DESIGN OF AN ENGINE GENERATOR FOR THE RURAL POOR: A SUSTAINABLE SYSTEMS APPROACH
Impact/Purpose:
The primary objective of the proposal is to design and fabricate a low cost, innovative, sustainable engine-generator ‘system’ to provide electrical power to a village in Kenya, and creation of a sustainable business using the technology. The proposed model emphasizes the importance of context: adequate infrastructure, agricultural production, education and training, as well as entrepreneurial engagement for the rural poor – necessary to ensure the sustainability of the innovative technology being designed.
Description:
The system consists of a fuel source (a biodiesel system), a combustion/boiler system, and a steam engine/generator. The biodiesel system proved to be simplistic in its design and low cost; it successfully made high-quality biodiesel in an efficient manner. The main issues to overcome will be safety training and proper placement of the reactor in an adequate facility. The cost was $980.
The combustion/boiler system consisted of a Kenyan Ceramic Jiko and a pressure tank. Calculations were done to determine what BTU amount was needed to heat two gallons of water to produce 40 PSI of pressure. This amount was found to be approximately 6910 BTUs. Testing was performed on the tank/Jiko system and determined that the unit produced a sufficient number of BTUs using the biodiesel fuel. After initial testing, the steam generation system produced approximately 30 PSI of pressure. Wrapping the tank with insulation the steam generation system was able to produce 60 PSI of pressure. The steam generator was able to produce the correct amount of steam but it took approximately an hour to do so. The cost was $250.
The steam engine system itself was operated at 30 psi and was operating at 126 rpm. The engine was prone to binding and had to be reset. This issue is being addressed. The cost was $550.
Finally, the generator operated successfully. The cost was $200.
The entire system was placed on a pivot to allow for removal of the water tank from the boiler to prevent firing of an empty tank.
Record Details:
Record Type:PROJECT(
ABSTRACT
)
Start Date:08/15/2009
Completion Date:08/14/2010
Record ID:
249418
Keywords:
STEAM ENGINE, ELECTRICAL POWER GENERATION, AGRICULTURAL POWER,
Related Organizations:
Role
:OWNER
Organization Name
:PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY
Mailing Address
:201 Old Main
Citation
:University Park
State
:PA
Zip Code
:16802
Project Information:
Approach
:Regarding the ‘system’ to be designed, the approach is to integrate the agricultural production of appropriate feedstock into the economic fabric of the community, followed by the design, testing and prototyping of a low-cost, locally manufactured engine-generator for sale in the region, as well as the use of the by-products of the biodiesel system (initiation of a soap making business). The sustainable, environmentally friendly ‘system’ developed and integrated into the community in a holistic sense is what is novel. The generator will be powered by a steam engine. Steam engines provide advantages such as: less pollution, quiet running, high torque at low speeds, no transmission requirements, will be able to run on a choice of fuels, has a long life with relatively low maintenance, and low cost.
Cost
:$9,990.00
Research Component
:Pollution Prevention/Sustainable Development
Approach
:Regarding the ‘system’ to be designed, the approach is to integrate the agricultural production of appropriate feedstock into the economic fabric of the community, followed by the design, testing and prototyping of a low-cost, locally manufactured engine-generator for sale in the region, as well as the use of the by-products of the biodiesel system (initiation of a soap making business). The sustainable, environmentally friendly ‘system’ developed and integrated into the community in a holistic sense is what is novel. The generator will be powered by a steam engine. Steam engines provide advantages such as: less pollution, quiet running, high torque at low speeds, no transmission requirements, will be able to run on a choice of fuels, has a long life with relatively low maintenance, and low cost.
Cost
:$9,990.00
Research Component
:P3 Challenge Area - Agriculture
Approach
:Regarding the ‘system’ to be designed, the approach is to integrate the agricultural production of appropriate feedstock into the economic fabric of the community, followed by the design, testing and prototyping of a low-cost, locally manufactured engine-generator for sale in the region, as well as the use of the by-products of the biodiesel system (initiation of a soap making business). The sustainable, environmentally friendly ‘system’ developed and integrated into the community in a holistic sense is what is novel. The generator will be powered by a steam engine. Steam engines provide advantages such as: less pollution, quiet running, high torque at low speeds, no transmission requirements, will be able to run on a choice of fuels, has a long life with relatively low maintenance, and low cost.
Cost
:$9,990.00
Research Component
:P3 Challenge Area - Energy
Project IDs:
ID Code
:SU834327
Project type
:EPA Grant