i don't know what this is exactly but......

[onionbargee]

I bet no one else has got one ?

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MAX-POWER-MARINE-FUEL-CELL-12VDC-50W-METHANOL-YACHT-BOAT-BATTERY-CHARGER-ECO-/140855834183?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_BoatEquipment_Accessories_SM&hash=item20cba97647#ht_500wt_1288

[RLWP]

That's a little one, they go up to 130W

 

Richard

[jenlyn]

I bet no one else has got one ?

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MAX-POWER-MARINE-FUEL-CELL-12VDC-50W-METHANOL-YACHT-BOAT-BATTERY-CHARGER-ECO-/140855834183?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_BoatEquipment_Accessories_SM&hash=item20cba97647#ht_500wt_1288

I would prefer the hydrogen version.

[onionbargee]

It runs on methanol ? that is lethally posionous ?

[bizzard]

It runs on methanol ? that is lethally posionous ?

So do speedway bikes and some dragsters.

[Smelly]

It runs on methanol ? that is lethally posionous ?

 

So"s diesel; trick is not to drink it!

 

It's an expensive genny, but I wonder how 11kwhr for 60 quid compares to a petrol genny

[MtB]

Isn't methanol the same thing as methylated spirit?

[oarfish]

Isn't methanol the same thing as methylated spirit?

 

Think methylated spirit is ethanol with added methanol to stop it being fun/taxable.

 

Was looking at methanol fuel cells a while ago. The lab grade methanol you need is pretty cheap (far cheaper than on that site) if you buy it in sodding great barrels but its nasty stuff, highly corrosive as well as flammable. They are pretty much silent in operation and dont need ventilation, so can be run 24/7.

 

A few years ago the technology was being pushed as a direct replacement for lithium ion batteries in electronics. I guess the miniaturisation isn't there yet, and the safety issues of having cartridges of face melting poisonous liquid being carted around everywhere with peoples iThings might be a problem.

 

There's a norwegian company that has a 2 stage diesel fuel cell. That would be ideal for high efficiency power generation but it looks like military only kit at the moment. Lets hope the diesel burning thing is quieter than my bloody Eberspacher.

Edited September 27, 2012 by oarfish

[oarfish]

HI there, just reading the thread and realised you've mentioned your Eberspacher being loud? maybe something is wrong as mine is very quiet, if your looking for a replacement eberspacher for any point in the future to yourself or any others looking or reviewing this post, i actually found a site which sells them and if i am not corrected they sell the cheapest Diesel heating systems around, if any of you guys are interested, i went back through my history (yes, it tok me a while) and got you all the website, its WWW.EBERSPACHERSALES.COM, enjoy guys =)

 

hmm, mine (when it was working) sounded something like a 1950s interceptor taking off. And its cocooned. If you know anyone in the Oxfordshire area that can service a 24v eber, that would be handy.

[churchward]

So do speedway bikes and some dragsters.

That takes me back! Ah I love the smell of a speedway bike in the morning! smells like cooked bacon.

[Teadaemon]

It'll be interesting to see how much it goes for, as new they're around £3,000 (or were the last time I looked).

 

Having said that, they do have a limited lifespan before the platinum catalyst needs to be replaced (it degrades with use to a form with less surface area, the old catalyst can be recycled).

 

They're quite common on small ocean racing yachts like Class Mini (6.5m boats designed to be sailed across the Atlantic single-handed), but at the moment they're not very cost-effective for most users.

[bizzard]

That takes me back! Ah I love the smell of a speedway bike in the morning! smells like cooked bacon.

I think they used a mixture of 50/50 petrol and Methanol also the smell of Castrol R.

[Gibbo]

We are a matter of weeks away from having a 1250 watt one of a similar size that runs from methanol, ethanol, diesel, av-gas or hydrogen. Military only at the moment and has about three too many zeros in the price

[churchward]

I think they used a mixture of 50/50 petrol and Methanol also the smell of Castrol R.

They ran on pure methenol in my day I don't know if it has changed now though. The fuel type was part of the regulations no additives to the methanol allowed.

[nbfiresprite]

With 2 days to go, the bidding is up to £340.

[Grace and Favour]

That takes me back! Ah I love the smell of a speedway bike in the morning! smells like cooked bacon.

 

That'll be the fragrance of fried clutchplates?

[ThePiglet]

I had a secondhand EFOY 1200, basically the same unit as this but 'non marine' (the insurance co. were happy with it though). It was excellent, but the power output dropped off to less than 1A after it got to just over 6,000 hours on the clock. I keep meaning to send it back to Germany for a service and have been surviving on solar all summer.

 

Very quiet units, they automatically top the batteries up when they drop to about 12.2v. Almost certainly more expensive than a generator, but the convenience is absolutely worth it.

[churchward]

That'll be the fragrance of fried clutchplates?

Arf! No not really methanol fuel has a very distinctive exhaust smell when used in combustion. The oil system may have added a note or two to the aroma too.

[ditchcrawler]

Arf! No not really methanol fuel has a very distinctive exhaust smell when used in combustion. The oil system may have added a note or two to the aroma too.

We use to use gallons of Methanol, horrible stuff IMO.

[onionbargee]

methanol Toxicity

Methanol has a high toxicity in humans. If ingested, for example, as little as 10 mL of pure methanol can cause permanent blindness by destruction of the optic nerve, and 30 mL is potentially fatal,[13] although the median lethal dose is typically 100 mL (4 fl oz) (i.e. 1–2 mL/kg of pure methanol[14]). Toxic effects take hours to start, and effective antidotes can often prevent permanent damage.[13] Because of its similarities in both appearance and odor to ethanol (the alcohol in beverages), it is difficult to differentiate between the two (such is also the case with denatured alcohol).

Methanol is toxic by two mechanisms. First, methanol (whether it enters the body by ingestion, inhalation, or absorption through the skin) can be fatal due to its CNS depressant properties in the same manner as ethanol poisoning. Second, in a process of toxication, it is metabolized to formic acid (which is present as the formate ion) via formaldehyde in a process initiated by the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase in the liver.[15] Methanol is converted to formaldehyde via alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and formaldehyde is converted to formic acid (formate) via aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH). The conversion to formate via ALDH proceeds completely, with no detectable formaldehyde remaining.[16] Formate is toxic because it inhibits mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase, causing the symptoms of hypoxia at the cellular level, and also causing metabolic acidosis, among a variety of other metabolic disturbances.[17]

Methanol poisoning can be treated with the antidotes ethanol or fomepizole.[15][18][19] Both drugs act to reduce the action of alcohol dehydrogenase on methanol by means of competitive inhibition, so it is excreted by the kidneys rather than being transformed into toxic metabolites.[15] Further treatment may include giving sodium bicarbonate for metabolic acidosis, and hemodialysis or hemodiafiltration can be used to remove methanol and formate from the blood.[15] Folinic acid or folic acid is also administered to enhance the metabolism of formate.[15]

The initial symptoms of methanol intoxication include central nervous system depression, headache, dizziness, nausea, lack of coordination, and confusion. Sufficiently large doses can cause unconsciousness and death. The initial symptoms of methanol exposure are usually less severe than the symptoms resulting from the ingestion of a similar quantity of ethanol.[4] Once the initial symptoms have passed, a second set of symptoms arises, 10 to as many as 30 hours after the initial exposure to methanol, including blurring or complete loss of vision and acidosis.[15] These symptoms result from the accumulation of toxic levels of formate in the blood, and may progress to death by respiratory failure. Physical examination may show tachypnea, and opthalmologic examination may show dilated pupils with hyperemia of the optic disc and retinal edema. Small amounts of methanol are produced by the metabolism of food and are generally harmless, being metabolized quickly and completely.

[oarfish]

Very quiet units, they automatically top the batteries up when they drop to about 12.2v. Almost certainly more expensive than a generator, but the convenience is absolutely worth it.

 

How did you find the logistics of dealing with methanol? Not sure if its practical for living aboard and very extensive cruising? Given you can get 512W of solar for < 1000 nowadays I'm not sure if they are worth it.

[ThePiglet]

How did you find the logistics of dealing with methanol? Not sure if its practical for living aboard and very extensive cruising? Given you can get 512W of solar for < 1000 nowadays I'm not sure if they are worth it.

The MaxPower (now SFC) units use a custom connector between the SFC methanol bottles and the hose. The cap you screw onto the bottle contains a plunger which opens up a spring loaded stopper in the bottle. The bottle has two pipes inside, one is the fuel pickup, the other is a breather to the outside which is attached to a float internally, to prevent spillage.

This does mean that you have to use SFC methanol bottles, which are expensive, but after mine went outside it's warranty I used 99.95% methanol from ebay which was less than a quarter of the price and it ran just as well. A guy I know does plastic welding and we made an adaptor from one of the old SFC bottles and a standard cap which screws onto a standard bottle, you need not touch or pour the stuff.

 

Life is full of dangerous substances and situations, I'm happy with the way I store my fuel - I can't accidentally drink it, I have plenty of ventilation for the negligible amount of vapour and should my boat & it catch fire, I have a smoke alarm & the fuel is not blocking my exit. If the boat sinks, the bottle won't readily leak, if it does split, 10L of methanol is going to dilute pretty quickly, fishy casualties would be minimal.

 

My cabin is 16ft long, I don't have room for 512w of solar! I have 100w already - that and the hatch take up half the roof

 

Wasn't there an episode of Doc Martin where the cure for methanol poisoning was to drink Vodka?

[nbfiresprite]

Sold for £820