So please, go make your invention and when it doesn't work, don't go asking why until you come back and re-read this thread first. It will all make much more sense the 2nd time around once you can read it with some context.

He is over at ETO under a different name and telling them that his friend strantor is in agreement with him and his ideas. I told him there that he should reread your answers.

They do make bypass generators for gas wells, the power is used to run the chart recorders that gas wells use. But his low understanding of things both electrical and electrical generation is really bad almost to the point of saying he has none. Why would you want to generate AC voltage then take a loss converting to DC to charge batteries?

 

He is over at ETO under a different name and telling them that his friend strantor is in agreement with him and his ideas. I told him there that he should reread your answers.

I haven't visited ETO in 5 years. I left with a bad taste in my mouth, don't remember what it was about though. You piqued my curiosity, so I went over and checked it out. I don't think anything I said was misconstrued but there is definitely the same trend of misunderstanding over there as here. And replies like this one don't help:



I have no idea what this person thinks they are talking about. Two rotary machines; An electrical generator coupled to an electrical prime mover? Is this some kind of perpetual motion scheme they suggest?

Anyway, I'm glad to see that others are providing sensible feedback. This resounded particularly strongly with me:



100% agreed. Please read. This is why everyone is asking for the details and background on the application. If I'm right and this is to be in-line of a natural gas pipeline then I understand the secrecy; most would not feel comfortable discussing that. But usually when people are secretive it's either because they think they're sitting on a billion dollar idea that they don't know how to achieve and want others to do all the work for them for free so they get rich, or it's because they're trying to build a perpetual motion machine and don't want to hear all the "naysayers" with their "laws of physics" and "negativity." When you're secretive, it sets off alarm bells. We get people like this on the forum all the time and it never goes well for them. People get attacked or avoided. Just be open and honest, discuss the actual problem, not your solution. Or, just go do the thing you've set your mind to doing, and learn from the experience. That's what I've done in these situations and that's how I gained experience.

And @shortbus your analogy was spot on:



That's better than any analogy I've come up with in this discussion. The load bank solution I proposed is analogous to applying the brakes with the accelerator still pinned to the floor.

If you wanted to limit the speed of the turbine using the generator then you would need to place a controlled load across the generator output. This would quickly burn up your generator and probably your load device as well.

To expound on the analogy, have you ever seen one of those car trains leaving from auction, headed to Mexico? They'll have a Ford Expedition towing a chevy truck with a motorcycle in the bed, towing a Jeep, towing a volkswagen. All with magnetic flashing lights haphazardly affixed and "IN TOW" scrawled across the windows. They'll be going 55mph in a 70mph zone, driving at night. Those vehicles being towed, are the electrical loads. You get the land train up to 55mph and then bolt the accelerator in place so it stays at 55mph. Then disconnect the volkswagen. The train speeds up. You apply the brakes a little to slow it back down. Next you disconnect the Jeep. Again it speeds up, apply the brakes more. Now disconnect the truck and motorcycle. Again it speeds up, and apply the brake more. Now it's just an expedition driving down the road burning way more fuel than it should be, with brake discs glowing and smoke billowing out. How far will it go? Why the hell are we regulating speed this way? This is stupid. As I also said:

It's a really crappy plan but it's the only way to meet the goal of "electronically" controlling the speed of the generator when you've taken all the proper options off the table.

Obviously the proper way to regulate speed in the land train scenario is to regulate the amount of INPUT power (fuel).
INPUT power.
I say again, INPUT power.

A VFD will only work by regulating output power, dissipating excess power into a load bank in the same way that a phase angle fired controller would. And in the same way that applying the brakes simultaneously with the gas pedal would work in the land train.



IF this is a natural gas pipeline and that's why you think you can't control the INPUT power (because you can't vent to atmosphere), there are still options for regulating the INPUT power. Instead of placing the turbine in-line with the gas flow, you place a controllable orifice in-inline. Then in parallel with the orifice, you put your turbine. When you want more turbine speed, yo make the orifice smaller, so more gas flow will be redirected through the turbine. You want less flow through the turbine, you open the orifice more. You have an exceptionally high demand downstream and can't tolerate any loss in flow, you completely open the orifice, zero restriction caused by your generator.

 

If the primary energy is coming from the flow of air through a pipe then perhaps a butterfly valve somewhere in the pipe would control the amount of air flowing. Similar to a cars carburettor. You can control the valve with a solenoid/servo. More experienced readers might suggest how to measure the airflow and use it as a control to actuate the valve.

 

If the primary energy is coming from the flow of air through a pipe then perhaps a butterfly valve somewhere in the pipe would control the amount of air flowing. Similar to a cars carburettor. You can control the valve with a solenoid/servo. More experienced readers might suggest how to measure the airflow and use it as a control to actuate the valve.

From the TS:

However, the electronic solution I am looking for is a result of not being able to control the flow through pipe.