Power generators are basically small power-plants. They allow their owners to generate electricity on-site, as a substitute or complement to electricity from the electric grid. Power generators and large thermal power-plants operate on the same principle: both burn fuel to create motion, or mechanical energy, and convert it into electrical energy. Generators have two main components: an internal combustion engine and an alternator.
Diesel engines are a type of compression-ignition engine. Such engines ignite the fuel by heating it above a its autoignition temperature. Diesel fuel’s relatively low autoignition temperature of 410°F makes diesel fuel idea for, well, diesel engines. Typically, to start smaller diesel engines, an electric starter motor pushes the engine’s pistons, compressing the air located inside the engine’s cylinders and increasing its temperature.
When the temperature inside a cylinder reaches the fuel’s autoignition temperature, fuel is injected into the cylinder, and immediately ignites. This pushes the piston back (with an exhaust valve opening to expel the gas), and moves the crankshaft. The other cylinders fire as well, resulting in the turning motion needed to generate electricity and sustain the compression-ignition cycle of the engine.
Propane is another great choice to fuel a generator. Propane engines are very much like gasoline engines in that both operate on the spark-ignition principle. Propane engines injecting a blend of air and fuel into the engine’s cylinders, where a spark plug ignites the mixture.
Electricity for a propane generator is formed from converting motorized power from combusting propane into energy. Propane is burned and then creates energy and heat. Inside the generator will be water and ammonia. Once the mixture is brought to a burning point, ammonia gas is then formed.
Natural gas generators are very similar to propane generators. Both require spark plugs and both have clean emissions profiles. Using natural gas is usually only practical in locations that are served by a natural gas distribution network, self-storage being rarely an option. This is not always the case in rural areas. Natural gas generators are well-suited for commercial and industrial applications where there is a reliable supply of natural gas. In the United States, natural gas tends to be very affordable and widely available. In large-scale applications where large quantities of fuel are used, not having to store fuel on-site is a major advantage.
Natural gas generators use natural gas to create electricity. They work similarly to gas generators, but these generators use gas fuel instead of liquid. To create electricity in a natural gas generator, a mixture of fuel and air is inserted into a combustion chamber, where a piston compresses it. A spark plug ignites the fuel by forcing the piston down and turning the crankshaft.
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