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Tonight's question - Diesel Electric Generators

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JPSmit

JPSmit

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Well lads (and lasses) here we go. As I am sure many know Train engines and Cruise Ships are powered by diesel electric.

I perpetually look at boats for sale and while I usually check sailboats, I occasionally look at trawlers. It seems to me that diesel electric is a natural progression for these type of boats, especially as fuel gets more expensive. And, if you look online you will see that kits are available. That said, it seems to me that you ought to be able to convert a diesel engine to a generator - after all the engine part is just an engine.

thoughts? is this feasible, expensive, stupid?

(realizing it is all hypothetical)
 
Not sure I understand the question. Can you drive a generator with a diesel engine? Sure you can, in fact they are all over the place. Practically every hospital you see has a diesel gen set hidden somewhere in back, so they can have power in case the local grid fails. They may have other levels as well (eg batteries for very short term) but the big generator is usually diesel.

Diesel electric propulsion does have several advantages, but being cheap isn't one of them. Every conversion step loses efficiency, converting mechanical motion to electricity and back to mechanical motion is no exception. The old direct drive systems burn less fuel for the same thrust delivered. That's why most (if not all) hybrid cars still connect the engine directly to the wheels (in some modes), instead of always going through the double conversion.

Or were you talking about trying to take an existing diesel electric setup and repurpose it for something else?
 
I think the concept is running an inefficient engine (diesel / internal combustion) at its most efficient operating point (while charging the battery), and using an efficient engine (battery + electric motor) run at variable loads.

But im with JP... sailboats are the way to go. Love the moment of turning off the engine. Silence, cutting through the water. We had a Pearson 26 on Lake Erie a few years back.
 
Popeye said:
But im with JP... sailboats are the way to go. Love the moment of turning off the engine. Silence, cutting through the water. We had a Pearson 26 on Lake Erie a few years back.
Click to expand...

Learned to sail on Lake Erie! In an O'Day Sprite, later a Ray Green Rebel. Lived summers there ( as a "townie" in Geneva-on-the-Lake) from age 8 until leaving for the USAF. After that it was weekends and vacation. Sure do miss the rag boats.
 
Popeye said:
I think the concept is running an inefficient engine (diesel / internal combustion) at its most efficient operating point (while charging the battery), and using an efficient engine (battery + electric motor) run at variable loads.

But im with JP... sailboats are the way to go. Love the moment of turning off the engine. Silence, cutting through the water. We had a Pearson 26 on Lake Erie a few years back.
Click to expand...

that is exactly the idea - and yes, I love the idea of a sailboat but, then this showed up for sale: (sigh)

MV surveyer.jpg


BTW I should mention that I currently have the perfect boat - my brother owns one. :grin:
 
Which reminds me, I had a buddy who had like the coolest boat ever. Boy, I wish I had a picture of it.

It was the proverbial slow boat from China, literally. It was a Chinese junk. And it was made entirely of teak.

It hadn't sailed all the way here. For whatever reason some previous owner had it shipped over on a freighter. I'm not sure how far along the coast my buddy ever sailed it. It took a pretty stiff wind to get it to sail at all. He might have taken it out to Catalina. He mainly just puttered around the harbor with the motor.

The motor was a Mercedes marine diesel. That particular marine motor wasn't intended to drive a boat. It originally ran the electrical generator on a freighter. But since it was made to run under continuous load forever and never complain it seemed like a good match.

He lived on the boat. And when he passed he went peacefully in his sleep on it. When my time comes I can only hope that I go so well.

Since the boat was made of wood and he himself was of Norse stock we thought it would be fitting to put him on it, tow it out to open water and light it on fire. But I'm pretty sure the Coast Guard would have gotten mad at us.
 
At the Miami telephone office downtown
during the whole cuban missile crisis
a Diesel locomotive was placed in the building they punched out the wall ran tracks and bricked it backup.
Nothing other than what was required to produce power was done
in 1999 it was still there it was still a locomotive and there was hot water circulating.
exhaust was run in the building to the 4 floor then out to the alley this was a telephone CO floors were 20 ft.
all the windows were bricked up to the third floor

the stairway to the penthouse which had the ship to shore gear was hardened
the whole CO could run off that locomotive
it was the wildest use of a locomotive I ever have seen.
oh and the shelter still had all the food and water in it from that time.
 
SD Bugeye said:
At the Miami telephone office downtown
during the whole cuban missile crisis
a Diesel locomotive was placed in the building they punched out the wall ran tracks and bricked it backup.
Nothing other than what was required to produce power was done
in 1999 it was still there it was still a locomotive and there was hot water circulating.
exhaust was run in the building to the 4 floor then out to the alley this was a telephone CO floors were 20 ft.
all the windows were bricked up to the third floor

the stairway to the penthouse which had the ship to shore gear was hardened
the whole CO could run off that locomotive
it was the wildest use of a locomotive I ever have seen.
oh and the shelter still had all the food and water in it from that time.
Click to expand...

in 1998 they had a huge ice storm and a few places had locomotives parks for power - especially for the longer time waits to re hook up the power
 
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