Running an Air Conditioner From The Sun - The Holy Grail

seen some intelligent systems ready built for RVs that kick in automatically when the battery banks get low if the DC generation route is followed -
supplemented with solar?
they are very quiet and you can run them off your propane cooking gas tanks...
flipping expensive for what they are though....
there was a better one than this(dc only-battery monitoring autostart all in one jobby for RVs but the concept is the same)
http://www.themotorhomeguide.com/techtips_rv_generator_start_control.html

Im planning on making one with electric start added to a lawnmower engine -hooked up to an alternator that kicks in automatically when the batteries drop below a certain level.

 

Have you considered other sources of cooling than using electric powered A/C? In a hot dry climate "swamp coolers" do a very good job at a fraction of the power requirements. There must also be other options.
I've thought that the colder water of the ocean can be used somehow?
Obviously insulation of the cooled areas would be very important,
and perhaps that would mean using double doors to not let the cold out when going in/out.

Oh, to the question of rpm load control, I think all generators do that with a governor, i.e. they run at one rpm no matter the load.
It sseems a simple control problem so I can't see how it isn't done already.

 

I have to give you a friendly little whack on the nose...

Boats are in the ocean, so not a very dry climate, to say the least. If it were dry, I wouldn't need an air conditioner.

Yup. That's just a regular marine air conditioner.

You aren't understanding how a DC generator works and what a variance in RPMs means for one.

 

http://store.thesolarbiz.com/online...=ALTEN-300Amp-12VDC-Diesel-Gen/Charger&key=it

 

a lister, a load of alternators, keep your agms and put up with the noise for an hour!
or a big quiet honda suitcase and a bank of c-teks.
There was somehwere a company who were selling a low dB ,DConly 12v/24v auto start/stop, battery monitoring propane/gas powered, sling it under your RV, dedicated battery charger unit. cant find it for the life ofme... google has been ruined by SEO- you type in generator you get page afterpage of honda cummins and wolf- youtype in battery charger you get nothing but ACin DC out wal lplug battery chargers.
Whats on the boat incidentally? you say you have many inverters? what will the air con be running on? AC or DC?
im strictly DC for everything on my boat -LED lighting, 12V xbox and 12v LED backlit TV, Tripath DC solid state music amplification.
You got a washing machine or something?
people i know however spend 2 grand on a squared sine generator and another 500on an inverter just tocharge their laptops!
its almost conspiratorial when you can get an in car charger for the thing for 8 quid off ebay.
12v for short boats, 24v or 48v all the way up toabout 60ft is allyou should ever need!
get anold non solid state washing machine and run that straight off a cheap diesel genny- same for power tools.
no need for all this squared sine wave rubbish or to rag your engine to bits running inverters.

 

You got a washing machine or something?

No problem,

www.staber.com/testimonials

 

No washing machine. Laundry is done ashore. Unless you have a full size home machine aboard, those marine ones are worthless when washing all the stuff you need to for a commercial operation. 5 gallon bucket washes about the same amount of stuff.

 

I take it that shameless spam is considered ok on this forum?
no i dont want a washer i have a 32foot boat so no room or use for one- i do mine by hand its a great workout and i like to think of spammers necks when im wringing out my shirts!
you have a veritable plague on here, fastfreddy or honest john or whatever your name is at least tell us if your getting kickbacks or not!
Considering its a thread with a focus on efficiency then that things credentials are even suited this one would be the choice on limited power:
http://ertonline.co.uk/ERT Latest News/beko-claims-worlds-most-energy-efficient-washer.htm
and no they arent paying me!
The above posters point is seemingly correct that if you just run the thing at full load when the batteries drop below level you just have it kick in? most efficient way i would think...and easier to automate too.

 

On further thinking you are on the wrong track entirely- as is the whole thread ....just remembered the existence of absorption chillers- SOLAR absorption chillers to be exact.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtMC2MXc_n8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FpaSKazhNY&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQv9bzyw0u4&feature=related

http://www.solarpanelsplus.com/solar-air-conditioning/

 

Interesting. The most valuable and loved machine on the boat is the washing machine.

Get a Miele , studio size. Best investment you will ever make

 

I love my dishwasher, I don't care it is inefficient...lol It is cheaper than a wife

 

I forgot about these. I don't how easily they could be fitted on a boat. I might get around to it one day, even it is a partial system. The idea is similar to Stirling engine, the difference between hot and cold drives the system, kind of a compressorless system.

 

einsteins refridgerator...

 

You need heat to make them work. In civil and industrial applications they are usually equipped with gas burners to provide the necessary heat. There exist solar-heated systems too (with concentration sollar arrays), but they are HUGE and HEAVY, absolutely not to be even remotely considered on a 45' boat. And they still need a backup gas-heater for cloudy days.

This is a typical example: http://www.systema.it/brochure_en_condensation_absorption_chiller_with_modulation with a backup gas heater. And this is a typical residential scheme:



A 12 kW (heating and cooling) chiller, the smallest model, occupies 4.65 cu.m (165 cu.ft) and has a dry weight of 795 kg, plus water and everything else you see in the scheme. You tell me how to marinize that, and to put it in the engine room, even with all the possible simplifications of the scheme...

I would propose to stop side-drifting the thread (and CatBuilders thoughts) to technically not viable solutions.

 

Too bad you can't use gasoline (maybe with redundant bilge fans?). For the price of a diesel genny, you could get four or more of the little Honda EU2000 units, hook them up in parallel and get more power with less weight and better economy (especially with the price of diesel these days), much quieter, as well as having a backup genny (3 + 1). Granted, diesel engines last longer, but hey, these are Honda engines - would be interesting to see a test of longevity between a highly-engineered Honda gasser and a typical diesel! If the Hondas are too pricey (you can likely get a good internet deal on a bulk package), Yamaha's are very similar for a bit less cash. Anyway, I'm getting off-topic...