Heating with a small engine
Heating with a small engine
(OP)
I am trying to find out the feasibility of using a small 675cc propane engine (which runs a pump) to keep the v8 diesel engine on a delivery truck hot. The customer wants to find a way to keep the cab warm for the truck drivers in temperatures as cold as -25 degrees C. While making a delivery, which could last 30 minutes, the propane engine's coolant would transfer heat to the diesel engine's coolant. When the truck driver turns the truck back on after the delivery, he will get immediate access to hot air since the diesel engine is still warm.
The main concerns are whether the propane engine will produce enough heat and if approximate cost of installing this kind of system will be cost-efficient. Can anyone help me with the answers to these concerns?
The main concerns are whether the propane engine will produce enough heat and if approximate cost of installing this kind of system will be cost-efficient. Can anyone help me with the answers to these concerns?





RE: Heating with a small engine
RE: Heating with a small engine
RE: Heating with a small engine
True story: about 25 years ago, my parents had an old VW bus. However, it happened (and the story varies), the brakes on the van caught on fire. The van had been parked at the top of the driveway and eventually, the fire caused the brakes to give out and the van to roll down the driveway onto my parents carport -- where it ran into my dad's barbeque grill. The collision caused the propane tank to rupture -- resulting in a major fireball (people stopped on the interstate several miles away to watch). The house was a complete loss. Luckily all my family survived.
And you want to put a propane tank on the front of a truck so the driver doesn't get cold?
Patricia Lougheed
******
Please see FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies for tips on how to make the best use of the Eng-Tips Forums.
RE: Heating with a small engine
RE: Heating with a small engine
Of course it's possible that they just use interns as slave labor.
The heat rejection vs. load for your propane engine will be available from the engine's manufacturer. You'll have to call them to get it.
The amount of heat that you need to provide to the big diesel is a simple heat balance. But if you want to cheat the engine probably has block or coolant jacket heaters already installed, so someone has probably already figured this out.
RE: Heating with a small engine
RE: Heating with a small engine
engine coolant heater
RE: Heating with a small engine
675cc on propane is probably about 19hp to the flywheel, so figure about 19hp to the coolant and another 19hp to the exhaust. The heat rejection to the coolant is probably more than enough to keep the main engine coolant warm when it's really cold out if the truck is stationary.