WhisperGen Stirling Engine... I want one...

[dbvandy]

I was thumbing through the TV today and saw a show about a new generator run by a Stirling engine...  why don't we all have these???

http://www.whispergen.com/content/library/whispergen.html   

Doug

[Blade]

Those are cool generators. My wife and I raise miniature horses and when I saw those I thought it would be cool to build a way to produce methane gas from the manure to run one of those generators with.

[mike os]

been round for a while now... maybe 10 years,  damn expensive bit of kit from what I recall.... thought about one myself

[andyf]

Here in the UK, a gas central heating boiler (furnace in the US) has recently been advertised as containing a Stirling to generate electricity.

But it strikes me that buying gas at retail prices to generate electricity on a small scale might well work out more expensive than buying electricity from a utility company. And no doubt the capital cost is pretty high.

Andy

[woodguy]

I know several people who have fitted these to their boats, and all have had problems. During the winter, when the heat produced can be put to good use, they are great. In the heat of the summer - not so much.

[joshagrady]

Those are cool generators. My wife and I raise miniature horses and when I saw those I thought it would be cool to build a way to produce methane gas from the manure to run one of those generators with.

If the horses are small enough, maybe you could just make a gerbil wheel contraption and generate some energy that way.   

[BiggerHammer]

Those are cool generators. My wife and I raise miniature horses and when I saw those I thought it would be cool to build a way to produce methane gas from the manure to run one of those generators with.

It is VERY easy to build an anaerobic digester that will produce methane from manure. I am unsure of the size needed for your application or how much ummm lets call it feedstock you would need to add daily to maintain a constant gas volume to run the generator.

It should be feasible to do that. Provided of course you have a sufficient number of horses to provide enough poo-gas to run the generator. If you do this please let us know. Talk about a  .

[Blade]

I think I will build a large gerbil wheel  it would only have to be about 8 feet tall for most of our horses to fit  .

I have researched digesters, if I could generate enough methane to run a regular generator that would be the easiest way because I already have one. I think the price of the stirling units is high so I don't know if it would be worth it.

[BiggerHammer]

So, if your horses were say.... about 25% the size of a regular horse would they be considered a quarter-horse? Also would they generate a quarter horspower? 

[Joules]

Does that mean a 3 legged horse generates fractional horse power ?


                 J

[John Stevenson]

Does that mean a 3 legged horse generates fractional horse power ?


               

No you will get three phase.

John S.

[Bluechip]

Does that mean a 3 legged horse generates fractional horse power ?


               

No you will get three phase.

John S.

If it was a rocking horse you would get a milking stool

BC

[dbvandy]

Does that mean a 3 legged horse generates fractional horse power ?


               

No you will get three phase.

John S.

If it was a rocking horse you would get a milking stool

BC

Or one that likes Led Zeppelin...
 

[Blade]

What about quarter horses, how do you rate them? If I use four is it one horse power? And then there are saw horses and horse flys  .

My horses are about 1/10th of a horse.

[jgroom]

My horses are about 1/10th of a horse.

How do you keep from tripping over them?