Looking for suggestions on what to do with this nifty little gas-turbine genset...

[jamesfrom180]

Turbine welder? I would think the hybrid is the only way with the constant shaft speed. Large hydraulic or electric is the only useable adaption I can think of. One bad a$$ dixie chopper.
http://www.elmlawnsite.com/dixie_chopper_page.htm

 

[PsycoBob]

28v electric forklift drive motors and hydraulic pumps. Do a 4-wheel 2.5-ton Mule/crawler with electric motors and electric/hydraulic power steering and brakes. Imagine the looks from the jeep guys when you fire up the turbine...

 

[axlr8]

if you have no use for that trailer ill take her from you haha just have to find a transport to mn....i vote sand rail.... using the exhaust and hydraulic motors....BAD A$$

 

[Keith_J]

A 65 pound, 130 Hp turbine is going to drink fuel at a rate of over 100 pounds per hour. 15 plus gallons per hour, give or take. A 5:1 reduction unit will easily weigh 40 pounds but still that is a flyweight aircraft engine for 130 Hp, fine if you don't want to go far. Put it in a two-seat experimental aircraft with a constant speed prop (auto-feather) and be the star of Oshkosh. It won't be any faster, just unique.

I'd like to see the internals of that engine. Probably single shaft...which limits applications. Dual shaft turbine engines are far more useful as the power take off doesn't hamper spooling of the engine. In this generator, it is started unloaded so the output load is just inertial.

 

[sdmack55]

Can you tell me how much it cost? I would like to get one.

 

[wdbtchr]

Turbine welder? I would think the hybrid is the only way with the constant shaft speed. Large hydraulic or electric is the only useable adaption I can think of. One bad a$$ dixie chopper.
http://www.elmlawnsite.com/dixie_chopper_page.htm

I was wondering about the idea of a heavy duty DC welder also. I have one that is rigged up with a 6 cylinder Chevy engine, hard to slow down but if you need a lot of heat it really delivers.

 

[lxawolf]

I am wondering is this just a 28v DC generator or does it also have the 115v 400hz AC power components? (looking back the thread is quite old, I am curious what has transpired since 2009?) Many smaller FBO's may look to acquire a unit for ground power uses. One thing you could use it for is one heck of a hot shop heater.

 

[papabear]

I think it could be mated to a turbo encabulator and used to power a nofer trunion.

 

[Keith_J]

What a thread resurrection!

 

[74M35A2]

I bought a military turbine genset off a drunk farmer for $200 because it had the turbine in it that all of the home built helicopter clubs use. It was a Solar T-62. Bought it for $200, and sold it for $5000 2 days later. Heard they were used for remote radar stations. It was also 400Hz.

Gen-set turbines are single shaft and single speed, so they are hard to utilize for anything really. They for sure sound cool and make a bunch of heat and noise. They also over-speed easily if the governor is flunky, and fly apart at mach 3.

 

[turnkey]

Take it in and have a good Ele shop rewire it for 12vdc...Think how many batteries you recharge at one time.....

 

[rhurey]

Seems some dudes around here have some beef that may need cooking or something, I can't follow along. Maybe they'd like to borrow it.

 

[CDR]

If it's 28VDC @ 10KW output, set it up as a backup genset for the house. There are inverters large enough.

I'm amazed on one else said this seems very simple right?

 

[ronbot]

Resurrection of the oldest thread!

The genset was 28V AC at 440Hz... this is the military standard frequency. It could be rectified, filtered, then fed to:
a) 120/240V AC power inverters such as used for wind turbines or solar panels
b) electric motor powered gokart golf cart

10kW of generator output is only about 13.4 HP, which means about 16 HP at the PTO shaft (counting for generator losses)

If anyone knows of one of these for sale, let me know. My father used to have a couple of Solar (brand) GPU turbines (one an air start supply, the other a 28V AC genset), but after he passed I got cheated out of being able to buy one from the estate.

 

[74M35A2]

I don’t think many left. I heard the turbine generators were for remote radar stations? Not sure.

Regardless, the Solar turbine powered gensets are worth cash. The T-62 model turbine is highly sought after by the homebuilt helicopter crowd. I bought one for $300 and resold just the turbine unit for $5,000 to a buyer sight unseen 3 days later. If you lookup Mosquito XE, that is one of such kits. Cool setup, but no thanks.

 

[dmetalmiki]

Well, since you 'lost' your other big toy..Now is the time to make yourself happy again.
Buy a (Air) PLANE! for the set!.

 

[Guyfang]

Resurrection of the oldest thread!

The genset was 28V AC at 440Hz... this is the military standard frequency. It could be rectified, filtered, then fed to:
a) 120/240V AC power inverters such as used for wind turbines or solar panels
b) electric motor powered gokart golf cart

10kW of generator output is only about 13.4 HP, which means about 16 HP at the PTO shaft (counting for generator losses)

If anyone knows of one of these for sale, let me know. My father used to have a couple of Solar (brand) GPU turbines (one an air start supply, the other a 28V AC genset), but after he passed I got cheated out of being able to buy one from the estate.

Ronbot,

There is no such thing as 28 volt AC 400 hertz gen set in the Army inventory. This set set produces 28 volts DC. It's purpose in life was to power up rotary wing aircraft, on the flight line or when testing/repairing aircraft.

 

[fcbrants]

Heads Up, there's another one for sale on GP in Lake Worth, TX (a few miles from my house.)

It's pretty rough looking, but it might be worth a look-see.

Search GP for "Tiernay" & it comes right up.

I've purchased a lot of stuff lately from GP & I found a logistics company that makes deliveries from military bases as simple as orders from Amazon:

Ken Cobb
Value Truck of Arizona (MC#364675)
Value Logistics (SCAC/VULG)
8601 S US Hwy 85
Buckeye, AZ 85326
Phone: (480) 553-6209
Cell: (480) 341-0321
Fax: (602) 773-0866

 

[Jericho]

guyfang is absolutely correct its AIRCRAFT or MiSSILE related. I worked GTC ,s Gas Powered Compressors and that's really what that is, I will offer just one caution They all turn at extremely high RPMS some as high as 40 thousand RPM on the rotors , inducer, exducer. You and me cant afford to do an overhaul, You and me don't have enough money to properly maintain one longterm. If your going tp reuse it in a way other than the way its designed at least ensure the needed auto shutdown and control / instruments are intact, REMEMBER , most DO NOT MEET CIVILIAN TURBINE CONTAINMENT STANDARDS in case of a shell out

 

[Guyfang]

guyfang is absolutely correct its AIRCRAFT or MiSSILE related. I worked GTC ,s Gas Powered Compressors and that's really what that is, I will offer just one caution They all turn at extremely high RPMS some as high as 40 thousand RPM on the rotors , inducer, exducer. You and me cant afford to do an overhaul, You and me don't have enough money to properly maintain one longterm. If your going tp reuse it in a way other than the way its designed at least ensure the needed auto shutdown and control / instruments are intact, REMEMBER , most DO NOT MEET CIVILIAN TURBINE CONTAINMENT STANDARDS in case of a shell out

Brothers and sisters, this is a warning you should ignore at your own risk. All our small turbines, (30 KW and smaller) were marked with two yellow lines. Standing between them was not a good idea. When you get a turbine burst, (and its not a matter of IF, its a matter of WHEN) the bits and pieces of the turbine wheel would come flying through the housing at about mach 2. Not good. It wasn't until we got the D424A engine, (rated at 150 KW, but could have pulled 300+ KW with ease) that this problem went away. The engine was made of cast iron. No part ever left the engine when we had a turbine burst.

And as for the upkeep, well, at 350 hours, on the D424A, we had to change inside & outside regenerator seals. 12-14 thousand bucks for the seals. The regenerator wheels were 7 thousand per wheel. We needed two per gen set. There is NOTHING cheap about a turbine.