How generators have evolved and why Eniquest are leading the way
Generators have been around for over a century. As technology has progressed, the design of the diesel generator and the size has grown exponentially over the years. Today, we have some of the most fuel efficient, robust and reliable generators on the market, with its demand not slowing down.
Click on the topic links below to learn more about the history, what makes a diesel generator and the future of mobile power generation.
History
Diesel generators have been available since the 1800’s and began with the contribution of two renowned inventors, Michael Faraday who produced the first induction generator in 1831 and Rudolf Diesel who officially produced the first diesel engine in 1893. The use of the generator back then was mainly for industrial purposes such as power pipelines, electric and water plants. As the efficiencies improved over time, the uses extended out to mine and oil fields. The design was simple- Engine coupled to alternator to produce power. This design is still the way we produce generators today.
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The Diesel Engine
The diesel engine has been around for nearly 150 years, dating back to its first official Patent lodged back in 1893 by the infamous Rudolf Diesel. Diesel originally was a refrigerator engineer, working on various heat engines including a solar powered air engine. Then on August 10th, 1893, Diesel’s prototype model which was essentially a 3 metre tall motor with an iron cylinder and a flywheel at the base, ran on its own. It was then perfected two years later with the next model demonstrated with an efficiency of 26.2%, much greater than the 10% of the steam engines back then.
Fast forward a few years to 1912, a Japanese man named Yamaoka Magokichi started ‘Yamaoka Engine Workshop’, which is now famously known as Yanmar. Originally producing gas engines, the company created its own 2-Stroke vertical diesel engine in 1930, then in 1933, the HB model was released. This model was the worlds first commercially viable small diesel engine, producing a whopping 5-6 horsepower. In 1952, Yanmar launched the K1, the world’s smallest 4 stroke horizontal water cooled diesel engine. Today, Yanmar has produced over 10 million engines, powering the whole world with its innovative designs and machinery.
The Generator
History of the generator dates back to the early 1830’s by scientist Michael Faraday. Faraday’s best known for his work on electricity and magnetism. After electromagnetism was discovered, Faraday created two devices to produce what he called ‘electromagnetic rotation’. In 1831, he discovered electromagnetic induction, a breakthrough discovery that leads into what constitutes of power generation to this very day. This then led to the first electromagnetic generator being invented- the Faraday Disk.
In 1832, word spread with Hippolyte Pixii, a French instrument maker, creating the early form of the AC generator. This was based of Faraday’s principle of electromagnetic induction. It consisted of a spinning magnet, driven by a hand crank, with the north and south poles passing over a coil with an iron core. This essentially became a Magneto. This design demonstrated that a current pulse was produced each time a pole passed over the coil. It also demonstrated that the current direction changed every time the north pole passed over the coil directly after the south pole passing. Magneto’s were perfected and were used to provide ringing power in telephone systems as well as high voltage ignition systems in petrol engines.
Later on with Pixii’s design, it was suggested to him to introduce a commutator which allowed his invention to produce a pulsating direct current. His commutator design had issues where the electric current was inconsistent resulting in a low average power output. In 1860, Italian Physics professor, Antonio Pacinotti, solved the problem by modifying the original design which smoothed out the current.
The first industrial use generator dates back to 1844, the Woolrich Electrical Generator. It was used for commercial electroplating. It was made in a wooden frame and consisted of 8 Axial bobbins with a magnetic field applied by 4 iron horseshoe magnets.
As the years went on and technology progressed, there have been many iterations of alternators. Typical alternators used in generators are self-excitation alternators or permanent magnet alternators, based on the theory of technology dating back to the beginning. Perfections have been made to ensure compatibility with digital equipment of today as well as harvesting the most amount of power efficiently.
Diesel Generators Now
Both technologies have evolved since its birth to become the comparatively light weight, compact and quiet running packages that we have today.
Diesel generators are considered to be a robust and reliable source of electrical energy that can be used all day and every day or left dormant for prolonged periods then needed to respond immediately without intervention. Their usable life will vary and is usually based on hours of operation and, if serviced correctly in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations, will range from 3,000 hours for small high speed 3,000rpm machines to nearly indefinitely for large low speed 750rpm machines.
The most common medium size 1,500 rpm machines are expected to have a usable life from 15,000 to 25,000 hours before overhauls but then will continue to be usable until they become uneconomical to overhaul.
The composition of a diesel generator is made up of two major components, a diesel fuelled drive engine and an induction alternator. These two components are usually hard coupled with the rotational part of the alternator directly attached to the engine flywheel. Other ancillary components that complete the package include, engine starting battery, engine cooling system, engine exhaust system, generator controller, power output circuit breaker and electrical power outlet.
The diesel engine will require periodic servicing with service intervals ranging from 150 to 500 hours of operation for small to medium size diesel generators. Disciplined service with high quality lubrication and genuine replacement filters and components will result in the best possible life. Servicing is generally conducted by the operator and should be as detailed within the operator’s handbook and is generally limited to the replacement of the crankcase oil and oil filter, and sometimes air and fuel filter.
Other components that will need less frequent attention include fan belt and coolant, for radiator cooled engines, and starting battery. If the diesel generator is left dormant for extended periods, the start battery should be kept fully charged through three monthly checks and recharging or continuous maintenance charging. High quality AGM start batteries have a life of up to 5 years providing they are charged correctly.
What Makes Up a Diesel Generator
There are many types of diesel-fuelled engines and many types of induction alternators. Each diesel generator manufacturer will offer their choice of these two components based either on availability, cost, efficiencies, durability, market acceptance and their association with suppliers. The cost of these two major components will significantly influence the cost of the diesel generator and generally this cost is a good representation of quality.
There were around 4,000 new diesel generators delivered in Australia in 2022 and this number has increased at a steady rate over the years and is expected to continue. Today, most packaged diesel generators are fully imported, however there are some local manufacturers such as Eniquest who specialise in Australian built superior quality diesel generators for those applications that demand the best probable life before failure.
Unlike motor vehicles, most of us will not purchase many diesel generators and will have little understanding of value for money without extensive research. All diesel generators sold in Australia should comply with Australian Standard AS 60034.22, and AS/NZS 3010 where applicable.
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Diesel Generator Applications
Diesel generators have been the choice for providing electric power in remote and mobile situations where mains grid power is not available. These situations are widespread and include residential, commercial operations, mining, communications, agriculture pumping and irrigation, service vehicles, marine and defence. They are also used as backup for mains grid power in the event of its failure. These situations include critical equipment in industry and commercial, hospitals, high rise buildings, communication towers, shopping centres, transport infrastructure, and sporting lighting.
There are many other applications for DC diesel generators such as powering mobile LED flood lighting, operating DC drives and operating electromagnets.
AC Diesel Generator
When selecting a diesel generator consideration must be given to the output voltage and the electrical power required. The output voltage must be the same as the equipment being powered and can be either three phase 230/400 Volts or single phase 230 volts 50Hz. Single phase 230 Volt equipment can typically be used on three phase diesel generators provided that each phase is reasonably balanced with other mixes of single phase or three phase equipment, however our generators with a permanent magnet alternator can handle unbalanced loads.
Electrical power available is generally rated in kilovolt-amps or kVA at 0.8 power factor, but kVA isn’t a widely used term outside of the generator industry and can be confusing when determining the size required. Electrical equipment is generally rated in kilowatts or Amps.
For instance, electric motors are rated in kW which relates to the mechanical power available from its drive shaft. When sizing a diesel generator for this piece of equipment, the losses of the electric motor will need to be added to its mechanical rating then converted to kVA. Its losses are measured by efficiency and if its rating is 10kW with an efficiency of 82% the actual power required to drive the electric motor is 10kW ÷ 0.82% efficient = 12.2kW. This can then be converted to kVA, for example, 12.2kW ÷ 0.8 power factor = 15.25kVA from the diesel generator. Alternatively, the diesel generator rating can be converted to kW by simply multiplying its kVA by 0.8 power factor. Available Amps from a diesel generator can also be calculated from its kVA and is different for three phase and single phase machines.
This calculation is fairly complex, and an approximation can be determined by simply using a multiple of 1.4 for three phase and 4.1 for single phase. For example, 10kVA three phase machine will provide 10kVA x 1.4 = 14 Amps per phase and a 10kVA single phase machine will provide 10kVA x 4.1 = 41 Amps. It should be noted that this current is available for 0.8 power factor equipment such as an electric motor but must be modified for other equipment such as heating and lighting with power factors closer to 1.0 or unity. To modify the available current available form a diesel generator at unity power factor, multiply by 0.8, for example, 14 Amps x 0.8 power factor = 11.2 Amps at unity power factor.
DC Diesel generators
There are also diesel generators that provide DC electrical power to support battery of solar systems. These are usually only rated in kW with a two wire positive (+) and negative (-) outlet. It is a little easier to understand the conversion from kW to Amps as there is no three phase or power factor to consider. The calculation is simply kW x 1,000 ÷ Voltage, for example, a 10kW 28 Volt DC diesel generator will provide 10kW x 1,000 ÷ 28 Volts = 357 Amps. DC diesel generators will come in voltages to suit battery charging. It should be noted that the charge voltage needs to be higher than the battery voltage to force a charge, for example, a 24 Volt battery will require 28 to 29 Volts and a 48 Volt battery will require 56 to 58 Volts.
When used for battery charging, the sizing of DC diesel generators is based on the time required to charge a battery and the recommended maximum charge current for a particular battery. The amount of power available from a DC diesel generator is generally limited by the diesel engine fuel stop setting and when this limit is reached the diesel engine slows resulting in a drop in output voltage. This voltage drop will limit the output Amps and prevent the diesel generator from over loading.
For a 28 Volt 800 Amp/hour battery with a recommended charge rate of no more than C5, or Capacity ÷ 5, or 800 Amp/hours ÷ 5 = 160 Amps, the suitable sized DC diesel generator would be, 160 Amps x 28 Volts ÷ 1,000 = 4.5kW, to charge the battery in the shortest possible time. Smaller DC diesel generator can be used but would require a longer run time to charge the battery. It is important that a DC diesel generator is not over sized for a battery as they may provide a charge rate higher than the maximum recommended, resulting in reduced battery life.
DC diesel generators should only be used to provide a bulk charge to the battery and never a float charge. As the battery is charged its voltage will increase and will creep closer to the DC diesel generator’s output voltage to a point where the DC diesel generator becomes lightly loaded and operate inefficiently.
Generator Load Ratings
Diesel generators are generally rated for maximum continuous power at specific ambient temperatures and altitudes. Deration will be required for higher ambient temperatures and altitudes and sometimes humidity. It is good practice to leave some headroom for changing conditions and varying demand from the connected electrical equipment. However, if the selection is too conservative where average electrical load is below 60% there is a danger of early engine failure due to wet stacking and glazing.
Wet stacking is a condition in diesel engines where unburnt fuel passes into the exhaust system and is evident by a tar like substance oozing from its manifold, piping, or turbo charger. For efficient combustion, diesel engines should run at not less than 60% of its rated power. Poor combustion can also produce hard caron particles within the combustion chamber that are extremely abrasive. As these particles are collected at the piston rings, scraping the honing on the cylinder bore will lead to bore polishing and loss of compression.
Quality vs Price- Quality always wins
Diesel generators come in various shapes and sizes, quality, and prices. Around 90% of diesel generators sold in Australia are imported, and whilst there are some companies out there Australian Owned, very few are actually manufactured in Australia. As far as we know, we are the only company in Australia manufacturing DC alternators, and the only company in Australia manufacturing not only the generator but using our own made DC alternators and designed our own generator controllers, made locally in Queensland. The ability to do this ourselves allows us to control quality, but this comes at a cost.
The question you need to ask is ‘do I care about price or do I care about quality’. An answer only you can decide based on facts. These factor in your expected life span of the generator, its application for use, the environment its operating in and so on.
A cheaply manufactured generator comes at a cost, this cost is quality. Typically the biggest cost in a generator is the engine, alternator, controller, and labour. Usually a generator can be cheaper than premium brands is by using alternative no-name brand engines and alternators. This can have great issues with service and life. No-name brand engines can make it difficult to find service and repair parts, particularly an issue if the engine encounters a failure, likewise with the alternator. Using cheap components that are not built to last or survive harsh environments have proven to have life expectancy of 25% compared to a premium brand equivalent.
This ultimately comes at a cost when factors such as breakdown times are considered, particularly if replacement components are not stocked in Australia and have to be imported in. The other factor not usually considered in the cheaper models is the fuel economy. Usually, the un-branded engines and alternators do not run as efficiently as a premium brand, which affects fuel economy and engine output power. In some cases, a larger engine is required to produce the same power that a premium brand with a smaller engine can produce.
If the difference for instance is 1 Litre per hour, and you use the generator for 1000 hours a year, that’s 1000 litres of extra fuel being consumed, or in 2024 at $2.00 a litre, that’s $2000 of extra money spent on fuel per year. A typical premium brand generator can last between 15,000 – 20,000 hours in its life. That’s how much extra in dollars you will spend on fuel over the premium brand, which if you can get that life out of a no-name brand generator, becomes a much more expensive model overall.
Then of course you have your mid-range price to quality brands. These typically use a brand-name engine and some cases a brand-name alternator as well. A mid-range generator are recommended over a no-name branded generator but still have its limitations. These limitations may include parts sourcing and availability, its suitability for the application, quality of other components used and life span. Often the mid-range generators are manufactured overseas and imported into Australia. The same issue is presented when trying to find servicing parts and components should the generator encounter a failure.
A premium quality generator such as an Eniquest model, only uses top quality components and the latest technology. They are built to last and built for a purpose, often these components have been stress tested in harsh environments prior to being put on the market. A premium quality generator has the best finish quality, best fuel economy and generally the best aftermarket service. Premium quality generators typically outlast the rated lifespan and have the least amount of downtime, proving that the extra money spent upfront has effectively saved in the long run when looking at fuel economy, lifespan and if used for a work purpose, downtime of not having power and needing to rent another unit.
The biggest thing we overlook when choosing a generator is factoring in the cost of ownership. If we look at the Ranger 8000 over the mid-range equivalent competitor, the cost difference is typically $4,000- difference being the Ranger 8000 is the more expensive model. And for this purpose, its being used for 4 hours a business day every year so we will call it 1000 hours a year.
Service intervals on the Ranger are every 250 hours vs the alternative of 150 hours. The alternative model requires 3 more services over the Ranger 8000. If for the purpose of this exercise its $200 a service, that’s an extra $600 in servicing costs. Fuel economy, the Ranger uses just over 1 litre per hour of fuel less than the competitor. At the current price of $2 per litre, that’s roughly $2000 extra money spent on fuel. The Ranger 8000 will cost $2,600 per year less than the initially cheaper alternative, only taking 2 years to see the Ranger 8000 actually costing less overall.
View our range of Diesel Generators. Can't find what you're looking for? Don't worry, we offer specialist, custom solutions too. Speak to our expert team today.
What Makes the Eniquest Range of Generators More Premium?
We take pride in our products and that we only use top quality, long lasting components. The components that make up our generator will last the test of time to offer a trouble-free ownership experience to keep you powered all year long.
Our generators only use premium brand engines such as Yanmar or in some cases Kubota. These are world leading brands when it comes to long lasting and efficient engines. We also use the latest technology available to us when it comes to alternators being permanent magnet. We either use RFL which have patented technology AC alternators that are world leading, or DC alternators that we have designed and build ourselves.
We only use aluminium panels in our enclosures which keeps the weight down and prevents issues with rust. These also keep the noise levels low and helps with heat efficiency. Sound deadening panels that are the same used in recording studios and dyno rooms, made of 100% recyclable polyester wool that is fire resistant and won’t break down with heat or fumes, ensuring that the output sound rating remains the same for the life of the generator.
In Australia, the UV can be some of the harshest killers to anything that lives outdoors. This is why when it comes to choosing the right components, we factor in these issues so that the generator lasts in our environment, something that other models don’t. Our controllers are designed by us and made locally in Brisbane to ensure that the controller displays data all year round, the overlay for the buttons are still able to be read after 10 years and can work in extreme ambient temperatures.
Our generators are unique to the market in the way that our products are designed and built here in Australia. They are built on the philosophy of keeping it simple, make it to last. And that’s exactly what we do. Using alternators that do not require electronics to regulate voltages, something that commonly fails on traditional alternators (AVR). Making our own generator controllers fit for a purpose, with some meeting MIL specs. Using aluminium panels over steel to keep weight down and ensuring the panels do not rust.
There is a reason why people come to us, its because of our attention to detail and quality with proven field reliability, having some recent reports of our generators lasting over double its expected lifespan with only requiring scheduled maintenance.
The Future of Diesel Generators
The agenda of today is about reducing carbon emissions where possible. Whilst the alternative technology is available, its not an economical or efficient solution just yet. The requirement of a backup diesel generator still has its place for many years to come, but diesel generators still have more room for development of implementing more efficient practices to reduce emissions.
We are conscious of the current issues with environmental factors and climates changing. That is why we make the effort of producing an affordable product that uses less fuel and less materials to manufacture. We aren’t using less materials to cut costs, its simply the technology available allows us to by harvesting the advantages of the alternator.
The permanent magnet alternator is on average 30% smaller than the traditional style equivalent. It also uses less components to make the alternator such as copper, but also being 30% smaller overall, it uses less material to make the housings, shafts etc. Plus the fact it does not use electronics to regulate voltage, there are no electronic components and no e-waste. Having a smaller and more powerful alternator means we can use a smaller engine and smaller chassis. This inherently reduces the amount of material required to build a generator overall.
The permanent magnet alternator has the best efficiencies or the least amount of power losses. Our alternators have efficiencies typically around 93%, sometimes up to 96%. A traditional style averages around 84%, depending on the brand and quality. This allows us to select a smaller engine to produce the same amount of power. For example, The Ranger 8000 produces 8kVA continuous power and uses a 2 Cylinder engine. The equivalent competitor uses a 3 Cylinder engine that’s 33% larger in displacement than our Ranger 8000.
Whilst diesel will still play a big role in how we generate power for decades to come, we are aware of the upcoming technologies that are becoming more available.
Hybrid Technology- Solar and Battery
To generate 1kW per hour over a 24 hour period, we would consume around 7 litres of diesel. To provide the same amount of power by solar, we would need an estimated 30-40m² of solar panels, plus a minimum 1,000 Ah battery system to store the energy generated from the solar panels. Or we can combine diesel generators with solar panels and battery technology. This is a typical hybrid solution.
The benefits of this is that there is less demand for the generator to be running and reducing your overall output emissions and fuel costs by utilizing the sun where possible. It also enables a more silent experience, with the generator not being required full time to produce power.
The downside to solar is that you can have weeks where sunlight is minimal due to weeks of rain. This effectively may not charge the battery system enough depending on power demand. A diesel generator needs to be used to top up the power. There is also the initial cost.
The cost for solar panels can be relatively cheap but they don’t perform as well as the premium options. This is the same for batteries. Solar is not an option when it comes to looking for a mobile power source.
Battery hybrid technology in its current form is the best solution of utilising renewable energy but having the backing of the economical diesel engine. The theory behind this is that there is a battery bank that stores the energy and when required to, the generator turns on and bulk charges the batteries, then turns off. The benefit to this is that if the power demand is low, we are not running an engine unnecessarily, consuming fuel and producing emissions. Currently, Eniquest is looking into this technology at an affordable price.
Hydrogen Technology
Hydrogen in theory is the next best possible solution for alternative fuels with next to no emissions. The hydrogen fuel cell application only emits water vapour rather than carbon gases and doesn’t require mother nature to behave by giving us wind and sunlight. The way we can use Hydrogen is by mixing hydrogen with diesel fuel, reducing the number of emissions created by the diesel engine, using hydrogen in a spark ignition internal combustion engine or by Hydrogen Fuel Cell technology.
Hydrogen fuel in internal combustion engines can still produce oxides of nitrogen (NOx), so it’s not the way just yet from a zero emissions standpoint. Hydrogen fuel used in a fuel cell application with a chemical reaction is a zero emission alternative.
Hydrogen technology is the more sensible way forward when talking about the future of power generation. It allows the compactness and movability of power generation, unlike the use of solar panels and batteries which are quite bulky and heavy. It also means that like conventional fuel, if the engine is running low on fuel, it has the ability to refuel at an acceptable rate of time, rather than waiting on batteries to recharge.
The benefits of using Hydrogen fuel is that it’s a great fuel source alternative from an emissions point of view. Whilst it can produce some gasses when used in a combustion engine, its nowhere near the amount or harmful as the gases a diesel engine emits.
The downside is that its still a relatively new technology, and we are unsure of the lifespan of the alternative. There is also the fact that Hydrogen fuel is difficult to source, particularly in regional areas. It’s only been recently that the Australian Government have jumped on board with the idea of Hydrogen thanks to brands such as Hyundai, Toyota and Nissan, who have been using Hydrogen for years.
It will be some time before major cities see Hydrogen refuelling stations let alone regional areas. The cost of hydrogen currently is estimated between $13-$16 per kilogram, a kilogram equating to 7.5 litres of conventional fuel. This works out to be roughly $2 per litre if we compare using conventional examples.
In short, using Hydrogen as an alternative fuel will be the next best alternative when it comes to an alternative energy source that doesn’t require battery charging. The technology is still fairly new with the efficiencies and costs seen set to reduce as it develops.
