In addition, if you study the principle of operation, as well as the design features of such steam generators, you can try to implement them yourself, using certain means. However, this possibility will be discussed a little later.

Device and principle of operation

In terms of their design features, boiler installations have a fairly similar structure. They include several working units, which are considered to be decisive - directly himself and the turbine. The last two components form a kinetic connection with each other, and one of the varieties of such systems is a steam-type turbine electric generator.

If we look more globally, such installations are full-fledged thermal power plants, albeit of smaller dimensions. Thanks to their work, they are able to provide electricity not only to civilian facilities, but also to large industrial sectors.

Steam electric generators themselves boil down to the following main points:

• Special equipment heats water to optimal values, at which it evaporates, forming steam.
• The resulting steam flows further onto the rotor blades of the steam turbine, which sets the rotor itself in motion.
• As a result, we first obtain kinetic energy converted from the resulting energy of compressed steam. Then the kinetic energy turns into mechanical energy, which leads to the start of the turbine shaft.

The electric generator included in the design of such steam plants is decisive. This is explained by the fact that it is electric generators that carry out the transition of mechanical energy into electrical energy.

A wood-fired power plant is one of the alternative ways to supply consumers with electricity.

Such a device is capable of minimum costs to obtain electricity for energy resources, even in those places where there is no power supply at all.

Power plant, the wood used can become excellent option for owners summer cottages and country houses.

There are also miniature versions that are suitable for lovers of long hikes and spending time in nature. But first things first.

Peculiarities

A wood-fired power plant is not a new invention, but modern technologies made it possible to slightly improve previously developed devices. Moreover, several different technologies.

In addition, the concept of “wood-fired” is somewhat inaccurate, since any solid fuel(firewood, wood chips, pallets, coal, coke), in general, everything that can burn.

Let us immediately note that firewood, or rather the process of its combustion, acts only as an energy source that ensures the functioning of the device in which electricity is generated.

The main advantages of such power plants are:

• The ability to use a wide variety of solid fuels and their availability;
• Receive electricity anywhere;
• The use of different technologies makes it possible to obtain electricity with a variety of parameters (sufficient only for regular phone recharging and up to powering industrial equipment);
• It can also act as an alternative if power outages are common, as well as the main source of electricity.

Classic version

As noted, a wood-fired power plant uses several technologies to produce electricity. The classic one among them is steam energy, or simply steam engine.

Everything is simple here - wood or any other fuel, when burned, heats up the water, as a result of which it turns into a gaseous state - steam.

The resulting steam is fed to the turbine of the generating set, and due to rotation, the generator generates electricity.

Since the steam engine and generator set are connected in a single closed circuit, after passing through the turbine the steam is cooled, fed back into the boiler, and the whole process is repeated.

This power plant diagram is one of the simplest, but it has a number of significant shortcomings, one of which is explosion hazard.

After water passes into a gaseous state, the pressure in the circuit increases significantly, and if it is not regulated, there is a high probability of rupture of the pipelines.

And even in modern systems A whole set of pressure-regulating valves are used, but the operation of the steam engine still requires constant monitoring.

In addition, ordinary water used in this engine can cause scale to form on the walls of the pipes, which reduces the efficiency of the station (scale impairs heat transfer and reduces throughput pipes).

But now this problem is solved by using distilled water, liquids, purified impurities that precipitate, or special gases.

But on the other hand, this power plant can perform another function - to heat the room.

Everything is simple here - after performing its function (rotation of the turbine), the steam must be cooled so that it turns into a liquid state again, which requires a cooling system or, simply, a radiator.

And if you place this radiator indoors, then in the end we will receive not only electricity from such a station, but also heat.

Other options

But the steam engine is only one of the technologies that is used in solid fuel power plants, and is not the most suitable for use in domestic conditions.

Also used to generate electricity are:

• Thermoelectric generators (using the Peltier principle);
• Gas generators.

Thermoelectric generators

Power plants with generators built according to the Peltier principle are quite an interesting option.

Physicist Peltier discovered an effect that boils down to the fact that when electricity is passed through conductors consisting of two dissimilar materials, heat is absorbed at one of the contacts, and heat is released at the other.

Moreover, this effect is the opposite - if the conductor is heated on one side and cooled on the other, then electricity will be generated in it.

It is the opposite effect that is used in wood-fired power plants. When burned, they heat up one half of the plate (it is a thermoelectric generator), consisting of cubes made of different metals, and the second part is cooled (for which heat exchangers are used), as a result of which electricity appears at the terminals of the plate.

But such a generator has several nuances. One of them is that the parameters of the released energy directly depend on the temperature difference at the ends of the plate, therefore, to equalize and stabilize them, it is necessary to use a voltage regulator.

The second nuance is that the energy released is only side effect, most energy when burning wood is simply converted into heat. Because of this, the efficiency of this type of station is not very high.

The advantages of power plants with thermoelectric generators include:

• Long service life (no moving parts);
• At the same time, not only energy is generated, but also heat, which can be used for heating or cooking;
• Quiet operation.

Wood-burning power plants using the Peltier principle are a fairly common option, and they produce both portable devices that can only release electricity to charge low-power consumers (phones, flashlights), and industrial ones that can power powerful units.

Gas generators

The second type is gas generators. Such a device can be used in several directions, including generating electricity.

It is worth noting here that such a generator itself has nothing to do with electricity, since its main task is to produce flammable gas.

The essence of the operation of such a device is that during the oxidation of solid fuel (its combustion), gases are released, including flammable ones - hydrogen, methane, CO, which can be used for a variety of purposes.

For example, such generators were previously used in cars where conventional engines internal combustion worked perfectly on the released gas.

Due to the constant jitter of the fuel, some motorists and motorcyclists have already begun installing these devices on their cars.

That is, to get a power plant, it is enough to have a gas generator, an internal combustion engine and a regular generator.

The first element will release gas, which will become fuel for the engine, which in turn will rotate the generator rotor to produce electricity as output.

The advantages of power plants using gas generators include:

• Reliability of the design of the gas generator itself;
• The resulting gas can be used to operate an internal combustion engine (which will drive an electric generator), a gas boiler, a furnace;
• Depending on the internal combustion engine and electric generator involved, electricity can be obtained even for industrial purposes.

The main disadvantage of the gas generator is the bulkiness of the design, since it must include a boiler where all the processes for producing gas take place, a system for its cooling and purification.

And if this device is used to generate electricity, then the station must also include an internal combustion engine and an electric generator.

Representatives of factory-made power plants

Let us note that the indicated options – a thermoelectric generator and a gas generator – are now a priority, therefore ready-made stations are produced for use, both domestic and industrial.

Below are a few of them:

• “Indigirka” stove;
• Tourist stove “BioLite CampStove”;
• Power plant "BioKIBOR";
• Power station "Eco" with gas generator "Cube".

Stove "Indigirka".

An ordinary household solid fuel stove (made like a Burzhaika stove), equipped with a Peltier thermoelectric generator.

Perfect for summer cottages and small houses, because it is quite compact and can be transported in a car.

The main energy from burning wood is used for heating, but the available generator also allows you to obtain electricity with a voltage of 12 V and a power of 60 W.

BioLite CampStove stove.

It also uses the Peltier principle, but it is even more compact (weighs only 1 kg), which allows you to take it on hiking trips, but the amount of energy generated by the generator is even less, but it will be enough to charge a flashlight or phone.

Power plant "BioKIBOR".

A thermoelectric generator is also used, but this is an industrial version.

The manufacturer, upon request, can produce a device that provides output electricity with a power of 5 kW to 1 MW. But this affects the size of the station, as well as the amount of fuel consumed.

For example, an installation that produces 100 kW consumes 200 kg of wood per hour.

But the Eco power plant is a gas generator. Its design uses a “Cube” gas generator, a gasoline internal combustion engine and a 15 kW electric generator.

In addition to industrial ready-made solutions, you can separately buy the same Peltier thermoelectric generators, but without a stove and use it with any heat source.

Homemade stations

Also, many craftsmen create homemade stations (usually based on a gas generator), which they then sell.

All this indicates that you can independently make a power plant from available materials and use it for your own purposes.

Based on a thermoelectric generator.

The first option is a power plant based on a Peltier plate. Let us immediately note that a device made at home is only suitable for charging a phone, a flashlight, or for lighting using LED lamps.

For production you will need:

• A metal body that will play the role of a furnace;
• Peltier plate (purchased separately);
• Voltage regulator with installed USB output;
• A heat exchanger or just a fan to provide cooling (you can take a computer cooler).

Making a power plant is very simple:

1. We make a stove. We take a metal box (for example, a computer case) and unfold it so that the oven does not have a bottom. We make holes in the walls below for air supply. At the top you can install a grate on which you can place a kettle, etc.
2. We mount the plate on the back wall;
3. We mount the cooler on top of the plate;
4. We connect a voltage regulator to the terminals from the plate, from which we power the cooler, and also draw terminals for connecting consumers.

It works simply: we light the wood, and as the plate heats up, electricity will begin to be generated at its terminals, which will be supplied to the voltage regulator. The cooler will start working from it, providing cooling of the plate.

All that remains is to connect the consumers and monitor the combustion process in the stove (add firewood in a timely manner).

Based on a gas generator.

The second way to make a power plant is to make a gas generator. Such a device is much more difficult to manufacture, but the energy output is much greater.

To make it you will need:

• Cylindrical container (for example, disassembled gas cylinder). It will play the role of a stove, so hatches should be provided for loading fuel and cleaning solid combustion products, as well as an air supply (a fan will be required for forced submission to provide more best process combustion) and gas outlet;
• A cooling radiator (can be made in the form of a coil) in which the gas will be cooled;
• Container for creating a “Cyclone” type filter;
• Container for creating a fine gas filter;
• Gasoline generator set (but you can just take any gasoline engine, as well as a regular asynchronous electric motor 220 V).

After this, everything must be connected into a single structure. From the boiler, gas should flow to the cooling radiator, and then to the “Cyclone” and a fine filter. And only after that the resulting gas is supplied to the engine.

This is indicated circuit diagram manufacturing a gas generator. Execution can be very different.

For example, it is possible to install a mechanism for forced supply of solid fuel from a bunker, which, by the way, will also be powered by a generator, as well as all kinds of control devices.

When creating a power plant based on the Peltier effect, no special problems will arise, since the circuit is simple. The only thing is that you should take some safety measures, since the fire in such a stove is practically open.

But when creating a gas generator, many nuances should be taken into account, among them is ensuring tightness at all connections of the system through which gas passes.

In order for the internal combustion engine to operate normally, you should take care of high-quality gas purification (the presence of impurities in it is unacceptable).

The gas generator is a bulky design, so it is necessary to choose the right place for it, as well as ensure normal ventilation if it is installed indoors.

Since such power plants are not new, and they have been manufactured by amateurs for a relatively long time, a lot of reviews have accumulated about them.

Basically, they are all positive. Even homemade stove with the Peltier element, it is noted that it fully copes with the task. As for gas generators, here a clear example installation of such devices can occur even on modern cars, which indicates their effectiveness.

Pros and cons of a wood-fired power plant

A wood-fired power plant is:

• Fuel availability;
• Possibility to get electricity anywhere;

3 / 5 ( 2 voices)

Description:

Is it worth remembering the first domestic steam engines (see reference) in our age of high technology? Without a doubt. After all, steam engines are now finding their application in the energy sector.

Mini-CHP with steam engines - a reality of the 21st century

I. S. Trokhin, engineer of the VIESKh of the Russian Agricultural Academy, lecturer at the Moscow Institute of Pedagogics, National Research Nuclear University "MEPhI"

Is it worth remembering the first domestic steam engines (see reference) in our age of high technology? Without a doubt. After all, steam engines are now finding their application in the energy sector.

Recently, industry and housing and communal services have become increasingly aware of the feasibility of the combined production of electrical and thermal energy at steam mini-heat and power plants (mini-CHP) (Fig. 1), located in close proximity to the consumer.
This is due to the constant rise in the cost of electricity, the increasing incidence of abnormal squalls and frosts, leading to a decrease in the reliability of power transmission lines (wire breaks) of the centralized power supply.

Boiler room as a source of thermal and electrical energy

Consumers who have their own boiler houses sometimes supplement them with electric generating units (electric units) with steam engines (usually turbines) and electric generators with a capacity ranging from several hundred kilowatts to several megawatts. Thus, boiler houses reconstructed into mini-CHPs become sources of both thermal and electrical (Fig. 1, three-phase line A–B–C) energy.

Depending on the thermal power of the steam boiler house, 17–40 kW (1.7–4%) of electricity is required to generate 1 MW (100%) of thermal energy. The absolute steam pressure in boilers, permitted by Rostechnadzor authorities, usually does not exceed 0.7–1.0 MPa (hereinafter – absolute).

Industrial consumers or for steam-water heat exchangers (boilers for hot water) require steam with a lower pressure - 0.12–0.6 MPa. Therefore, electric units with steam turbines are switched on in parallel with reduction devices or instead of them (Fig. 1). Then, instead of useless throttling of steam by turbines, useful work for driving electric generators. In this case, the exhaust steam is sent to the boiler, after which it is condensed, and the condensate is pumped through the cleaning system back to the boiler.

Thus, the boiler room becomes a profitable source of thermal and electrical energy with a high coefficient beneficial use heating value of fuel (80–85% or more).

If the consumer does not need a large amount of heat, but only hot water, for example, in the summer, then mini-CHPs are also equipped with absorption refrigeration machines, operating on steam exhausted in the turbine. Such machines provide the required cooling of water, which enters the refrigeration system for conditioning the consumer’s premises.

For year-round uninterrupted power supply to consumers, including mini-CHP equipment (pumps, smoke exhausters, lighting, automation systems, etc.), its non-stop operation is necessary. This is possible, for example, if electricity is generated together with the generation of heat necessary to provide consumers with hot water.

Mini-CHPs with increased thermal power are also being created at the sites of existing boiler houses. For example, outdated boilers with a saturated steam pressure of 1.4 MPa are being replaced with boilers with a superheated steam pressure of 4.0 MPa and a temperature of 440 °C. With the same dimensions of the boilers, the electrical power of such a mini-CHP becomes significantly greater.

However, you should pay attention to the type of steam engine used in modern mini-CHPs 1 . It is a low-power steam turbine that is usually of a single-stage design because it operates at low pressure drops. The rotor, as the rotating part of a turbine, consists of a hub, which is mounted on a shaft, and a set of profiled blades (blade crown). Blades are made of special alloys and are critical and expensive elements of the turbine. Steam screw turbines also have a profiled rotor, only like an Archimedes screw.

Since the times of steam engines, a simpler and cheaper working element, compared to a turbine blade, has been the piston.

Comparison of the characteristics of electric generator sets with a steam turbine and a steam engine

Some designs of steam engines and motors of the last century were not as imperfect as they are believed. Let's imagine an electric generating plant with a steam engine or motor and a modern electric generator. Since steam engines, as a rule, had very low shaft rotation speeds (up to 300 rpm), and modern electric generators operate at frequencies of 1000–3000 rpm, an imaginary installation also requires a multiplier.

Let's compare such an installation with a modern steam turbine. Let's do this correctly: at comparable pressures and temperatures of the steam at the inlet to these engines and commensurate back pressure of the steam at the outlet. Then it becomes clear (Table 1) that the specific steam consumption per unit of generated electricity, and therefore the efficiency of some steam engine or steam engine installations, is quite comparable with the specific steam consumption in modern turbine plants, the power of which is even 5 times greater!

With an increase in the rotational speed of the shaft of a steam engine or motor, ceteris paribus, the efficiency increases due to a reduction in the duration of steam inlet into the cylinder and, consequently, a reduction in the time of contact of the steam with the cylinder walls, which leads to a decrease in heat loss in the engine.

At rotation speeds of 750–1500 rpm and powers of at least 1200 kW, modern German Spilling steam engines and Czech PM-VS have steam consumption 2 1.3–1.5 times less than that of steam turbines exceeding their power is more than 5 times! With the same power as turbines, steam engines are even more efficient, since it is easier to make more advanced steam distribution mechanisms in a relatively larger engine.

Russian innovation

Russian experts proposed an idea: convert a modern piston internal combustion engine (ICE) into a steam engine and adapt it to work in a mini-CHP. Since the cost of an internal combustion engine is lower than the cost of a steam turbine, subject to minor modifications in the design we will get a cheaper drive engine: a steam motor based on a serial internal combustion engine.

Specialists of the joint scientific group 3 "Industrial Thermal Energy", headed by V. S. Dubinin, senior researcher at the Department of "Aircraft Engine Design" of the Moscow Aviation Institute, are developing steam piston engines (SPE) - modern one-way pressure steam engines. The latter means that when the engine is running, the steam entering the cylinder presses on the piston from only one side, as in the original internal combustion engine.

In a basic internal combustion engine, in fact, only the fuel supply mechanism to a gas-dynamic valve or spool-valve unit for supplying and releasing steam (know-how) is subject to modification. PPD can operate in a wide range of fresh steam pressures – from 0.5 to 4.0 MPa at steam temperatures up to 440 °C. In terms of crankshaft rotation speed, PPDs can reach up to 3000 rpm!

The PPD has a circulating lubrication system with a “dry” sump, like the internal combustion engines of diesel locomotives and diesel power plants. With such a system, oil is generally not retained during internal cavities engine, but is pumped through them under pressure, cleaned and then re-entered into the engine.

In a PPD connected to an electric generator, steam is supplied from the boiler, and the exhaust is carried out into a steam-water heat exchanger (Fig. 2, blue symbols). PPD control is provided by signals from the automated control system. In addition to one or more PPD and electric generators, the unit includes: an excitation, control and protection unit BVUZ of the electric generator, which in turn consists of excitation and control units BVU, protective automatics BZA, control system BSU.

In Fig. Figure 2 shows a version of an electrical unit with an asynchronous electric generator, therefore, for its operation, the BV excitation unit is equipped with capacitors. Switchgear electrically connects the electrical unit with electricity consumers. The dotted line (Fig. 2) shows electrical connections from other generators in the case of a multi-engine unit.

A steam engine, unlike a turbine, can always provide direct drive to an electric generator. The turbine, as a rule, requires a gearbox for this, since to ensure acceptable steam flow it must operate at high speeds.

A steam turbine also requires a cooling system, which means additional water consumption and energy loss. It is quite enough to insulate the PPD thermally, but there is no need to cool it, since the temperature in its cylinders is 5–6 times lower than that of the original internal combustion engine.

Resource up to overhaul steam turbines (30,000–50,000 hours) is determined mainly by the service life of blades made of expensive alloys, and for steam engines (more than 50,000 hours, according to) - a much longer service life of cheaper connecting rod-piston units.

Steam engines, like steam piston engines, are highly reliable. And the service life before major repairs of the PPD may be higher than that of the original internal combustion engines (30,000–100,000 hours), since steam at engine operation, unlike a flammable mixture, does not explode, but expands and smoothly presses on the piston.

Turbine maintenance requires highly qualified personnel. Steam engines, being similar in type to internal combustion engines, can be serviced by less qualified specialists, and their repairs can be carried out directly at the site of operation.

Using an uninterruptible power supply

In order to generate current with a frequency, in accordance with the requirements of 4 GOST 13109–97 for network electricity (in normal mode - 50 ± 0.2 Hz), the PTEA steam turbine electric unit (Fig. 2, red symbols) must operate with an uninterruptible source UPS power supply or in parallel with the centralized power supply network.

A steam turbine electric unit produces electricity with relatively rough stabilization of the frequency of alternating voltage. Using the voltage rectification unit AVN, a constant voltage is obtained. Then the inverting unit AIN, equipped with a highly stable frequency master oscillator, ensures the conversion of direct voltage into alternating voltage with high accuracy of frequency stabilization.

The AB battery pack is used for short-term backup power supply of the AC in the event of failure of the turboelectric unit or during emergency switching on of the reserve.

Self-stabilization of engine speed

All piston engines, including steam engines, have the property of self-stabilizing shaft speed, which cannot be said about turbines. This discovery of V. S. Dubinin is revolutionary 5. Its implementation makes it possible to maintain the rotational speed of the prime mover shaft with such precision that the driven electric generator is capable of generating electricity at a frequency of 50±0.2 Hz, as required by power quality standards. For comparison, diesel power plants can generate electricity with a rougher frequency accuracy (in steady state operation - 50±0.5 Hz).

Self-stabilization is carried out without organization feedback with pulse supply or production of the working fluid (steam) at regular intervals. This process is essentially similar to the operation of the anchor mechanism and pendulum in a mechanical watch. In our case, this is a PPD with a steam source and a master pulse generator for steam supply.

The point of view regarding the advantages of steam piston engines over turbines for mini-CHPs is also shared by foreign experts. Thus, in 2005, at the American Council on an Energy Efficient Economy, Michael Muller from the Center for Advanced Energy Systems at Rutgers University, USA, noted in his report “Return of the Steam Engine” that small-sized steam piston engines, unlike turbines, operate reliably and economically even on wet steam and at moderate speeds.

It should still be noted that the vast majority of steam engines are still somewhat inferior to turbines in terms of mass and overall characteristics. However, as many years of experience in operating, in particular, Spilling engines show, these indicators are not paramount, against the backdrop of a number of undeniable advantages of piston engines.

Conversion of hot water boiler houses into steam mini-CHPs

But what to do with hot water boiler houses? How can they be converted into steam mini-CHPs? It is advisable to equip such boiler houses with additional steam boilers, transferring the basic part of the heat load to them, or completely replace hot water boilers with them. Steam boilers are more expensive than hot water boilers, but their operating costs are lower and they can operate reliably with a longer service life.

Environmental issues of mini-CHP operation

Environmental indicators of fuel combustion in modern steam boilers quite good. Implementation of well-known domestic technology for burning solid fuels (coal, coal preparation waste, sludge, wood and vegetable waste etc.) in a high-temperature circulating fluidized bed (utility model patent RU 15772) makes it possible to ensure the operation of the boiler with very low emissions into the atmosphere. The environmental performance of boilers with such fireboxes meets the most stringent requirements of Rostechnadzor.

In conclusion, it should be noted that electric generating units with steam engines are ideally suited for environmentally friendly solar power plants (Table 2), including mini-CHPs, which use boilers with solar collectors rather than fireboxes to produce steam. The result is a truly environmentally friendly power plant that runs on sun, water and steam!

So, we can draw the following conclusions:

• Steam-engine mini-CHPs are more energy efficient than steam turbines. For them, the specific steam consumption in electric units for electricity generation is 1.3–1.5 times less than in steam turbine mini-CHPs, especially when electrical power up to 1200 kW.
• The service life before major overhaul of modern steam engines for mini-CHPs is at least not lower than that of blade and screw type steam turbines.

Literature

1. Burnosenko A. Yu. Mini-CHP with steam turbines to increase the efficiency of industrial heating boiler houses // Heat supply news. 2009. No. 1.
2. Micro and small-scale CHP from biomass (up to 300 kWe). OPET RES-e NNE5/37/2002 // OPET Finland: http://web.archive.org/web/20070208002554/
   http://akseli.tekes.fi/opencms/opencms/OhjelmaPortaali/ohjelmat/DENSY/en/Dokumenttiarkisto/Viestinta_ja_aktivointi/Julkaisut/OPET-RES/TechnologyPaper2_chp_70404.pdf.
3. Dubinin V.S. Ensuring the independence of electricity and heat supply in Russia from electrical networks based on piston technologies: monograph. M., 2009.
4. Shkarupa S. O. Using point transformation for analytical description transition process in a discrete heat engine // Dynamics complex systems. 2010. № 2.
5. Muller M.R. The Return of the Steam Engine // ACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Industry. New York (USA). July 19–22, 2005. http://quasiturbine.promci.qc.ca/Presse/SteamMuller050721.pdf.

1 Historically, the term “steam engine” has applied to all designs of steam-powered engines. In the literature, a steam engine and a steam engine are sometimes mistakenly identified. A steam engine is a piston steam engine.

3 The group includes specialists from the Moscow Aviation Institute, the All-Russian Institute of Electrification of Agriculture, the Moscow Energy Institute, the Moscow Institute of Energy Security and Energy Saving, and the Korolev College of Space Engineering and Technology.

4 From 2013, instead of GOST 13109-97, GOST R 54149-2010 will be introduced.

5 Note that V.S. Dubinin developed in the 1980s the theory of self-stabilization only for a single-cylinder piston engine and confirmed it experimentally. And in 2009, a young engineer S. O. Shkarupa applied this theory to the case of multi-cylinder piston engines, which we have to deal with in practice.

Increasingly, tired residents of big and small cities are moving out of town to small and cozy houses.

A distinctive feature of such equipment is the simplicity of its design and operating principle. Such an electricity generator, regardless of its type, consists of a motor mounted on a structure frame that burns fuel and a generator. Through a mechanical transmission, rotating torque is transmitted from the engine to the generator.

An important factor influencing the great popularity of such installations is high level efficiency close to 98%.

For this you will need:

• Canned food can
• Aluminum wire
• Small sheet of tin
• Fasteners

The manufacturing process itself is quite simple:

• IN tin can make two small holes
• Solder a tube into one of them
• Take a sheet of tin and cut it into small strips so that you get a turbine impeller
• Attach the finished impeller to a tin strip, previously bent in the shape of the letter “P”
• Using fasteners, attach the strip with the impeller to the second hole. It is worth paying attention to the fact that the impeller should be located towards the tube
• All holes and seams made during the manufacturing process of the installation must be soldered. This is necessary to ensure the tightness of the structure
• Make a stand from wire on which the finished equipment is installed
• The system is filled with water using a syringe.
• Under the stand in a special box, set fire to dry fuel

A steam engine made according to these instructions is not capable of powering a home. required quantity energy. Here you can easily and easily familiarize yourself with the principle of a steam generator of electricity.

The process of creating such an installation that could provide the house with the necessary amount of energy is a little more complicated, but nothing is impossible.

To make it you need to take a base - the Peletier element. It can be purchased separately in the store, or can be removed from a failed desktop PC.

In addition, for work you will need:

• Module equipped with USB output
• Sheet of metal for making the installation body. You can do it yourself, or you can take a ready-made PC case
• Cooling radiator with cooler
• Seam sealing paste
• Metal cutting scissors
• Riveter
• Drill
• Soldering iron
• Rivets

At the beginning of the process, make a small container into which you can put small ones and light a fire. Upper part Construct the container in such a way that you can place a small saucepan of water on it and bring it to a boil.

Attach a Peletier element to one side of this container. On the other side, use a pestle to attach a cooling radiator with a cooler.

Experts point out that the radiator and cooler must be powerful enough. From how much big difference temperatures, the rate and amount of release of electrical energy depends.

If the equipment is used in cold weather, it can be left standing directly in the snow and it will be practically solved. If you use the installation in warm time, you can’t do without a powerful cooler and cooler. We must not forget about careful sealing of all seams and fastenings.

Solder the voltage stabilizer to the Peletier element. This device is necessary in order to be able to set a certain indicator of electrical energy at the output.

The stabilizer can be bought ready-made in the store. Its advantage is that when the required indicator is reached, the light on the device lights up.

It is also important that the already soldered stabilizer must be sealed in such a way as to completely prevent contact with it. The operation of this steam generator model is capable of heating two coolers.

You can also make an even more powerful model of a steam generator - a heating element.

Its basis is a fairly large container in which heating elements (one or several) are mounted.

This depends on the expected capacity of the future installation.

Drill holes in the sides of the container to attach the heating element.

Nuts with rubber gaskets are ideal for fastening.

If you plan to install two heating elements, it is important to place them in such a way that they do not touch each other. Place the second one next to the first container.

It will contain water, which is transferred to the first container as needed. It is necessary to pay attention to the fact that during operation of the equipment it will not be possible to open the lid and see the water level in the first vessel.

Both containers are connected to each other by a strong tube, which is inserted into drilled holes, located below the level at which the heating elements are installed. Carefully seal all seams.

In order for the water to quickly warm up, it is better to twist the pipe through which a fresh portion of water will be supplied in the form of a spiral. Before permanent installation and operation of this unit, it must be tested for leaks.

In addition, the valve must withstand the required pressure, otherwise the equipment will not be able to operate. An installation created using this principle is characterized by almost 100% efficiency. But it must be maintained in working order.

To do this, it is necessary to periodically check the heating elements for the presence of scale on their walls. If there is too much of it, they may not work at full capacity or warm at all.

In order for scale to form, it is necessary to periodically add citric or acetic acid in the first container as little as possible. Some people only fill the tank with special soft water.

Situations often occur when a steam electricity generator for a home fails due to the fact that it was running dry. To avoid such trouble, it is recommended to set marks for the minimum and maximum amount of water in the container.

In order to secure ready installation against power surges in the network, you can install a special voltage regulator, which automatically turns off the equipment when the voltage drops.

PGE is a unique equipment that is an autonomous source of electricity. Its operation has a number of advantages:

• Possibility to work on different types fuel, which is the most profitable for each installation owner.
• High output power level.
• The power can be adjusted by the owner according to his wishes. manual mode. This increases the operating efficiency of the installation.
• If solid fuel is chosen as an energy source, for example, firewood, the ash that remains in the field of their use serves as an excellent fertilizer for garden and vegetable plants.

The industry produces such installations in a wide variety. In addition, it is possible to make a steam generator yourself at home. There is no need to use expensive materials and parts for this.

There are different options and manufacturing schemes for such installations. Before choosing any particular method, you must first take into account the power of the steam generator, which is required at the output. In the process of creating a PGE, it is necessary to follow safety rules and pre-test the finished installation.

You can watch the video on how to assemble a steam generator for a bath yourself: