wow do I have some questions

[dbelles]

I have a good system that puts out smooth and very reliable RPM, good tower, and every thing in place except the gen unit (choose to work from that part back to the gen).  I am a newbee by a mile and would like to run this as a grid tied system with no batteries or inverters or anything for my first project (just trying to keep it as easy as possible).  I do have a used motor and what follows is the information I can find on the motor plate:

3-Phase, 10 HP, RPM 1755, Voltage 208-230/460, 60 Hz, Full Load Amps 26.9-24.3/12.2

My question now is can this be induction motor be made to work?  I am interested in making just produce power when the grid is up and flowing and understand that you simply wire the motor into the line like you would to run it as a motor?  Would it take any rewiring?  Any help appreciated, but keep it simple please (very new).

[tanner0441]

Hi

I would stop there.... You cant just connect the motor to the grid. It will run as a motor. The inverter in grid tie makes sure the power you stuff back up the line is synchronised to the mains frequency and voltage.

What do you do if the wind is low? It will not make your supply voltage and the frequency will be way off.

Importantly the inverter set up also disconnects your system from the grid in the event of a power out.  Line men when they pull the breakers do not like people who try to toast them by stuffing power back down the line.

Brian

[dbelles]

Yes, but I have seen a ton of system that do not use inverters.  These seem very expensive and old fashioned as a neighbor has one and every time a storm comes along it fries the thing (he eventually called the company that installed the turbine and told them to come and get the piece of junk.  

An induction motor from everything I have read can put out power that can go straight into the grid.  Once it turns above the rated speed of the motor an induction motor makes electricity, hence it is always grid ready power because it can only put out when conditions are right.  

As for disconnect, once there is no current in to an induction motor the thing shuts off because there is no electricity to create the magnetic field meaning no electric output.  Kind of hard to fry someone when it won't make power once the feed is cut.  

This is what I have found so far on my own and maybe all the other resources were wrong but I some how doubt it.  Like I said my main questions are if there is a bunch of stuff you would need to do to the motor and if the motor I have from and old junked out grain bin drying fan would work.

Anyone out there been around induction motors made into generators, your help here would be greatly appreciated.

[TomW]

dbelles;

Hate to rain on your party. But. You are suffering from multiple misunderstandings and / or misunderstandings.

I do not have the patience or block of time to detail them and educate you in "why".

Hopefully others will.

Your cart is well ahead of your horse here. To coin a phrase.

What power source? is it constant RPM and torque?

Just a couple questions.

Most importantly:

The AC motor can produce power without grid available under certain conditions! Think capacitance in long transmission lines beyond the motor being driven.

That is a known fact.

Tom

[tanner0441]

Hi

You say you have a tower, so I assume you are talking wind. I don't know any place on earth that the wind blows constantly with the same force, and even is it did your turbine would alter its speed as the load varied.  As I pointed out earlier if you connect a motor to the supply it is a motor you will generate a rotating magnetic field and the thing will turn, and being an induction motor it will turn at its synchronus speed, and that is most likely to be a speed far faster than the wind will turn it.

I am not going to start on the safety issues about direct conection to the grid without the relevant disconnect circuit. Other than to say don't.

Your basic electrical knowledge is lacking. Read back on here over the last couple of years. All the information you need to understand your problems will be here.

As Tom said you do not understand the concept of what you want to do.

Read

Brian

[dbelles]

That seems weird, I have already got contacts from 9 others on here doing that exact thing right now.  One of these is even connected to the same power company as I am.  My question was answered by them, thanks though, maybe a person needs to try something before saying it won't work I guess.  My only question was about the use of the motor I had and that was all, not the theory and connection requirement because all that has been documented and done before.  Simple question simple answer, spin it faster and it will make power, answer yes.  Thanks to those who had all the links.

[dbelles]

Also, never said no disconnection device.  Even a regular gas gen needs an auto transfer switch and there are far cheaper ways to do this other than an inverter that a person doesn't need.  Seems way expensive, old fashioned and odd to buy an inverter just to disconnect and it doesn't take a wealth of knowledge to figure out how to do this guy.