Mike Brown

Unless they start giving away gasoline, I'm convinced there is enough interest in Biofuels to keep the movement growing, and it's not just here in North America, Michael Brown is a man who sees the future clearly, "after all, it's a supply and demand world".  Developing and making use of 'Green' fuels is just a smart thing to do. As you will read, even when you buy ready made Biofuels, you can lower your off grid costs over Petrol fuels at the pump. Slow speed engines and Biofuels are a natural.

May 2005

A brief look at Federal Tax breaks for Alternative Fueled Vehicles caused me to wonder why the Feds think you need four wheels on a vehicle, or that it needs to run on batteries or alcohol to be viable and worthy of tax breaks? I hear that Senator Cantwell of Washington State is as puzzled as I am, and wants to expand the incentives to include fuels like Biodiesel, this would allow far more of us to participate, and help to reduce consumption in Petrol. Sending money to our Farmers versus the middle east can't be a bad thing can it?

Here's an email from Mike

George:
 
Been busy as usual but wanted to finally get you a quick update on both the 6-1 we have and the 25-2 built up for *Steven Ribeiro.
 
On the 6-1, we've been running it on B100 for around 200 hours now. It has no problems so far and will probably run like this for many years.  Of course, we oil it before each run and keep an eye on it in general. 
 
It's mainly used to charge our battery bank, although we use the 240V circuit now and then to power the air compressor.  Using the 5 KW gen-head, the unit charges our 24 V battery bank at the maximum the inverter will take. The inverter is a Trace 3624, meaning it can put out 3600 watts and uses a 24 volt battery bank.  We usually run the 6-1 for an hour in the morning and another hour in the evening...sometimes less, depending on current needs during the day.
 
Charging as described above, we get right at 8 hours operating time on the engine per gallon of B100.  By comparison, when we use our Miller Bobcat welder, which is a combination welder/generator rated at 8 KW, we get about 1 hr. operating time per gallon of gasoline.  With B100 selling locally for $3.00/gallon and gasoline locally at $2.57/gallon, as you can see, there's an excellent savings on fuel cost using the 6-1.  
 
Of course, there are other benefits to using the 6-1 as well.  One is the noise factor.  As you know, when running the 6-1, at 650 RPM there's really very little noise and because we've been so busy lately, we've yet to build a gen-shed to enclose it.  Thus, the engine has been placed just outside the shop door as a temporary run location and even at this, it's not a bother when it's running.  Once we build a proper enclosure, it'll be almost noiseless.  Compared with the Bobcat...well, there's simply no comparison.  The Bobcat is an excellent piece of machinery but it's a real screamer at 3600 RPM and this takes it's toll on a persons' nerves very quickly.  Instead, the 6-1 runs at what might be called a "reassuring" pace, steadily kicking out the power without fuss or bother.
 
Another factor is wear and tear.  The Bobcat is a well-engineered item but still, at 6 times the crankshaft speed of the 6-1, since wear increases with the square of crankshaft speed, the Bobcat has 36 times the wear-factor of the 6-1.  So longevity becomes a serious consideration when there's this much difference in crankshaft speeds.
 
There's also, of course, the impact of the 6-1 on the environment, compared with the Miller.  Accepting the fact that B100 indeed presently consumes fossil fuels in the process of its development, it's not complicated to understand that growing, harvesting, and manufacturing B100 can easily be shifted to an entirely non-fossil fuel process if desired.  Even now, however, once obtained, B100 represents a neutral C02 factor in the greenhouse-gas equation.  There's also the fact B100 when burned in the 6-1 and ejected upwards through a 10 ft. exhaust stack as with ours, sends the exhaust upwards where it's dissipated quite well during most atmospheric conditions...at least here in our section of southern Oregon.  Thus, odors are often non-existent, which is a welcome advantage when one is using the engine for an hour or so at a time.  
 
Given the foregoing, it's plain the 6-1 was a very worthwhile investment, especially considering we're dedicated "off-gridders" who attempt to take every advantage of learning more sustainable and efficient ways to achieve independence.
 
Respecting the 25-2 of Independence Station.  I've had no contact with Steven since delivering the engine at the end of January.  However, my friend Ray Stampley visited the jobsite about a week ago while with friends during a local luncheon engagement.  He informed me the engine was running steadily and in fact, he didn't even know it was running until he walked up to it.  According to his report, the only noticeable change from my design was a very large muffler which has been added and the exhaust directed upwards.  When I designed the exhaust system, as you know, I built only a temporary setup using the "pom-pom" mufflers which came with the engine and did so with the knowledge a different system would be installed on-site, depending on their particular requirements. 
 
Ray stated the engine was still resting where we placed it, which was upon an old sidewalk adjacent to the jobsite.  As such, the engine rested upon some square rubber pads which apparently are enough to keep the engine in place without being anchored down.  However, he did mention all in his party enjoyed the "foot massage" provided by standing beside the engine as they viewed all the parts in operation.
 
Hope things are going well for you as I'm sure they indeed are.
 
Take care and keep up the good work.
 
Best regards,

 

Live in Southern Oregon? Looking for an excellent fabricator ? Mike has built custom planes, cars, and a good number of other things for folks. He knows what his time is worth, but if you are looking for one of the best, you might contact him.

Mike Brown *sevenshop@terragon.com*

George B

 

foot notes Steven Ribeiro is currently promoting the use of green fuels in buildings, and the Independence Station Project in Independence Oregon is currently underway. Steven in experimenting with the 25/2 slow speed and green fuels, and plans to incorporate these features into the building.