On Nov. 7, 2009, Steven Dufresne wrote:
Hi Vincent,
Nice drawing! I like the hand-drawn look to it too. You've done a lot of homework.
By the way, you wouldn't have the generator output and the inverter output both going to the breaker panel. I've replaced two broken inverters because of people installing them that way. For some inverters, this feeding generator output to the inverter's output breaks the inverter and for others it just generates a fault. What people incorrectly do is have both outputs go to separate breakers in the panel so that when the generator is on, the inverter break would be turned off. But then one day they forget, and ... I don't know how it works in a grid-tied system where both the grid and the inverter go to the same panel. Inverters can take generator AC as input and pass some of it through to the breaker panel and use some of it to charge batteries. So the generator output would go to the inverter and only the inverter would feed the breaker panel (and no charge controller for the generator.) See: http://rimstar.org/renewnrg/sptypes.htm#OFFGRID The line with an arrowhead going from generator to inverter is how it's done.
There are also a few more disconnects. Basically, every component has disconnects around it so it can be isolated from the system for repairs. This is more for your information since drawing every disconnect in would make it very crowded.
Regarding the solar thermal, is this a climate with freezing outdoor temperatures? If so then water flowing outdoors in winter is an issue and the solar themal system would either be a closed-loop system with a distilled water/propylene glycol mix or a drainback system. Being in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, I've only ever worked on closed-loop systems. For close-loop, see: http://rimstar.org/renewnrg/solarhotwater.htm
-Steve
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On Nov. 7, 2009, Sterling D. Allan wrote:
Hey Vincent,
That's pretty good!
Steve, thanks for your input as well.
Yes, we'll be in freezing temperatures through the Fall - Spring time here in central Utah. Rather than using the non-toxic ethylene glycol closed loop system (which is what my dad has in his home http://www.allanstime.com/SolarHome/), I plan to situate the thermal panels inside the solarium that will run the length of the home (the half-pipe section of the home). That way I can just run regular water through it. I also plan on heating a large cistern of water for thermal mass storage, then run the radiant flooring and hot water for the home from there. The possible gotcha there is if we are away somewhere during the winter and one of the solarium windows breaks, possibly introducing a freeze to the system. But our community will likely be keeping an eye out, and until they are established, we can have friends check in on our place while we're gone.
By the way, on the rocket stove, one of the designs I saw had a vertical feed as well for the incoming wood, so that gravity would take care of the hopper, taking away the need for manual feeding, which would be very annoying. But the thing is, you'd have to make sure the stove was going good before starting up the vertical feed, because you certainly would not want the fire/smoke to start going up the vertical feed portion.
I envision a dual feed system. On horizontal as normal, and the other coming in at 45-80 degrees, V-ing into the horizontal feed. You would start the rocket stove with the horizontal, then once it is going good, introduce the vertical feed. The vertical feed might need a damper on it to keep the smoke/flame from going up it during start-up.
I also plan on running the rocket stove exhaust pipe through some seating in the living area to heat up that thermal mass. So by the time the exhaust leaves the home, most all of the energy has been dumped into the home for heat or energy.
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On November 07, 2009 3:14 PM, Vincent Howell wrote:
Hi Sterling,
Thanks.
You wouldn't have to use ethylene glycol in the closed-loop system presented in my drawing, if you just follow simple procedures to ensure the water never gets below freezing. But placing the thermal panels inside a solarium is a good idea too, plus you wouldn't have to worry about adding extra stuff to your roof.
In case you ever chose a stirling engine set up to charge batteries during days of low insolation (overcast) and no wind, I would construct a small closet or room in the house right behind the rocket stove, so that part of the hot cylinder can be fitted inside the stove. This room/closet can also be the place to store the hot water heater and most of the piping. A stirling engine is relatively quiet but a 2-5 HP motor might make some mechanical noise. I would line the closet walls and door with quality sound dampening foam. This way you can enjoy the stove heat in your living room without hearing the engine on the other side of the wall.
I like the idea of channelling the stove flue around the house to obtain as much heat as possible. However, you have to clean the flue now and then because creosote builds up and can ignite a fire in your chimney. Can that be done if the flue isn't vertical?
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On November 07, 2009 4:10 PM, Vincent Howell wrote:
...The charger would need to accommodate the varying performance of the stirling engine--it wont always or ever run at 3600 RPMs to generate 60 Hz AC. In general the engine RPM and performance will depend on how hot the fire is in the stove. I think one could just rectify the generated AC to DC then use a wind turbine charge controller rated for about the same power or more. I'd say a 2.5 or 3 HP stirling engine would generate about 1,500 watts after generator losses. Therefore a simple wind turbine charge controller rated at around 2kW would work.
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