electricity at the push of a button. We take electricity for granted in our homes because we don't have to do anything to get it, with the exception of paying our monthly electric bill. This is part of the problem with RV generators, we expect the electricity to be there when we need or want it just like in our house. The problem is this magical source of electricity requires a certain amount of care and maintenance from the owner.

Safety first! Always keep in mind when you use a generator there is carbon monoxide. You should always inspect the exhaust system on the generator set before using it. Do not operate a generator with a damaged exhaust system. If you're using a portable generator set make sure the exhaust is directed away from the camping area. Test your carbon monoxide detector for proper operation prior to using the generator. Never run a generator when you or anyone else is sleeping. Observe campground etiquette. Do not run your generator after quiet hours.

A generator that comes equipped on an RV gets its fuel supply from the same fuel tank the engine uses. When the fuel tank reaches a 1/4 tank of fuel the generator will shut down to prevent you from possibly using all of the fuel without realizing it. The generator will either have an automatic transfer switch to sense whether you are using shore power or the generator, or you will need to plug the RV power cord into a generator receptacle to use the generator. It is perfectly okay to use the generator while you are traveling.

This is one of the reasons you have a generator in the first place. It is actually more fuel efficient to run the generator with the roof mounted air conditioner on, than to use the dash air.

Add Performance To Any Diesel

2007-11-02T23:55:00.000-07:00

The diesel aftermarket just keeps on evolving. Now you can add a chip to almost any diesel and I’m not talking about the pickup trucks. There are companies out there with diesel performance chips for big diesel pusher RV’s, Semi’s, and yes, even farm equipment. We’re going to talk about some of the main companies developing these products.

The first one is a company called Edge Products. Edge is one of the biggest names in the diesel performance arena for the diesel pickup trucks. Edge makes performance products for all the main diesel pickup trucks, several of the gas trucks, jeep vehicles that are diesel and gas powered as well as the 3126 B & E Caterpillar engines that are in RV’s and heavier duty diesel trucks.

Dr. Performance is also a top company in the diesel aftermarket and offers performance chips for all of the same engines as edge and has chips for some of the other larger engines that one would find in Diesel RV’s and some semi’s and medium duty trucks such as the 8.3L and 8.9L Cummins ISC & ISL engines as well as the DT466 Engine.

TS Performance Carries chips for all the same engines, the place where TS Performance is truly unique is in the fact that they have performance chips for most of the agricultural diesels that you would find on a farm. These agricultural chips give up to a thirty percent power increase and a good increase in fuel economy which is important especially to the farmers that are running their diesel’s most of the day. In short the diesel performance aftermarket continues to evolve and more and more people are reaping the benefits of added fuel economy and power.

More and more manufacturers are coming out with diesel including the upcoming Honda Accord diesel, and Nissan Maxima diesel as well as many others. Diesels within a few years will be running cleaner and get better fuel economy than any of their gas powered counterparts.

Home Generator Must Answer Your Power Demand Safely!

2007-11-02T23:54:00.001-07:00

Home generator comes back on mind of the American homeowners. After experiencing power outages in previous years, it becomes a priority to secure a reliable and affordable source of electricity when the local utility turns the power switch off. And if you think that perhaps this year, the hurricane season will be less damaging, and you’ll be able to get by without a home generator, think twice…

Power interruptions are caused not only by the Mother Nature, but by the electricity authority’s distribution system’s breakdowns. That’s really what makes a home generator an irreplaceable part of your home’s services system.

Choosing a home generator is however, not such an easy task, as the frequent ads would like you to believe. Although you’re presented with a seemingly limitless number of options, the truth is, there is only one “ideal” electricity generator that fits your household needs, in 100%. That’s why; it pays to do some initial research about home generators, before deciding what to buy.

The best place to start is on the Internet, using many review and manufacturers’ sites. Find out what range of home generators Yamaha, Honda, Coleman and others have on offer. What selection criteria do they list; read technical specifications and the list of features, and match them to your needs. Using different search engines will deliver you a huge number of informative pages, filled with reliable information and advice.

At the same time, try contacting your local electrician, and ask him to calculate the power demand, peak and regular, that your household creates. Your home generator will have to cope with this load, often for extended periods. Professional advice about the power consumption, be it 3 kW or 5 kW, will help you select a home generator that can supply enough power, to allow you to keep your essential appliances running.

The same electrician can also advise you about very important safety considerations and regulations. Briefly, before connecting your home generator to the electrical installation, you must isolate it from the communal power grid, using so called isolation switch. This will prevent linesmen working on power lines from being electrocuted by the voltage produced by your home generator. This is absolutely important, and should never be left to the inexperienced handymen!

Lastly, consider the operational costs of your home generator. As they come in two major categories: petrol (gas) engines and diesel ones, you need to decide whether the initial cost or the running costs are more important to you.

My preference is for the diesel engine-driven home generator. Although it can be 20-30% dearer that the petrol one, it’s far more reliable and about 20% cheaper to run. Here you have the critical factors you mustn’t ignore, when introducing a power generator to your home. Knowing them, your shopping trip to Costco, Home Depot or other retailers will be so much less stress free. After all, you’re very well versed in the emergency electricity generation issues, and know exactly what tasks your home generator has to execute. One final word of warning: don’t try to save money on something that provides for your basic living needs!

Diesel Generators Explained

2007-10-30T00:29:00.000-07:00

Quick Social Networking -- Effective and Smart Ways to Social Networking

2007-10-25T05:33:00.001-07:00

Social Networking has become a household name ever since the massive popularity of the famous social networking sites like YouTube, MySpace, Friendster and other similar sites have made waves in the Internet arena. Social networking, since then has been potentially seen as a growing avenue by business people where they can market and publicize their companies along with the products that they are promoting. Looking into this perspective, I have enlisted some of the ways below on how one can effectively use social networking as an avenue to market and advertise a service or a product.

• If you are a registered member of a social networking site, like MySpace, you are actually being given the privilege to come up with your own, personal site. With this, you can incorporate some advertising materials on your own site and promote it from there. Since you are a on a social networked site, people who see your site with similar interest are your easily captured potential clients. Thus, enabling you to instantly have a client of your own.

• With social networking site, it is easy to capture potential clients because of the capability of the site to invite other people to form part in any specific group. This is a feature seen by most business people as a potential means to massively promote any service or product using the social networking site.

• One of the best ways for anyone who wish to use social networking as a means to advertise is to invite and invite more people to “network” with his account. This is a quick way to allow more possible traffic on any one’s site.

Targeted Social Networking - 4 Keys to Get Started With Social Networking

2007-10-25T05:32:00.000-07:00

Today the concept of social networking provides a great medium for people to meet others both physically and virtually. The first step in social networking lies in choosing the social networking site depending on your needs. if you need to physically meet people, use a social network with direct communication and location data. If you want to meet people virtually, use a site with people having similar interests to you and one that permits people to search for these interests.

You can succeed in social networking only if you ensure you are using a safe networking site as there are many cases of identity theft, personal information disclosure and cyber stalking in many social networking sites.

You have to place information on the social networking sites to get people sharing similar interests to meet each other. This means that it is important that you provide only honest information about yourself. Many people lie on the network, and get people fooled into relationships. There is no point in changing your particulars in the hope of getting more acquaintances, just because you are dull and boring. This only leads to mistrust between you and the acquaintances once they find out you were lying.

You can also use social networking sites to get business oriented connections by choosing a community or group that is relevant to you. then you inform the people here about yourself, your business and the expertise and services you offer. you are sure to get new business contacts by participating in these discussions.

Then again, getting referrals from the members of the social networking sites also help as these referrals create an impression of you being an authority of a particular field. They refer their friends to you if and when they need services or products that you offer.

Guide to purchasing a Diesel Generator

2007-10-24T04:22:00.000-07:00

There are many grades of durability of diesel generators on the market. You will find that the larger the machine the more well built it is to withstand the pressures of use. This is the general concept when it comes to the diesel generator that the larger the generator the better it is designed.

It is essential when considering purchasing a diesel generator that you are sure of what kind of use you will be demanding. It is very common for the diesel generators that are larger to be installed on ships as backups during power failures. There are often systems on ships that use power systems that are related to weather. This is not reliable and as such a diesel generator is a good choice. It is better to opt for the larger models as these are very well designed to handle the load.

Many businesses seeking to protect their sensitive computer networks can also depend on the diesel generator. These are excellent sources of power should the power fail. This is also great for medical equipment such as those that are essential in hospitals and can provide performance that is low maintenance.

When deciding which diesel generator to choose it is important that a list is constructed of the various pieces of equipment that will be using the generator power. This will aid in the determination of the total wattage requirements and therefore determine which capacity of generator will be required.

One of the first points when comparing diesel generators is to determine the wattage requirement and compare this to the price of the particular generator. This is essential as it is important not to overload the system and this will determine the best generator to suit your needs. It is also possible for persons with intermittent generator usage to opt for the diesel generator due to all the perks such as reduced fuel costs and maintenance costs.

It is also advisable that when you purchase your generator that you install it with a transfer switch. This may require a qualified electrician. It is also essential that the generator you choose will have adequate storage as this is important in maintaining the right temperature. You may also need other features such as soundproof enclosures depending on your space limitations as the diesel generator can be quite noisy and is best installed away from homes.

Other features that will be needed for your generator include shutdown systems. There are three major shutdown systems available. These are low oil pressure automatic shutdown kits, over-speed shutdown kits and high temperature shutdown kits. These are all necessary for the protection of any diesel generator that you purchase.

Make sure that the diesel generator you choose is run at a low rpm approximately 1800 rpm to ensure long life. It is better to opt for a generator that is the best in terms of fuel efficiency and if you can opt for a brand name. They may be a bit more expensive but they will tend to have better warranties than the other generic brands on the market.

Diesel Generators Explained

2007-10-24T04:20:00.000-07:00

Portable Generators

2007-10-23T00:51:00.001-07:00

Portable generators are used in homes and in places where there is no power or the need for power is minimum. Portable generators are generally smaller and are designed to use for a few. A portable generator of 5KW has enough power to keep lights, refrigerators, computers and televisions running for 7 to 8 hours. Portable generators are normally powered by gasoline, diesel, propane or natural gas. They are the most popular of all portable generators. Gasoline generators are relatively less expensive but require frequent maintenance and have a shorter life span. Gasoline has a short shelf life and cannot be stored for a long time unless treated with stabilizers.

Diesel generators, on the other hand, are fuel-efficient, consume less fuel per kilowatt of power produced, have longer life and require less maintenance. Diesel can be stored for longer periods of time. However, they are harder to start in cold weather and noisy. Portable generators powered by natural gas or propane is the best choice if available. The generator lasts longer and burns cleaner.

Before choosing a portable generator, the total wattage of all appliances to be powered by the generator must be calculated. This includes the starting wattage required by appliances with motors, such as refrigerators and freezers that use two or three times their normal wattage power to start. The generator should not only meet the normal wattage, but the start up wattage of the appliances. Moreover, the generator must have the necessary voltage ratings to run electric appliances such as the ovens and clothes driers that are rated at 240 volts. A portable generator should have at least two receptacles of 120 volt each. Generators that provide a longer runtime per tank of fuel or having a fuel tank capacity of around 5 gallon of fuel are preferred especially, by people living in areas where power failures are quite frequent.

A portable 7KW generator that can power lights, furnaces, sump pumps, televisions and refrigerators may cost $1000 or more depending upon the quality and the type of generator. For a normal home, an ideal generator would be in 10KW to 12 KW costing around $2700 for 10KW and $3700 for a 12 KW. Portable diesel generators are available for use on construction sites in the range of 200KW and more.

Before operating the generator, read and follow the instructions given in the owner’s manual. Observe the operating and the maintenance procedures strictly for safe and trouble free operation. Avoid putting loads on the generator that exceed the manufacturer’s rating. Also, do not run too many devices at the same time. This trips the generators circuit breakers causing loss of power. The generator must be operated at least twice a year with full load to keep it in working condition. Keep the generator outside the house but never in a garage or in a basement. Carbon monoxide emitted from the generator can be hazardous to health. Use only the recommended extension cords for the generator. Hire the service of a qualified electrician to install a transfer switch if the generator is to be connected to home wiring. Do not refuel the generator when it is under operation. Spilling of fuel may cause fire. The generator should be kept dry and should not be run in wet conditions.

Diesel Generators

2007-10-23T00:50:00.001-07:00

Fuels such as gasoline, diesel, propane or natural gas basically power home generators. Some models also have multi fuel capabilities and run on gasoline, propane or natural gas. The choice of the fuel will depend on the availability of the fuel in times of emergency, fuel consumed per kilowatt of power produced, maintenance of the generator and the comparative risk of storing the fuels.

Diesel generators consume comparatively less fuel per kilowatt of electricity produced and more fuel-efficient than generators powered by natural gas or gasoline. For every gallon of fuel consumed, diesel generators run 2 or 3 times longer than gasoline engines. Diesel generators do not require frequent maintenance, as is the case with gasoline generators and are designed to run continuously for long hours. Most generators come with a water-cooled engine with a speed of 1800rpm. This ensures the engines durability, and at the same time, makes it the most dependable of all the other types of generators.

Unlike gasoline generators, diesel engines are safe as they work on the principle of direct injection and have no spark plugs, which keep them relatively safe from potential fire. Diesel has a longer shelf life, and being the least flammable source of fuel, can be stored for more than a year.

Diesel is available at most of gas stations and can be conveniently carried in cans. However, diesel generators are hard to start in cold weather; emit more smoke and are noisy. Home diesel generators may cost anywhere between $1000 for 4KW to $9000 for a 15 KW depending upon the quality, wattage rating and voltage rating. Diesel generators for industrial use are available in the range of 500KW to 2000KW

Why Choose A Disesel Generator For The Hurricane Season

2007-10-18T23:43:00.000-07:00

Generators - A Guide to Purchasing

2007-10-18T23:42:00.001-07:00

Some Generators Make Good Neighbors

2007-10-15T05:12:00.000-07:00

Generators - A Guide to Purchasing

2007-10-15T05:09:00.000-07:00

Diesel Generators Will Keep Your Electricity Flowing Through The Stormy Weather!

2007-10-12T03:29:00.000-07:00

If you belong to the majority of people who think the diesel generator is one of those noisy, smoky engines that farmers don't seem to be able to do without, then you are going to have to think again. There is a growing surge, almost a tidal wave of new owners sweeping across the United States. These are the people who through no fault of their own seem to be forever losing their power supply. It is not until you are faced with trying to take care of your family through an extended power outage that you realise just how difficult life becomes without that magical current flowing through the lines.

It seems that storms are becoming more severe, with some badly affected areas having to go without power for between one and two weeks. On the other hand, heatwaves put so much demand on the national grid that rolling outages have to be forced on the population to keep the whole system from crashing. Then of course there are all the other things that can go wrong, such as transformers malfunctioning, but they all mean the same thing, you are left searching for candles and matches in the dark.

The diesel generator has always been regarded as belonging to industry, and indeed this is where you will find the giant units ranging from 20kW to way over 2000kW's that produce the same amount of power as a small power station. You will also find them permanently installed at hospitals, nursing homes, fire and police departments or anywhere that reliable stand-by power is required. Our transportation systems such as air traffic, sea navigation, and radio communications all rely on diesel generators in times of emergencies. In the situation of a natural disaster, it is the diesel generator that will be the heart beat of emergency services and reconstruction.

Many suburban homeowners, RV owners, tradesmen and small businesses are paying the extra, and purchasing a diesel generator in preference to a gasoline powered unit. When there are so many gas generators coming on to the market at such ridiculously low prices you can be forgiven in asking why. The consumer has finally woken up to the benefits of diesel. There are in fact four main reasons why people are turning away from the cheaper gas alternative in their droves.

1. The diesel generator likes to work, and it is very happy putt-putting away 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It works well under load too, in fact it loves to work hard. Many of the discount and hardware store bought gas generators virtually disintegrate during prolonged use, and you are doing well if they last more than a couple of hundred hours. There are of course very good models, but they will still be more suited to intermittent use, and will need a thorough overhaul at around 1,000 hours. The diesel generator on the other hand won't need anything except regular maintenance - such as oil change, for the first 20,000 hours of its life.

2. Maintenance. No ignition system to give you trouble, no carburettor that needs rebuilding or cleaning, no distributor to go kaput, and no spark plugs to be replaced. Maintenance is simplified on a diesel generator, they are in fact a much simpler system altogether. Regular oil changes as well as replacing the oil, fuel and air filters are all that is required.

3. The diesel generator is way more fuel efficient, and the exhaust is not nearly as toxic as gasoline.

4. Diesel power is synonymous with dependability and for standby or emergency power, this is essential. The quality of the electrical output is also excellent and this means that you are bale to run your computers and electronic equipment with peace of mind.

The cost factor has been a stumbling block for many people, but at the end of the day, the diesel generator is worth every extra dollar and more. It is common for them to outlast their gasoline counterparts by anything up to ten to one. Their work ability has never been questioned, but their noisy and smelly habits have. The diesel generator has cleaned up its act and is now a much quieter and cleaner producer of commercial grade power, and it is fast becoming the preferred choice of all those people who want the best.

Your Diesel Generator Will Ensure the Lights Are On When Somebody's Home

2007-10-12T03:28:00.000-07:00

If you're considering putting a permanent power generating system such as a Yamaha generator, in your home or office, this is definitely a job for the experts! Any wiring that is done to the transfer switch and circuit board will need to be done according to your local electrical code and you may need a plumber in to set up the hoses and connect the Yamaha generator to the home's fuel supply.

Diesel generator dealers that are licensed will generally oversee the installation process, and some companies will a secure a permit and schedule the electrical inspection as part of your purchase price. Prices will vary, but you'll find that a 12 kW generator package excluding the transfer switch to be somewhere in the vicinity of US$1,000-$7,000. A 20 kW package will run you somewhere in the vicinity of $8-$10,000. Many brand-name manufacturers are now making home power generating systems such as Generac generators, Honda generators and Kohler more affordable. Most manufacturers encourage homeowners to hire electrical contractors for installation, as these are not do-it-yourself jobs. If you decide to install a permanent diesel generator somewhere outside your home, it should usually be on a concrete pad near the utility meter. Some generators come with a built in mounting pad and you may want to consider these instead of pouring your own concrete pad. As a rule, the unit is usually run off your home fuel supply and you'll need to connect it to the propane or natural gas supply.

The transfer switch is commonly installed inside next to the distribution panel and wiring is run from the generator into the house. Once the transfer switch is connected, it monitors your home's power supply for any interruptions. Backup power from Honda generators or diesel generators is almost becoming a necessity in today's technology-driven world. There are many more electrical items to run now other than lights, heating, cooling system and appliances. Most homes have computer systems, home automation systems and security systems. Electrical regulation has caused complete power outages in many areas and is more prevalent than years gone by.

It is almost essential that when bad weather knocks out your power for days or possibly weeks on end that you have a Honda generator backup power system. A self-contained backup system will help keep your phones ringing, water running, computers running and the furnace keeping your home warm, too. Pipes freezing are also a hazard when power loss occurs, and if you live in an area where intruders could be a problem, your security system on all the time will keep them at bay, too. It's important to understand what a "watt" means if you're going to install a home power generating system. This starts with an assessment of your basic needs, and you'll want to calculate the complete wattage that your home consumes at any one time. If you're at a loss as far as to this calculation, call your electrician and have him do it for you. Such items as heating, cooling, security systems, fans, refrigeration and lighting are some of the items that you need to consider. The size of your diesel generator backup system is based on the essential wattage that you're going to need. When this calculation is done, it is important to remember that you must accommodate the peak power load that these devices will supply. You must make allowances for power surges as well as appliances that are considered to be steady-rate. A good example of a high-demand system with high startup power is your furnace. If your furnace has a low start motor, this will still tax the load a bit. Energy-efficient appliances will directly impact how much load a backup power source can support. If you're in an area that loses power often, you may be well advised to get rid of the energy hogs and replace them with more energy-efficient appliances. If you use electric heat, a gas or wood stove is a great addition. Let a reputable generator dealer in your local area assess your true wattage needs. This way you'll be more confident when you purchase your Yamaha generator system.

History of the Diesel Generator

2007-10-11T04:58:00.000-07:00

The diesel generator owes its roots to mainly two inventors. One of these is the creator of the first generator Michael Faraday and the other is the creator of the diesel engine Rudolph Diesel. The first of these two has contributed greatly to life as we know it today with all his discoveries in electricity.

Michael Faraday was of humble beginning but always had a curious nature. He was at an early age an errand boy for a bookbinding shop and here he vastly increased his knowledge as he read anything he could put his hands on. He was very interested in the concept of energy and force and this interest is one that continued throughout his life and eventually he developed into a famed chemist and physicist.

It was his discovery of electromagnetic induction in the year 1831 that led to the development of the modern generator. He used what he termed his induction ring to discover the electromagnetic induction. This was the generation or induction of electricity in a wire by the use of the electromagnetic effect of the current in another wire. This was the first transformer and followed closely with the discovery of the magneto-electric induction process which is the production of a steady electric current.

He attached two pieces of wire by the use of a sliding contact to a copper disc. He rotated the disc through the poles of a magnet and was able to generate continuous direct current. This was the first generator of time. This group of experiments led to the revolutionized generator that we know today.

The diesel generator however owes its development to the inventor Rudolph Diesel. He started off as a refrigerator engineer and eventually found himself working on many heat engine designs. He in 1892 put out a patent that dealt with the method and design of a engine where combustion would take place in the cylinder. He continued to work to this goal and was successful in the production of a diesel engine that produced an efficiency of 75%.

It is the coupling of his diesel engine with the generator that led to the diesel generator that we known today. His design was rather large and very heavy and found more use in industrial applications as a generator. They were used to power pipelines and for electric plants and water plants. Later on they found applications in the mines and in oil fields. The diesel generator is simply the coupling of the diesel engine with an electrical generator and has been use throughout history since its invention for many applications.

The diesel generator has been seen to be the choice of many of the larger companies as it is well suited for industrial use. A major discouraging factor for its use in terms of the retail market has been the fact that it can be rather noisy but this has been reduced greatly from the first diesel generators and is now almost comparable to the gasoline generators. These generators also offer other perks such as increase fuel economy and reduced maintenance costs which can explain their popularity in industrial applications.

Guide to purchasing a Diesel Generator

2007-10-11T04:56:00.000-07:00

Mobile generator

2007-10-09T23:59:00.000-07:00

Raven Technology offers the 5 kW Blackbird generator for the underhood installation in a variety of Ford, GM and International chassis. The generator provides 110 V pure sine power through the flip of a switch to power tools, lights, computers, communications and other equipment used in emergency, utility and construction vehicles. The speed independent Blackbird system weighs in at 75 lb. and is designed to be belt- or PTO- driven from the engine and is speed independent to offer full power from idle to redline, said Raven.