Affordable and Reliable CHP Engines
CHP Engine Solutions
The Straight 6: Straight 6 engines are just so good. They have powered cars, trucks, boats and generators for many decades. Whilst they don’t produce the rumble of a V8, or offer the compactness of a V6 for modern cars; they are harmonically balanced, robust, simple and provide outstanding torque.
Reliable Engine Solutions
The Inoplex CHP Engines use a modified Straight 6 Ford Barra engine as our standard 30 to 66 KW cogeneration prime mover.
For smaller capacity CHP systems, Inoplex offers 3 and 4 cylinder gas engines converted from robust, well proven, Japanese diesel engines by Kubota. These range from 1 to 4 L in displacement and cover the 5 to 50 KW electrical output range.
For electrical outputs between 200 and 350 KW, Inoplex utilises Scania 12.7L straight 6 engine and a 16.4 L 90 degree V8, both variable speed diesel engines converted to gas with outstanding efficiency.
Inoplex CHP engine solutions cover electrical outputs 5 KW to 2 MW
There are some iconic straight 6s. Who can forget the BMW E46 M3, Jaguar XK120 from the 1940s, Toyota 2JZ used in Supra and Lexus, Nissan RB-series used in Skylines and Commodores, Chrysler Charger’s 265 HEMI Slant 6 or Cummins 6BT used in Dodge and millions of trucks, graders, pumps, generators, boats, etc. Motoring enthusiasts could argue the merits of these engines for weeks!
The Inoplex CHP Engine – Our Straight 6 Choice
We reckon that the Ford Barra FG straight 6 belongs in any list of “Top 10 straight 6 engines of all times”. Its performance and durability are legendary with petrol, gas and turbo options offered by Ford with a variety of compression ratios, fuel delivery system and of course, variable cam timing. For motor sports applications they can produce 100 KW per cylinder, and for us, they have proven to be a cost effective chp engine for our cogenerators.
Sadly they have ceased production, with Ford, Holden, Toyota and Mitsubishi all deserting their Australian manufacturing operations. However, we have ample supply of brand new, used and remanufactured engines and will be using these for many years.
CHP Engine vs a normal Generator
A CHP Generator powering a dairy farm, piggery, chicken hatchery, commercial office building, swimming pool or aquatic complex can run the equivalent of a truck traveling a million kms per year. This is so very different to a standby generator, which will run just a few dozen hours now and again; no wonder they are so much cheaper! While the Ford Barra engine is very good, we strive to extract the highest sustainable value for our clients and extend the life of the engines further.
How we convert a Straight 6 to a great CHP Engine
The Barra6 engine has undergone significant engineering and re-designed by our engineering team specifically for biogas, which includes:
Pistons: Cosworth Engineering of Northampton UK developed the most technically advanced piston ever made for the Ford DOHC. It’s a completely new forged piston which has some very unique features including a fully strutted “box skirt” design with crown. Next the team focused on the thermal characteristics of the forging design so as to maximise the heat transfer path from the piston crown, through the rings and into the cylinder walls, a major factor in the reliability of the engines. The pistons are produced in the UK with a bespoke forging die made specifically for this piston. To complete the robust design, heavy-duty gudgeon pins, anti-detonation bands, pressurised pin boss oil feeds, high leverage skirts complete with Xylan coating and fully polished crowns, which are finished with a ceramic heat treatment coating.
Con Rods: A H-Beam construction was developed at the largest size that could fit inside the piston and it was coupled to the largest size bearing tunnel that could physically fit inside the Ford crankcase. The minimum cross section has been increased by a whopping 34%, the beam is 13% wider and 14% thicker. These are serious con rods for durability.
Oil: The Ford DOHC pumps are Gerotor design and are driven directly off the snout of the crankshaft and subsequently are subjected to twisting moments. These torsional forces cause the oil pump drive gear to be thrust clockwise and anti-clockwise, which eventually leads to the failure of the gear. Also, the original equipment gears are manufactured using sintered metal gears and we have found they lack the structural integrity to withstand the stresses created in biogas engines. The solution for long-term reliability was to source precision cut billet steel gears, to fully blueprint the standard oil pump and finally to include a hard anodised billet end plate to provide thrust wears resistance.
We’ve learnt to provide the alloy head with the respect it deserves and it serves us faithfully.
These upgraded components in a precision remanufactured engine with an increased compression ratio, lift the durability and performance of the chp engine to provide high levels of reliability.
So reduce the risk for your next project and specify an Inoplex Cogen Generator.