philba

Does anyone know if it's possible or practical to convert a diesel engine to natural gas? I'm looking for a backup generator and have natural gas. Most of the larger 12KW or higher generators seem to be diesel. It would really be superior to having to deal with liquid fuel issues.

I suspect the answer is no due to the compression ratio of a diesel.

Hero999

I would say no since natural gas is a lot more flamable than deisel, it will probably just blow up.

But you can convert vegitable oil to deisel. You might be able to purchase old chip fat from your local fish and chip shop for a very low price then convert it to super cheap deisel.

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philba

my guess is it will ignite early but blow up?

veggy oil to diesel. It's called biodiesel and is well known. However, I wouldn't try to do it myself. Interestingly, in the seattle area, they are planning on a huge biodiesel plant. it's actually more expensive than regular diesel, though.

DrDudley

I know of several people converting engines to run on propane but not sure if it was a diesel engine or gas engine.

Nigel Goodwin

There have been various car conversions to run on gas rather than petrol, but I've never heard of doing it with a diesel engine?. Considering a diesal engine is a 'heavy oil' engine, it seems pretty unlikely?.

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philba

yes, that's what I thought because it uses compression to cause detonation but hoped to hear from some one who knows definitively.

Nigel Goodwin

A quick google for 'LPG car conversion' gives lots of hits, one of which is http://www.greenfuel.org.uk/, if you select a make and model, choosing a diesal one, it says:
Further checking might produce more help?.

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Hero999

So it looks like the only option is to replace the engine.

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philba

lol, like I have a generator. I was investigating my options before I buy. I've found several gasoline generators in the 12KW range and believe they can be converted to NG. Unfortunately, they are much more expensive than the surplus military generators that will last forever. I'm still not sure what I'm going to do. Another thing I discovered in my research is that NG (and propane) powered engines are derated from the gasoline ones.

Nigel Goodwin

Strangely enough an old friend of mine bought a surplus generator from an auction at a USAF base in the UK - if I remember correctly it was a two stroke diesel, and something like 300KW - perhaps a little large for your purposes?.

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philba

not strange at all. those monsters are floating around all over the place and they last forever.

a little too large... hmmm. maybe i could start my cyclotron project...

bryan1

Hiya Philba,
As you've probably worked out there's no way to run a diesel on gas but if you haven't yet take a look how each motor works and it's pretty self explanatary. My 15 kva Onan 3 phase genset runs on autogas via a forklift gas bottle and can fit 3 of them. Basically any petrol engine can run on gas if the gas unit is installed properly and the petrol motor can handle it. At the company I work for we sell the Kohler range of motors/gennies and their gas units start at the 15 hp mark and over. anyway if you do go for a diesel genny make up a blend of diesel, vege oil and sump oil and make sure the oils are well filtered and the mix is well agitated. I've got a 48 hp diesel tractor running on this blend and it hasn't affected the motor in the last 12 months.

Cheers Bryan

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philba

thanks bryan, I'm pretty biased against a diesel simply because I don't want to deal with the fuel. NG would be ideal since we have underground service.

Hero999

Does the vege oil work with turbo injected deisel though?

It'd be cool to run a modern car from this stuff.

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bryan1

Allo Hero,
My old tractor and stationary diesel motors are reasonably old and on the research I've I done I aint seen anyone using a diesel turbo to run a blend. As far as using a blend in a modern vehicle you would need to use bio diesel which with some setup work can be made yourself. Checkout some RE websites and google and you'll find all the info you need for making bio diesel but it's not for the faint hearted.

Cheers Bryan

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