Anyone experiment with alternative energy?

Ron Wenrich · June 23, 2007, 09:53:28 AM

So how much energy does it take to make the radio waves?

Don P · June 24, 2007, 08:39:28 AM

A high frequency glue machine sends radio waves into one plate, through the gluelines in a panel and to ground in the top plate. They can excite and vaporize the water out of the glue in half a minute or so. 15-20 kw and I don't think there was enough splitting of molecules to run an engine. There was enough electricity used to run one ???

clousert · February 10, 2008, 02:21:04 PM

I make biodiesel from used vegetable oil in our area. My cost is about $1.10 per gallon (not counting labor, of course). I have run it in my farm tractors for 2 years. I like it so much that I'm converting my bandsaw to a diesel engine, and I'll saw with it too.

I made a Savonius style windmill, which really didn't work at all. Anybody thinking about Savonius style windmill, give me a holler. If I get around to building another one, it will be the conventional type.

I would also like to hear from someone who made an electric tractor, or car, or go-cart of any kind. I have an interest in making one of these ever since I saw the electric tractor this fall at the Nittany Antique Machinery Show in central PA. That thing was awesome!

OneWithWood · February 11, 2008, 02:20:47 PM

Hey, Clousert, what type of a rig are you using to make the bio diesel?
Are you using sodium or potasium hydroxide?
How are you handling the glycerol and wash water?

clousert · February 11, 2008, 03:19:57 PM

To OneWithWood: We had the local welding shop weld a metal cone onto the bottom of a 55 gallon drum, and put the whole thing on legs. A water heater electrode and thermostat are mounted in the cone. That is my reactor. After that I have 2 more flat bottom barrels, in series.

I use sodium hydroxide, the standard household lye, except I purchase it in 50-lb. bags.

Glycerine is drained off the cone bottom reactor about 6 to 12 hours after conversion. Fuel is pumped into next barrel for settling, (24 hours) and to the fuel barrel after that, also with a bottom drain. My barrels are equipped with a bottom tap (stove boiler drain) and another tap about one-third the way up. Barrels are never completely empty, as I only use fuel from the high taps.

Glycerine is just hand-dumped into a storage barrel. What I don't use as liquid soap, I dump onto a big manure compost pile.

I made 2 batches of homemade bar soap, which worked OK for man-soap, but the women in my house won't touch it.

My dad wants to make a burner to utilize the glycerine better. It burns well when hot. In my one soap batch, I was bringing a kettle of glycerine to near-boiling on the stove, and caught the entire pan on fire!