Generator Question

We tend to lose power during storms in our township as we did again yesterday. We I'm running my generator it tends to surge when when freezer and frig compressors kick in and out. My question is can I install capacitors in parallel with output and what exactly mfg would I need. I'm a maintenance man by trade so I have electrical experience to complete/fabricate cap bank and install I just need to know what size caps I need.

Bill S.

I don't know if it's that simple, I would wonder if the caps would interfere with the voltage regulator. You could get a 10kw and be done with it..

something like this? I think your would put it on the unit needs the surge, not on the generator.

http://www.patriot-supply.com/products/ ... cfm/153429

Good reading...

http://www.inspectapedia.com/aircond/aircond15g.htm

WNY,
That's not for this application what a starting cap does is charge up to specified voltage which is much higher than running voltage and gives the motor a good whack to start.

grumpy,
I don't know if it would interfere with the regulator or just load it up to max load at all times and eat a lot of gas. A buck,boot transformer may work also but that's more than I'm willing to invest. I just need something that will absorb the spikes. MOV's and varistors also tend to absorb spikes but then again it's not within my knowledge on how to size them.

For all the money and time you are spending on something that is gonna cost you big in the end ,just go buy a bigger gen and get it over with, you are going to burn up a lot of stuff with this Idea of yours, refrigerators are not made to take that kind of abuse...speaking from a lot of exp with caps I fire off a 12.5 kw gen with a cap ever time it restarts its not easy on stuff electric at all...............

UDT-SEAL,

A bigger generator will do the same thing. When any load kicks on and off you'll get a surge I just want to soften it.Why do you think they recommend surge protectors for electronic equipment? I just want to build a surge suppressor on a larger scale.

Tough call, how to make a surge suppressor to handle these kinds of loads. I have a computer line conditioner that cleans up my generator power very well. I used an oscilloscope to verify it's operation. Sags and surges are difficult to deal with without a UPS. A UPS truly conditions the line voltage. Just my opinion.

BillMarti wrote:UDT-SEAL,

A bigger generator will do the same thing. When any load kicks on and off you'll get a surge I just want to soften it.Why do you think they recommend surge protectors for electronic equipment? I just want to build a surge suppressor on a larger scale.

You have a misunderstanding of what a typical surge suppressor does. It protects loads, usually electronics, from over voltage transients. It does not supply power to make up for line voltage droop for loads greater than the power source (generator in your case) can supply. While capacitors can store energy the size needed to compensate for all but a small line voltage droop would be huge. Perhaps a specially engineered combination of an huge inductor and huge capacitor would do but it's not the right approach. As others have suggested a UPS system will do what you need. The mechanical approach would be a large flywheel rotating mass on your generator. The surge power would be supplied by the inertia energy stored in the rotating flywheel.

I guess its you who maybe dont understand what he is trying to do...............That's not for this application what a starting cap does is charge up to specified voltage which is much higher than running voltage and gives the motor a good whack to start.
He is trying to take 3000 kw or so.... and make it 10000 kw or so

Yanche.

Your on to something there. I almost had a rather large UPS system from work but silly me fixed it. I'm a fart smeller or rather a smart feller