How much single phase 120/240 can I get out of a MEP-006A? Also load bank.

[ichudov]

So I have this MEP-006A:

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcrF--s7QBM[/media]

and I am wondering just how much single phase (120/240) I can get out of it. I understand that it is 120/208. But maybe I can adjust the voltage up a bit to 125/216 volts, so that both 125v and 240v loads would be happy?

If so, how many kW can I get out of it, WITHOUT extensive rewiring?

Also, if I wanted to run "the house" from it, I could run some of the 240v loads, like the kitchen range and the air conditioner, off of the "other" leg?

Also, re: wet stacking and load bank. Load bank rental costs are prohibitive. I bought three 20 kW electric heat elements on eBay for $45 each. See eBay item 330518383523.

I will try to make a load bank that I can use as a 60 kW load bank to test my MEP-006A, and a 20kW single phase bank to test my Cummins generator.

For the MEP-006A, in a 60 kW configuration, should I hook those heating elements in wye or delta?

Also, obviously, these coils need to be cooled at full power. I have a shop fan:

Picasa Web Albums - Igor Chudov

It is 1/3 HP. Do you think that it will blow enough air at these coils to keep them no more than dull red?

In any case, I am very interested to get the answer to my first question on how much 120/240 power it can make.

i

 

[212sparky]

the 240v loads will run just fine on 208. the current they draw will go up slightly. if you are concerned you could have 3 panels on wired to AB phase one wired to BC and one wired to AC phase and those three fed from your main and when you want to run the genset bottom feed the 3 sub panels from the genset, just make sure to turn off the feed from the utility.

 

[PeterD]

the 240v loads will run just fine on 208. the current they draw will go up slightly. ...

Actually at 208 volts, the current will do down, not up. Ohm's law applies here.

To the original post, if the genset is setup at 120/208 volts (as most are) you can run one side as a 120/208 and the spare leg (which is 120 volts, not 208 ) can be used to feed some additional circuits without a problem (other than creating a change-over switch to handle the switching...)

You didn't mention how many volts those eBay elements are, if they are 240 then delta connect them. If they are 120 volts (don't think so at that wattage!) then wye connect them. Realize that if they are rated at 240 volts, they will draw (slightly) less than the rated 20 KW when connected to 208 volts, but would still work well with the configuration.

Give us a picture of the heater elements, it is possible the fan may work, or it may not. Hard to say.

 

[deuceman51]

Most electric items are rated 208/230v. Check your data plate on whatever your trying to run. Also electrical items will -operate within a 10% +/- volt tolerance without causing damage. An example of this would be a 120v item can run as low as 108 or as high as 132v. Obviously staying within a 5% range is prefered.

 

[ichudov]

Nehog, you can see these furnace heating coils here:

EDIT: The links posted here are dead.

I can mount them in front of that 1/3 HP fan and just blow air at them. Right?

 

[rat4spd]

Actually at 208 volts, the current will do down, not up. Ohm's law applies.

Could you explain this?

 

[Speddmon]

Could you explain this?

I was kinda wondering the same thing myself. Volts and Amps are inversely proportional...less volts more amps.

 

[Marinawreckers]

Volts down, amps up. That's why the wires get so hot. Also, owning a marina that is underpowered (inherited the mess). I
've seen 120v appliances run on as low as 90ish volts. But then again, that's when things get hot.

 

[DJones]

I was kinda wondering the same thing myself. Volts and Amps are inversely proportional...less volts more amps.

 

[ichudov]

Could you explain this?

Whether current goes up, or down, at reduced voltage, DEPENDS ON THE LOAD.

For resistive loads, that follow Ohm's law, the current indeed is proportional to voltage.

For AC motors, the current goes up as voltage is reduced.

i

 

[drgreg]

I agree with the inverse relation of I (amps) vs E (volts). But also remember that there is a correction factor of aprox. 1.73 for single phase to 3 phase.

 

[bmwsyc]

Whether current goes up, or down, at reduced voltage, DEPENDS ON THE LOAD.

For resistive loads, that follow Ohm's law, the current indeed is proportional to voltage.

For AC motors, the current goes up as voltage is reduced.

i

Ichudov is correct.

in resistive loads, like heating elements, use V=I*R. The resistance stays the same, so if the voltage drops, the current will drop as well. Reduce the voltage by 10% you get roughly a 20% drop in used power (wattage)

Inductive are the opposite...sort of...reduce the voltage and motors draw more current...until they burn out or trip on overload. That said, motors can run with a variation of plus or minus 6-10 % (depending on the motor) and be fine.

You could also use water as a heat sink if you have water heater type elements for your load bank.

 

[LanceRobson]

Keep in mind that the MEP-006A is rated at 0.8 power factor. don't run it over that for long.

Lance

 

[rat4spd]

On a small scale, sure it's all well and good, especially if you know you are running a lot of resistive loads. In reality, on the large(r) scale, ie power production, voltage and current tend to be inversely proportional.

 

[Speddmon]

On a small scale, sure it's all well and good, especially if you know you are running a lot of resistive loads. In reality, on the large(r) scale, ie power production, voltage and current tend to be inversely proportional.

Yeah, I got caught up in that one too...In the mill you could count the number of purely resistive loads on one hand and have a few fingers left over. Plus it's been too many years since I've had anything to do with electrical fundamentals.

 

[Ken_86gt]

Keep in mind that the MEP-006A is rated at 0.8 power factor. don't run it over that for long.

Lance

? Just watch your amps, don't exceed the generators rating and you will be fine. You can't really control the pf of your load.

 

[ichudov]

So, guys, anyone has an idea how much kW I can get from its 120/208 output, SINGLE PHASE?

i

 

[Ken_86gt]

You can get 208 amps per phase (120V), thats about 20kW. if you use two phases at 120/208 it will be 40KW. Is this for you house?

 

[LEYDEN EMD]

single phase 120/240

You can get 44kw @ 110% by reconfiguring the reconnection board to a zig zag this will give you 183 amps and your genset will not run unbalanced. I have 4 gensets running town buildings in this manner. If you wuold like more info you can pm me .

 

[ichudov]

You can get 44kw @ 110% by reconfiguring the reconnection board to a zig zag this will give you 183 amps and your genset will not run unbalanced. I have 4 gensets running town buildings in this manner. If you wuold like more info you can pm me .

I would love to know more about it, could you give some detail???


thanks!!!