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Old 11-10-2013, 17:54   #16
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Re: Quiet energy

Solar...the true Quiet energy
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Old 11-10-2013, 20:05   #17
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What was the sound reading on a nearby boat?
Will they be hearing the combined engine hum and water splash?
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Old 12-10-2013, 07:13   #18
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Re: Quiet energy

I did not conduct detailed noise meter tests on the sound levels off my boat but I did survey the sound around the general area of the boat using my "trained ear". Db meters do not give you an accurate reading of annoying softer noises over 50 feet from the source. So here are the results of my "noise to my neighboring anchored boat test".

The outlet for the Honda wet exhaust is on the stern starboard side. There is no water splash sound as the amount of raw water exit is quite small in volume and is not a solid stream but mixed. It is less noise than the A/C raw water exit.

Any boat anchored on my port side hears nothing as the exhaust noise from the Honda is blocked by my boat. Any boat anchored 50 feet or more in front of my boat hears nothing. Any boat anchored 50 feet or more to my stern hears nothing, but wind could have some effect on the noise. Any boat anchored directly off my starboard side will barely hear some Honda exhaust noise which decreases to nothing at about 100 feet.

Rod
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Old 12-10-2013, 09:26   #19
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Re: Quiet energy

Rod,

How big is your house battery bank?

How big is your battery charger?

How was the outside temperature declining as you were cooling the interior in your test?

Does the genset run continuously even when the AC compressor is cycling off?

How many gallons of gas would you need to store aboard for a self contained 3 week cruise to:
1) Make daily hot water.
2) Run the aircon or heater 4 hours a day
3) Keep your house bank charged.

Can the genset run while sailing?

How many cubic feet of storage space does the whole installation take for the genset, sound insulation boxing, water plumbing, seacocks, custom blowers, the blower ducting, etc.

How many man hours did it take to install (not including the design work)?

Do you know of any ABYC recommendations for the storage of gasoline aboard?

Interesting project and summary.
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Old 12-10-2013, 11:20   #20
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Re: Quiet energy

Assuming all works as advertised, it would seem that the yearly removal is key to keeping track of any degradation in the wet muffler. Water mist is used to enhance heat exchanger efficiency in some aircraft conditioned air packs..seems like the same here. I would want the fuel far away from ignition sources myself. Overall it seems like a great problem solving effort.
Air conditioner use could be reduced by nude sailing down south ......not so much here in the PNW. Perhaps a reverse cycle on the AC might be useful though.
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Old 12-10-2013, 20:29   #21
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Re: Quiet energy

Many questions and the best I can answer:
1. My battery bank is 410ah plus dedicated starter.
2. I currently use a 30 amp charger but plan to experiment with a 70 amp which the Honda 2000 can handle.
3. The outside night temp in my A/C test started at 88F and dropped to 82F in the morning. South FL is hot in late June.
4. The Honda 2000 runs in Eco mode so when the A/C cycles off the Honda slows to idle.
5. A 3 week cruise is hard to predict but the Honda fuel consumption is about one gallon per 4 hrs under full load. Hot water takes less then 30 minutes for my 6 gal hot water tank. A/C running for 4hrs with compressor on full time takes one gallon of gas. Batteries at 75% discharge takes about 3-4 hours to recharge with my 30 amp charger but the Honda rpm and load is quite low in Eco mode, do not know the fuel consumption. Clearly the dominate fuel consumption is use of the A/C.
6. The project was designed for anchorage power. The Honda wet exhaust outlet is on the starboard side 8" above the water line and a heavy heal on that side might submerge the outlet and create too much back pressure on the Honda exhaust.
7. The container sound box measures about W=20", H=21", L=30" or 7.3 cubic feet, the rest of the hardware takes little space.
8. Hours to install were many primarily spent on custom building the sound box in pieces to be re-assembled in the very tight cockpit stern lazarette and the many hours designing and brazing the wet exhaust muffler. It was a 3 month project on the weekends and a lot of trial and error.
9. I do not know the specific ABYC standards for storage of gasoline but I store the 5 gallon gas tank for the Honda in the stern swim platform storage area for the Catalina 375 which is a completely segregated area from the rest of the boat and designed by Catalina for fuel container storage. When cruising I store extra 5 gal cans tied to the fore deck along with extra diesel fuel.

I am also looking at the propane conversion kits available for the Honda to us as a fuel which could also be stored in this same stern compartment area in lieu of gasoline. A 20# propane tank is about the same energy fuel for 5 gallons of gasoline. This conversion would be simple to make to my design.

Rod
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Old 14-10-2013, 11:02   #22
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Re: Quiet energy

Rod, that's very well done. I'll be interested to hear how it's working when you've got some time on it.

I like the idea of running it on propane. Propane is a lot cleaner to handle than gasoline and produces much less CO. CO is still a concern but it wouldn't build up as quickly as it would from a gasoline engine.

Propane can also be stored for long term without degrading and engines seem to need less maintenance when run on propane.

You would lose some power by doing a simple propane conversion of the gasoline engine but I think it would be worth it.
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