Generator Cord Sizing 100' Run: Stay With 10-Gauge?

[clare]

Hey, I didn't say it was impossible - but not something the average homeowner is going to want to have to do every time there is a power outage.

[clare]

It would give you exactly what you get on a typical north american power line. Center tapped single phase 240. You won't get me into any arguement/discussion of whether it is single or 2 phase.

[clare]

OK, so basically mechanical phase converters? The input was single phase AC? How did you vary the speed of the prime mover?Mechanical variable speed drive?

[Terry Coombs]

Well , there is that ...

[Ralph Mowery]

I did not get into the prime mover that much, but I think it was a DC electronic drive that powered the motor part. The main power fed to the varitable speed part was 60 Hz 480 volt 3 phase. I think it was converted to DC to drive the motor part that controls the speed and then to the generator part that puts out lower frequency ( probably lower voltage also)

3 phase AC. I know it had a knob on it so we could change the speed of the motor driving the AC generator. When I needed to put one on line, I hooked a box up to some plugs on the speed control drive and adjusted the speed so the bulbs went out and threw a switch. I was not too concerned about the actual speed control part as others repaired that. My part of that job was just to get the MG sets on and off line without causing prblems. My main job was instrumentation, but had to know a little about most everything so I could fill in for the electrician that worked on each shift when they went on vacation.

We also had a newer part of the plant that did the same thing except it was with all electronic controls and no MG sets. We had a box with meters on it that we used to sync the inverters to put the spare on and off line when we worked on the main speed control inverter.

This setup was at a plant that made polyester. The 'small' motors powered gear pumps that forced the melted plastic out of a die. This speed had to be constant so the plastic comming out of the die would be the same thickness. There were 16 small motors being driven at the same time. We could shut off one or two of the small motors and not cause much of a problem,but if the whole thing shut off very long (much over 2 minuits) it would cause a major problem and loss of production. That is why we had a spare MG set for about 20 of the other MG sets.

[sam E]

[snipp]

"two-phase 240" sounds like you'd get 480 across the whole thing.

These things are relative to ground, so it's a matter of what you do with the point that's between the generators.