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DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF A FUELLESS POWER GENERATOR

 

ABSTRACT

This project is on "DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF FUELLESS POWER GENERATOR". It is designed to meet up with the power demand in the offices and in homes in the absence of power supply from the national supply authority, NEPA. In order words the device / item serves as a substitute for NEPA (PHCN) which almost monopolises the power supply to people and also our conventional generator. These devices have overcome the need for conventional generator because it uses no fuel to generate power supply and it is also noiseless. It makes no noise during operation and no hazardous carbon monoxide is generated in the surrounding. This is a feature that makes it safe to use any where when compared to generator. The programme of work done described in this project work represents an exploration of the working principles of a generator without making use of fuel or any type of liquid, hence “fuelless generator’’ which was invented by Nikola Tesla after patenting  a successful method for producing alternating current. He claimed the invention of an electric generator that would not ‘’consume any fuel’’
However, the system design comprises of its method of construction, principles of operation, experiment, test and results.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
COVER PAGE
TITLE PAGE
APPROVAL PAGE
DEDICATION
ACKNOWELDGEMENT
ABSTRACT
CHAPTER ONE
1.0    INTRODUCTION
1.1    BACKGROUND OF THE PROJECT

    1. PROBLEM STATEMENT
    2. AIM OF THE PROJECT
    3. PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT
    4. SCOPE OF THE PROJECT
    5. PROJECT MOTIVATION
    6. BENEFIT OF THE PROJECT
    7. SIGNIFICANCE  OF THE PROJECT
    8. PROBLEM OF THE PROJECT

CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW

    1. REVIEW OF THE STUDY
    2. REVIEW OF THE RELATED WORK
    3. DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CONVENTIONAL GENERATOR AND FUEL-LESS GENERATOR
    4. REVIEW OF RECHARGEABLE BATTERY
    5. OVERVIEW OF DC MOTOR

CHAPTER THREE
3.0     CONSTRUCTION METHODOLOGY
3.1      BASIC OF THE SYSTEM
3.2      DESCRIPTION OF SYSTEM BLOCKS
3.3      MATERIALS USED
3.4      SYSTEM METHOD AND OPERATION
3.5      CONSTRUCTIONAL FEATURES
3.6     DESIGN PROCEDURE
3.7      DRAMATIC SETUP OF THE SYSTEM

CHAPTER FOUR
4.0    TESTING AND RESULTS

    1. CONSTRUCTION PROCEDURE AND TESTING
    2. CASING AND PACKAGING
    3. ASSEMBLING OF SECTIONS
    4. TESTING OF SYSTEM OPERATION

CHAPTER FIVE

    1. CONCLUSION
    2. RECOMMENDATION
    3. REFERENCES


CHAPTER ONE
1.0                                                        INTRODUCTION
Power generation and distribution has been an indispensable factor in the progress of an economy, ranging from manufacturing, banking, media, health care, aviation, etc. Environmental pollution which leads to degradation or depletion of ozone layer is one of the major problem caused by the use of generator with fossil fuels. Increase in the cost of fossil fuel which has been one of the major prime movers in the internal combustion engine (ICE) has been noticed. This can be accounted for based on the rapid decrease in the level of oil well. Hence, there is need for development of a power generating set that will not make use fuel to produce voltage. This study deals with the design and construction of a fuelless power generating set to serve as an alternative source of energy.
This  device converts DC power (also known as direct current), to standard AC power (alternating current). Fuelless generator are used to operate electrical equipment from the power produced by a car or boat battery or renewable energy sources, like solar panels or wind turbines. DC power is what batteries store, while AC power is what most electrical appliances need to run so generator is necessary to convert the power into a usable form.
The wave form of the generator is pure sine wave. In pure sine-wave, the output voltage of a sine-wave generator has a sine wave-form like the sine wave-form of the mains / utility voltage. In a sine wave, the voltage rises and falls smoothly with a smoothly changing phase angle and also changes its polarity instantly when it crosses 0 Volts.
Fuelless generators are used to operate sensitive electronic devices that require high quality waveform with little harmonic distortion. In addition, they have high surge capacity which means they are able to exceed their rated wattage for a limited time. This enables power motors to start easily which can draw up to seven times their rated wattage during start up. Virtually any electronic device will operate with the output from a pure sine fuelless generator. Sine wave fuelless generator has the following characteristics:

  • High efficiency
  • Low standby losses
  • High surge capacity
  • Low harmonic distortion

All fuelless generators are pure sine (true sine), hence the grid, by nature, is a pure sine wave electricity source. The importance of pure sine wave generator may be apparent especially for off grid applications such as RV, boat or cabins. They are used for connecting a battery source or a solar PV system to an AC load such as a home applicance, a laptop charger, a TV.

1.1                                         BACKGROUND OF THE PROJECT
Nigeria’s public power company-Power Holding Company of Nigeria has an installed generating capacity of about 6GW but actual available output is less than 2.5GW. Power black-out is frequent.
Presently power generation is mainly from thermal plants (about 61%) while hydro power generation is about 31%. Most of the generating assets in the public power sector are old, between 18 and 43 years. Lack of timely routine maintenance had caused significant deterioration in plant output and is a key explanatory factor in the lingering electric power crisis. According to industry watchers more than two decades of poor planning and underinvestment had left a huge supply deficit. There was no new infrastructure in over a decade despite rapid population growth and rising demand for power. (Nigeria: Electric Power Sector Report 2008)
Engineers in most of their design looks at nature for inspiration when it comes to designing objects examples of products from such inspired designs abound everywhere this includes but not limited to flying objects such as aeroplanes which looks much like a soaring bird in the sky. In this case we look towards nature once again for example water cycle as illustrated below is a natural phenomenon.
Rainfall, evaporation, condensation, rainfall; the cycle repeats itself over and over again. Now the same principle can be applied to electricity generation leading to electricity cycle, bringing what I call electricity revolution in Nigeria. Ordinarily conventional electricity generators make use of fuel or solar/wind or nuclear energy etc. In the case of fuel (in this analysis fuel can be petrol, diesel, steam, charcoal, kerosene etc.), an internal combustion engine is involved. This engine uses the chemical energy in the fuel converts it into mechanical energy that will be used to drive the alternator thereby generating electricity based on the principle of electromagnetic induction. The efficiency of the process is very low and only about 30% or less of the fuel will be converted successfully from chemical energy to mechanical energy by the internal combustion engine. The remaining 70% is wasted and the inefficiency increases as the engine ages (Roland, 2008).

1.2                   AIM AND OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT
The aim of the work is to create a generator, capable of producing 2KW of electrical energy/ power which can generate electricity without using any fuel.
The objectives are:

  1. To build fuel less generator prototype
  2. To generate electricity without using fosil fuel
  3. To evaluate the performance of a fuelless generator
  4. To explore an alternative which is affordable, convenient and efficient, just like our normal electricity. Here we will learn how to convert a fuel generator to a fuel less generator.

1.3                                                 SCOPE OF THE PROJECT
In the case of fuel less generator, the internal combustion engine is not needed because it does not have to convert the chemical energy in the fuel to mechanical energy that will be used to drive the alternator in other to generate electricity. This fuel less generator works in such a way that the electricity generated by the alternator is recycled back into the system.
This project covers the design and construction of the fuel less generator for use in residential use and small businesses such as supermarkets, and shops.

Block diagram of any project describe the circuit arrangement of any project. However, the block diagram of the fuelless generator describes the arrangement of the fuelless generator. The block diagram of a fuelless generator is as shown:

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1.4                                              PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT
The purpose of this work is to build a power generating that does requires fossil fuel to generate electricity. This device transforms direct current (DC) generated by a battery into alternating current (AC), which can be sent into AC appliances.

1.5                                         SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PROJECT
Solar inverter is useful in making appliances work at residential and industrial levels, such as:

  • Fuelless generator has always helped in reducing global warming and green house effect.
  • Also use of fuelless generator helps in saving money that would have used for buying fuel for conventional generator
  • A fuelless generator helps in converting the Direct current in batteries into alternative current. This helps people who use limited amount of electricity.
  • fuelless generator helps small homeowners and power companies as they are large in size.
  • Then there is this multifunction fuelless generator which is the best among all and works efficiently. It converts the DC power to AC very carefully which is perfect for commercial establishments.

1.6                                              PROBLEM OF THE PROJECT

  • Initially you need to shell out a lot of money for buying a fuelless generator
  • It will work effectively and produce direct current only when the battery is fully charged
  • Maintenance and replacement may require more effort. In the event of a problem, a technician will need to access the roof to make repairs. Depending on your maintenance plan and warranty, this may cost you money.

1.7                                           LIMITATION OF THE PROJECT

  • This device is can be damaged when the load exceeds or equal to the rated power of the device.
  • The inverter frequency is rated at 50hz
  • Iron casing and good heat sink is been used for heat absorption

1.8                                               BENEFIT OF THE PROJECT
The fuel less generator is a self-sustained generator which produces electric energy for consumption. That is to say it powers itself and simultaneously supplies power. In a way it can be also looked at as a form of renewable energy system. The benefits this machine gives include;
1) The fuel less generator can be operated for hours at a time without the use of fuel.
2) It is environmentally friendly as it produces no noise (noiseless operation), smokeless. Infact, it is possible for the machine to be kept indoors.
3) Very low maintenance.
4) It is also a possibility that an existing fuel generator can be converted into a fuel less generator by replacing the engine with the electromechanical device.

1.9 DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CONVENTIONAL GENERATOR AND FUELLESS  GENERATOR

 

CONVENTIONAL GENERATOR

 

FUELLESS GENERATOR

Conventional generators have been around for quite a while, and the basic concept behind them has remained essentially unchanged. They consist of an energy source, usually a fossil fuel such as diesel, propane or gasoline, which powers a motor attached to an alternator that produces electricity. The motor must run at a constant speed (usually 3600 rpm) to produce the standard current that most household uses require (in Nigeria, typically 220 Volts AC @ 50 Hertz). If the engine’s rpm fluctuates, so will the frequency (Hertz) of electrical output.

Fuelless generators are a relatively recent development, made possible by advanced electronic circuitry. It inverter draws power from a fixed DC source (typically a comparatively fixed source like a car battery or a solar panel), and uses electronic circuitry to “invert” the DC power into the AC power. The converted AC can be at any required voltage and frequency with the use of appropriate equipment, but for consumer-level applications in Nigeria, the most common combination is probably taking the 12V DC power from car, boat or RV batteries and making it into the 220V AC power required for most everyday uses.

Conventional generators always bigger and heavier than inverter

The compact size, relatively light weight and resulting portability of inverter generators make them the clear winner in this category.

Conventional generators always noisy

Fuelless generators are often designed from the ground up to be comparatively quiet

Conventional generators are often designed simply to get a certain amount of power where it is needed, and to keep the power on. Factors like the size of the unit have not been a major consideration. This has meant that conventional designs can often accommodate sizeable fuel tanks, with the obvious result being relatively long run times. This means that it uses fuel for it to operate.

Fuelless generator draws power from DC source, either from battery or solar panel.

Conventional  generators emit smoke smoke which causes pollution

Fuelless generator  produces no smoke

A conventional generator is nothing more than an engine connected to an alternator and run at a speed that produces the desired AC frequency, regardless of the load on it (as the load increases the engine throttles up to keep the engine speed the same). The output of the alternator is connected directly to the load, without any processing.

With an Fuelless generator, a rectifier is used to convert the AC power to DC and capacitors are used to smooth it out to a certain degree. The DC power is then “inverted” back into clean AC power of the desired frequency and voltage

Many inverters can be paired with another identical unit to double your power capacity. This type of parallel capability means you can use two smaller, lighter generators to provide the same wattage and amperage of one much larger generator – without sacrificing all the benefits of the smaller, lighter, quieter, more portable inverter units.

Conventional units simply can’t offer this feature. Note that you will need a special cable to connect your generators, which is generally not

1.10                                              PROJECT JUSTIFICATION
The need to switch from the use of synthetic fuels due to the effect of global warming caused by the use of fossil fuels among other reasons has necessitated exploration of other means of energy generation. Although several attempts have been made to come up with a means of energy generation like this, these fuel less generators are easy to build and operate, and are likely to be one of the most appropriate for developing countries as a source of decentralized power supply to rural communities and industries (FAO, 1986). Hence, the experimental scale fuel less generator is needed for studies into how its efficiency can be improved and adapted to meet the local requirement of developing countries. This small scale fuel less generator should serve as a model for the development of industrial scale fuel less generators. Nigeria, whose dependence rests exclusively on the fossil fuels (crude oil), would undoubtedly benefit from this project as it explores the use of basic electrical and mechanical components in the country. Also, the large energy need or demand in the country can be met by employing the technology of this fuel less generator.

1.11                                     ORGANISATION OF THE PROJECT
This work is organized in such a way that every reader of this work will understand how solar power inverter is been made. Starting from the chapter one to chapter five focused fully on the topic at hand.
Chapter one of this work is on the introduction to fuelless generator. In this chapter, the background, significance, objective limitation and problem of fuelless generator were discussed.
Chapter two is on literature review of fuelless generator. In this chapter, all the literature pertaining to this work was reviewed.
Chapter three is on design methodology. In this chapter all the method involved during the design and construction were discussed.
Chapter four is on testing analysis. All testing that result accurate functionality was analyzed.
Chapter five is on conclusion, recommendation and references.

CHAPTER FIVE
5.1                                           CONCLUSIONS
The following conclusions were drawn from the design, construction and performance evaluation of 1000W (1KVA) fuel-less power generating set;
i. It can be deduced that the machine (fuel-less power generating set) had the peak efficiency of 89.1% at a load of 100W and the lowest efficiency of 56.4% at a load of 600W with voltage output of 131V.
ii. It was also revealed that there is a decrease in the output of the machine when there is a high increase in the load.
iii. After proper statistical analysis, the machine is said to have an average efficiency of 56.4%.
iv. The input voltage which is usually supplied by the battery ranges from 11.68V at load of 1000W to 12.67 at 0W for fuel-less power generating set compare to 10.3V at load of 1000W to 12.63V for power inverter. This can be accounted for due to the fact that fuel-less generating set has self charging component while the inverter system depends on main source (PHCN or Power Generating Set) for recharging the battery.
v. Furthermore, the voltage output in the power inverter system is more stable than that of fuel-less power generating set as inverter system records output voltage which ranges between 146.8V at 1000W and 241.8V at 0W against the fuel-less generating set that recorded 28.24V at 1000W to 225V at 0W respectively.

5.2                                     RECOMMENDATIONS
Based on the design, construction and performance evaluation test conducted on the fuel-less power generating set, the following recommendations were made for further study; 267
(i) In order to obtain a good performance characteristic, a voltage well above 12V battery voltage should be used to power the power generator.
(ii) Design of special d c motor, alternator and transformer for the purpose of construction of fuelless power generating set has to be encouraged by engineers in society in order to has clean and renewable energy especially for agricultural production.
(iii) The appliance can be adopted and made available for use in agricultural establishments.

 

REFERENCES
[1]       The Authoritative Dictionary of IEEE Standards Terms, Seventh Edition, IEEE Press, 2000,ISBN 0-7381-2601-2, page 588
[2].     James, Hahn. "Modifi ed Sine-Wave Inverter Enhanced". Power Electronics.
[3].     Barnes, Malcolm (2003). Practical variable speed drives and power electronics. Oxford: Newnes. p. 97. ISBN 0080473911.
[4].     Rodriguez, Jose; et al. (August 2002). "Multilevel Inverters: A Survey of Topologies, Controls, and Applications". IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics (IEEE) 49 (4): 724–738. doi:10.1109/TIE.2002.801052.
[5].     Owen, Edward L. (January–February 1996). "Origins of the Inverter". IEEE Industry Applications Magazine: History Department (IEEE) 2 (1): 64–66. doi:10.1109/2943.476602.
[7]      http://michaelogolor.blogspot.com.ng/2010/02/fuelless-generator-introduction.html

 

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