Can I use a 17.5 HP engine for a homemade generator? Is that too much HP and somewhat pointless or will the generator be able to produce more power?
Thanks!
What alternator do I need?
After factoring in losses and so on, a good figure to use is 500 watts per horsepower. Your 17.5HP engine should be able to supply 8750 watts continuously. Depending on the alternator the surge rating could be much higher. The engine will need to operate at a constant speed. If it is directly connected, for the AC output to be 60Hz it must be either 1800RPM or 3600RPM, depending on the type of alternator. A belt or gear type drive would have to factor in pulley sizes as well.
Read through my home generator pages…
August 7th, 2010 at 5:15 am
Depends on the wattage of the generator, but 17.5HP would run a good sized unit.
References :
August 7th, 2010 at 5:31 am
After factoring in losses and so on, a good figure to use is 500 watts per horsepower. Your 17.5HP engine should be able to supply 8750 watts continuously. Depending on the alternator the surge rating could be much higher. The engine will need to operate at a constant speed. If it is directly connected, for the AC output to be 60Hz it must be either 1800RPM or 3600RPM, depending on the type of alternator. A belt or gear type drive would have to factor in pulley sizes as well.
Read through my home generator pages…
References :
http://members.rennlist.org/warren/generator.html