Wednesday, April 28, 2021

Re: [electricboats] EV Gavia: Electrical suggestions

I agree with Dan, as I move forward with my project. The plans to leave decent sized AGM in place for the last power needs is a great safety measure.  I too am planning ahead for the 48v windlass for our catamaran to utilize the lower amp draw of the distance. Love that they are now available! My short term plans are to leave my ICE in place with hopes of switching over to full electric within a few years. Our plans to do medical and disaster relief relies on my ability to motor back to someplace more quickly than sailing so I'm more cautious of just electric. 

This group is great for the further development of these projects! I'm looking into the range extenders mentioned prior to meet those needs rather than a 8-12k generator with all its losses of conversions!

Cheers
Steve


On Wed, Apr 28, 2021 at 8:09 PM Darin <armyofpenguins@gmail.com> wrote:
Jay, 

Looks like a really fun project.  Nice videos explaining what you are doing.  Some thoughts about your electrical system:
1. It's good that you are using a 12V battery between your heaviest loads and the DC converter, however, it would be better if you had the battery immediately between the converter and ALL loads to even out the demand on the converter.  Also, have you considered using a 12V LA battery for this purpose?  The LiFePO4 has such a flat curve that it runs out pretty fast without much warning.  If you get into an emergency situation where you are running low, you might need to eek out the last remaining charge to run a radio or an anchor light while waiting for a rescue/tow.   LA batteries have a more forgiving discharge curve if you need to get the last drop out and need to know how long it might last.
3. For your windlass, you might look into the new 48V windlass by Maxwell Marine (recently developed thanks to Dan and Kika of Sailing Uma fame).  That would allow you to run the windlass off your 48V system with minimal losses from the longer wires.    

Hope you find something helpful here.  Good luck on your project!

Darin
Serious Moonlight
Buchan 37 Sailboat
48V Thunderstruck 10kW
48x100ah CALB LiFePO4 (3P16S)
Anacortes, WA

On Wed, Apr 28, 2021 at 12:49 PM Reuben Trane via groups.io <rjtrane=me.com@groups.io> wrote:
Carsten,


I purchased the 6kW/48Vdc unit - I should have bought the 4kW one since these are amp limited - at 48v I'd get the same amps from a 4kW unit as the 6kW and it comes in a neater package with the controller and rectifier built into the casing. I did get a remote gas tank rather than integral. Response from vendor was as good as could be expected. They immediately replaced several items damaged in shipping. And eventually the controller which mal-functioned. 

Right now the throttle is not automatic - I just set it on high. I have yet to run it for an extended period of time. I don't use the automatic on/off features. 

It's installed in a FRP box with the exhaust ported outside along with an exhaust blower that changes the air every couple of minutes. I just bought a temp gauge to see what the ambient temperature is. 

Any other questions?

Reuben



On Apr 27, 2021, at 11:09 AM, Carsten via groups.io <Carstensemail=yahoo.com@groups.io> wrote:


Hi, Reuben

Could you please tell me more of your experiments with the CN gen in point 3. please ?

I have a link, and it makes me just more confused than enlightened... I even had a few laughs when reading it :-)
My guess - not certified in ANY heavy regulated country.

Looking forward to hear from you,
Carsten


On Tuesday, 27 April 2021, 20:40:09 GMT+8, Reuben Trane via groups.io <rjtrane=me.com@groups.io> wrote:


Great project and presentation. I have a 48v system on my solar powered 12m cat "Sunshine" that has been off the grid over 5 years. Here's my thoughts:

1. I feel you'd be better off building your LFP pack using prismatic cells from Winston, CALB or Sinopoly. Use cells of the AH size you want to minimize connections - 16 cells total. If you're set on "drop-in" LFP batteries, I'd consider Victron (they do make them?). Since you're using Victron components, then stick with them for a BMS that can communicate with your inverter/charger and solar controllers.

2. If your 12v battery is near the windlass, I'd suggest the DC/DC charger also be located near this battery. You can then run sizable wires to your 12v panel.

3. I have been experimenting with a Range Extender (48vdc generator) from AliExpress. It has a small air-cooled gas motor started by the 3-phase AC generator. It has a controller and a bridge rectifier with DC charging output. These range controllers are designed for EVs and output about 4kW/80A for a 48v system.

4. Solbian makes the best flex panels using SunPower cells. I have rigid SunPower panels installed in 2008 and still working fine.

5. I have considered wind but not added any - small units barely produce much of anything - my research indicates using ones with blade diameters if 6' or more to get anything really useful.

Where are you doing this project? I'm in Key Largo, Florida - a perfect spot for a solar boat. Any plans to share?

Good going.

Reuben Trane





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