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Old 08-24-18, 07:06 AM   #131
randen
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I'm doing a market study. As there are no high voltage inverters on the market and we seem to have a working proto-type would anyone be interested in a DIY kit??

The kit would come with tested circuit boards, drilled heat-sinks, drilled enclosure, and instruction.

To be supplied 25 kva transformer and battery of choice, Nominal (360Volt) and your solar-panel array for a 20 KVA off grid system that will power most homes

Randen

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Old 08-24-18, 10:43 AM   #132
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Looks like a kit for a Chevy Volt battery so it wouldn't need to be modified. If so would you have it designed to kick on the appropriate relays so that the cover wouldn't even need to be removed from the pack.
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Old 08-24-18, 09:44 PM   #133
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I'd start a new thread if you're really looking for interest. It'll get more attention that way.
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Old 10-27-18, 11:04 PM   #134
randen
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Here we are, the end of October. I've had the inverter pulled apart to manufacture a liquid cooled heat-sink.

No matter the number of fans with the finned aluminum heat-sink the result was still same, IGBT temps rising dangerously high as we push the power. The finned heat-sink would keep the temps in-check up-to 8500 watts.

Doubling the fans and heat-sink size may "possibly" get us to 20,000 watts but the drone of all the fans may drive us crazy. With the little 12 volt pump and kick space heater fan (two speed) its near silent.

Using a liquid cooled heat-sink I can spot cool the back of the IGBT's AND direct the heat to other places. For now a kick space heater with a nice quiet centrifugal fan assisting to warm the garage. If I get ambitious I could direct the heat to the in-floor heating.

The result of near off-grid life here reduced the electric bills to really low amount I haven't seen in years. It was a couple months of some serious air-conditioning and running the house as usual with the exception of clothes dryer and car charging at the same moment.

Randen
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Old 10-28-18, 03:01 PM   #135
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Yeah I would love to be able to some what assemble and maintain my own stand alone inverter.

I'm getting the biggest panels I can find so likely 96 maybe even 126 cell panels and run them at as close to 600v as possible for grid tie. I am going to bring all the MC4 connectors into a junction box so I can easily reconfigure voltage for different inverters and applications as needed.

If I ever go off grid the inverter and battery are going to have to be massive. I would be pushing what I would consider the limit for a 48v system.

I took a big step towards going off grid installing a wood stove and coal furnace this year.
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Old 10-28-18, 06:34 PM   #136
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Randen

Two common complaints I read or hear about cheap ebay inverters are poor cooling and dead fans. I think you will find liquid cooling less trouble in the long run. It may take some iterations to get it perfect but I think you are on the right track.

Be careful using PTC air fittings with liquid coolant. They don't like temperature changes, or water hammer from sudden valve closure. I've had a few work loose over time. The problem is the tubing rather than the fitting.
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Old 10-28-18, 08:21 PM   #137
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A little update:

The liquid cooling is fantastic plus very quiet!!. Drawing a little over 50 amps so 11 kWs and the heatsink is at a little over ambient garage temp. 18 Deg C My wife has the clothes dryer running plus charging the car at 25 amps and the other loads in the house refrigerators etc.

So another win!!! The next sunny day I'll add more load and test to 20 kWs which we will likely never see but I have a good feeling the capability of the devise.

CrankyDoug the PTC fittings see no pressure as its an open system. but thanks for the heads up.

Randen
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Old 10-28-18, 09:39 PM   #138
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I may have the leaf and a plug in hybrid to charge.
That makes off grid kind of difficult.

I don't know if inverters like schnider or radian were made to run at several kw for hours on end like you get when charging a leaf.
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Old 10-29-18, 12:58 PM   #139
randen
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Oilpan

Some of the commercial inverters can be linked adding up to a decent system. However drawing huge current on 48 VDC. Not to mention the costs of the units and heavy conductors. The wire to my inverter from the battery is only 6ga.

Here today something special. The batteries were depleted from my load test last night and this morning quite overcast. This overcast thinned and the solar panels started charging. At lunch switched to OFF GRID and the heat-pump ran for a short time until the solar Hot water system started which inhibits the heat pump.

In the grand scheme while I have good sun resource during the day the in-floor is heated with solar hot water and the solar PV is charging the pack. When the sun goes down and the in-floor has cooled the Heat-pump utilizing the stored battery power will come on line to keep us warm during the night.

Its nice when a plan comes together!!!

Randen
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Old 11-10-18, 10:13 AM   #140
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Fellow Eco-renovators

It is November and cold wind, overcast with much rain is the environment we find ourselves. Well OK as I peer outside snow blowing around in the wind.

The DIY inverter with liquid cooled heatsink is performing extremely well. Its handling all the load I can apply at this time (15 Kws) Although not demonstrated (yet) I'm confident the full load of 20 kws will be no problem.

Trouble now is the Chevy Volt battery (17 Kwhs) depletes real quick with this load (Testing to 15 kw) and the only way I can charge it is with the solar. The amount of power I have from the solar PV is only 800 watts with all the overcast.

The good news is base load for the house is approx. 2 kW as refrigerator and freezers cycle and this pops up to 3.8 kw as the heat-pumps start. Now this may make most people very sad BUT this is HEATING a 3600 sq.ft. home!!! Who knew you can heat a house with a battery in the garage!!??

OK so I can operate off grid with no compromise for about 4 hrs. (17 Kwh / 4 kw = 4Hrs) and increasingly longer as clouds thin or a little sun makes it through.

The math works as it always does. But to be truly accurate before someone points this out is the loads are up and down with the cycling appliances and one would need a data logger.

The take away from this is I require a larger battery like a nice 85-100 KwH Tesla battery. Whew thats going to take a few $$$. and the teaser if one scrolls back and looks , there is room for 2 complete complements of Tesla pack moduals in the floor battery vault.

Anyone hear of a complete pack available drop me a note

Randen

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