what would be the loss in output VA rating of a petrol engine generator if its used with Natural Gas by installing a gas kit ?
I heard that Natural gas is not a perfect fuel for the generators ........ so there would be a loss or lesser VA output would i get .......... but its an approximation ..............
i want to know if theres an exact measurement or any formula ......
i hard that 2 KVA generator would give 1500 to 1600 VA output with natural gas ........... means it can run 1500 VA to 1600 VA load and thats a full load condition.
what would be the power factor of a 2 KVA generator ? And, how can i measure the PF of it ?
thanks
An equivalent volume of natural gas supplies about 80% of the energy of gasoline. However unless the engine were running at full throttle which is highly unlikely, any lost power would be negligible. Typically the engine will compensate by opening the throttle further to maintain proper speed.
Power factor is a function of the load, not the generator. The generator can supply a certain amount of current to the load. In a reactive load, not all the current can be used to create power. In a non reactive load 1 watt is the same as 1VA. In a reactive load 1VA will be less than 1W. Measuring power factor can not be done with a simple voltmeter and ammeter. You need to measure the phase difference between the two and calculate from there. There are power monitors which will display power factor of the load. A properly rated AC capacitor can be placed in parallel with the load to maximize power available.
http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Relative-Efficiency-of-Gasoline,-Natural-Gas,-and-Propane-Fuels-For-Back-Up-Generators&id=2991047
Gasoline 1 gallon = 125,000 BTUs
Natural Gas 1 CCF = 100,015 BTUs (CCF=100 cubic feet)
Propane 1 gallon = 91,700 BTUs
You can see from above that 1 gallon of gasoline is more efficient than 100 cubic feet of natural gas or 1 gallon or propane. In fact, the ratio is approximately:
1 gasoline = 1.25 CCF natural gas = 1.36 gallons propane
In other words, you would need 1.36 gallons of propane to produce the equivalent BTUs of 1 gallon of gasoline; or, 1.25 CCF of natural gas.