Lister-CS-Stationar-Engines-Power-Generation

Lister CS (Cold Start) stationary engines, or their Indian clones referred to as Listeroid stationary engines, are one of the most versatile long running stationary engines the world had ever seen. They are more than capable of running on almost any viscous oil including Peanut oil, Canola oil, Vegetable Oil, filtered waste vegetable oil, filtered waste motor oil, diesel oil, crude oil, gearbox oil, sunflower oil and many more. There are a number of enthusiasts out there who are experimenting with running them on a mixture of Fuel Oil and Wood Gas Fumes.
The Lister CS range of engines are Slow RPM (650RPM to 700RPM) 4 stroke single cylinder stationary engines. They are over engineered and have been known to run unattended for in excess of 200,000 hours.
They use the simplest of technology which lends them to less maintenance and breakdowns.
Below is a list of interesting websites that document their progress on Using the Lister CS (Listeroid) stationary engines to provide heating and power for domestic dwellings / Low impact homes.
Using a Lister CS / SOM (Start-O-Matic) Stationary engine to produce both power and heating is commonly referred to as a CHP (Combined Heat Power) CHAP (Combined Heat And Power) or MCHP (Micro Combined Heat And Power)
The Diesel Engine Basics
A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine which operates using the diesel cycle (named after Dr. Rudolph Diesel). Diesel engines have the highest thermal efficiency[citation needed] compared to any internal or external combustion engine.The defining feature of the diesel engine is the use of compression ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber during the final stage of compression. This is in contrast to a petrol (gasoline) engine or gas engine, which uses the Otto cycle, in which a fuel/air mixture is ignited by a spark plug.
Diesel engines are manufactured in two stroke and four stroke versions. They were originally used as a more efficient replacement for stationary steam engines. Since the 1910s they have been used in submarines and ships. Use in locomotives, large trucks and electric generating plants followed later. In the 1930s, they slowly began to be used in a few automobiles. Since the 1970s, the use of diesel engines in larger on-road and off-road vehicles in the USA increased. As of 2007, about 50 percent of all new car sales in Europe are diesel.
Ken Boak's Lister
Ken is producing electricity and heat from his Lister CS engine setup in Surrey - Kent.
Ken Boak's Lister Video
Here is a short documentary about Ken Boak's generating plant - Interesting & inspiring.
Robert Bodel's Listeroid
Robert Bodel retired to Texas and lives in a sea container. He uses a Listeroid for power.
David Edgington's CS Book
Covers in great detail the venerable Lister diesel produced between 1929 and the 1980s.
Lister CS Owners Group
Lister CS Yahoo Owners Group - Great place for technical know how.
F1 RocketBoy's Genset
Rocket Boy lives in Florida and has built a backup Listeroid Genset for his home
Lister CS CHP Genset
Another of Ken Boak's earlier venture into using a Lister CS for Power & Heating
UtterPower's Listeroid Page
Interesting Information on Listeroid / Lister CS Stationary engines
Lister Engine Forum
A free online forum dedicated to all things Lister, Lister CS, Listeroid, Start-O-Matic
Lister-Petter
The home of the famous Lister CS Stationary engine! R A Lister

Domestic-Off-Grid-Setup-For-Power-Heating-HomeBrewPower

Above is the current schematic of the Off-Grid systems I designed and installed at HomeBrewPower.

At the heart of the installation is a Lister CS 5/1 (Not 3/1) as shown on the diagram that provides the bulk of power and heating, coupled with a large battery cubicle for energy storage. The batteries provide power to the 5KW MSW Inverter that produces 230VAC electricity back to our consumer unit.

Some of the waste heat from the Lister CS coolant circuit is recovered a water to water heat exchanger and then heat from the exhaust is also recovered via a air to water heat exchanger. The hot water is then pumped through insulated underground pipes to our central heating loop to provide heating via radiators.

Our PMDC custom built wind machine provides DC to the battery banks to constantly trickle charge the battery cubicle. We have seen it producing anything from 20W right through to 1200W on a very stormy evening in the UK.

Everything has been built from the ground up and custom made to suit our purposes, including the control installation, battery cubicle, metering, wind turbine & pipework.

Lister-CS-Generating-Shed-Video

In my humble opinion, one of the best things to come out of England in the last century was the fine Stationary Engines produced by R A Lister. In particular the Lister CS range of single cylinder Diesel units. They have been known to run for thousands of hours without any maintenance other than topping up the fuel!

Below is a fine example of a well restored Lister running what appears to be a ST Type Generating Head, producing 230VAC.

Here at HBP we have 3 Lister CS Engines, 2 x 6/1 units and a 3/1.

Enjoy the video!

Lister-CS-Diesel-Slow-Speed-Stationary-Engine

Still claiming to be Y2K compliant, I've let the survivalist in me get get a bit out of hand lately. For the last 7 years, my "estate" has been equipped with an ONAN 15 KW gas generator. while perfectly reliable, it did burn lots of auto gas and make plenty of racket. As gasoline is getting so expensive, and it's difficult to store, I went searching for a low cost diesel alternative.
I decided to go with a very unique and proven old design. This engine, called the Lister CS (Cold Start) was invented in 1929. It's still in production today as evidenced by the photos below. Lister stopped making these engines in the '70s, but production continues in India. These engine are this very day powering rural villages in Alaska and third world countries far from the electrical grid. Documented cases have found them running 24/7 for over forty years.

This is over 100,000 hours TBO. Longevity of the Lister seems no problem.
Other features include a hand cranked, zero electrical system design. It will always start. The engine is rated at 16 HP at 850 rpm or 12 HP and 650 RPM. I'll be running it at the later as I don't need the power for my home. It will be coupled to a brand new MASSIVE 12 KW 1800 RPM generator. While it won't ever make 12 KW, the rotating mass of the assembly will make starting these big Florida Air-condition systems a breeze. After the compressor starts, powering the rest of the house should be no problem on 6 KW.
Buying the thing was a real headache. After searching the web, I found a place called LOVSON in Bombay. They export this line of engines. After a short negotiation, the deal was made. $960 for the engine and $200 to ship it to port of Miami. Boy was I dumb to think that's all it would cost. LOVSON totally misrepresented the cost to ship it to me.

The ship sailed to Port of New your, then was trucked by another cargo company to the Port of Miami for additional charge.
Personally I don't get it, a guy in India agrees to very carefully and specific instructions for shipment from one place to another, then doesn't do it. Here in the USA we call it integrity, doing what is promised. These Lovson people knew it would not be shipped as they agreed, and took my money anyway. I seems this type of dishonesty is rampant and an accepted practice in India, so "victim be ware".
Enter the Teamsters ET AL. At this point, the greedy hands came out in force. Within a day, the Cargo carrier, "ALLCARGO MOVERS" inc. appeared and trumped up another $240 in charges for everything from unloading the container to buying new nose pickers. Then the US Customs needed to inspect the crate, that's another $37.

Finally it is trucked to Port of Miami. Here the cargo was again hijacked and held for ransom by another host of crooks. This time a customs entry needed doing ($135) and finally the warehouse crooks in Miami extorted an other $125 for placing it in their warehouse for a week. No wonder a dockworker can make upwards of $150,000 per year in the US.
So even with all these OUTRAGEOUS charges, I still got my little (1400 pounds) engine for less than I could get it in the US and it seems to work just fine.
After spending three hours dismantling the massive packing crate and thoroughly prepping the engine, it fired right up and ticked along gently at 800 rpm.
Here the crate arrives home to my shop, all 1400 pounds of it.After two hours of pulling nails, my first peek at the beast. Got to love that "School Bus Green" paint. You can see the accessory kit and little green toolbox that comes with it. The engine is field serviceable and almost all tasks can be completed with the hand tools included. Man does this crate and contents smell bad, like old wood and yucky paint.All the goodies visibleFinally free from the crate. Check out the cool red trimmed pushrods and yellow valve covers. This design has an exposed valve train. You get to oil it every day with the little oil can that comes with the toolbox. I love tinkering with this kind of stuff.This thing stands 42 inches tall, The fly wheels are 20" in diameter. It took quite a bit of practice to start the thing, but now it seems pretty easy.

Starting goes like this:

Fuel onCutoff lever on (stop lever)Both exhaust valve lifters in (compression release)Start cranking and crank as fast as you can.Flick one exhaust lever to run and bang it slowly starts.

Lister-CS-Slow-Speed-Diesel-Stationary-Engines

LISTER DIESELS

THE LISTER CS DIESEL

1929 saw the birth of the Lister CS (cold start) diesel engine. A single cylinder 5hp diesel engine that ran at 600 rpm. Later the speed was increased to 650 rpm resulting in 6hp being developed. An yet later the an 8hp model was released turning at 850 rpm.

The 6hp 650rpm version was discontinued in 1974. and final production for the 8hp model stopped in 1985. The Lister CS engine has become legendary for its record for longevity with many engines running in excess of 100,000 hours without being overhauled. Some engines have been reported running almost continuously for 40 years. The Lister CS was shipped to may developing nations where its simple design and ease of repair added to its popularity.

In the early 1960s India began producing clones of the Lister CS. These clones have been named listeroids. Many companies in India export listeroid engines and parts throughout the world.

The slow speed of the Lister engine lends very well to it's ability to burn lower quality fuels including waste motor oil and waste vegetable oil. One company http://www.listeroid.com/ is now beginning to produce a listeroid based generator system that is all ready for burning waste vegetable oil.

275A-PMA-Alternator-Generator-For-Sale-In-The-UK!

I stumbled on this auction tonight HERE a 275A (Amperes) PMA Alternator!

This would be perfect for using coupled to a Lister CS Engine Fuelled on WVO

I will be contacting the seller to see how many of these he can get hold of

Andy

DIY-Battery-Cubicle-Battery-Bank

Home Made Battery Cubicle!

This is my homebrew battery cubicle and inverter setup. The red batteries are Hawker SBS60's and above them is a set of Yuasa deep cycle UPS cells.

Between them they provide me with the power for my conservatory and also the downstairs lighting.

They are charged from a combination of solar, wind and Lister CS sources. The bank is 12VDC with around 1600AH (10 hour rating)

On the top of the battery cubicle I can monitor the charging coming from the wind generator (Amps and Volts) and the condition of the bank (Volts)

Over the December months (2006) We have had some very strong winds and they have given me the opportunity to see what my wind machine can do. It stood up to the battering without fault and I am confident I can create a larger set of rotors to harness more power. The PMDC motor I am using has much more power to give up!

Still not got around to De Coking the Lister yet as the weather is sat just above freezing here in West Yorkshire..... I am also awaiting a head gasket and no not want to split the head without taking the opportunity to replace the existing one as a matter of course!

Andy Mahoney

De-Coking-A-Lister-CS-Stationary-Engine

The time of year (Well I have been putting it off for over 6 months now) to De-Coke the Lister CS 6/1 engine.

I am finally going to take the head off and clean all the crud from the valves and ports then pop down to my local auto parts store for a valve seating kit and grind them back up to perfection.

I have already drained the coolant circuit down and isolated the WVO lines ready for the operation but since it is almost hitting Zero (Freezing) through the day here in sunny Yorshire I thought no time like the present to get the chore done.

I believe that running it in 'Stealth Mode' for 6 months has done the engine no favours at all! i.e. under 300 RPM for long periods at a time.

Andy Mahoney

Lister-CS-Exhaust-Heat-Exchanger

Just a quick note to show you all my completed exhaust heat exchanger for my Lister CS I have a ton more pictures on the homepage www.homebrewpower.co.uk Click on the photo album link.

Andy Mahoney

Running-A-Lister-CS-As-A-CHP-CHAP-Generator

I am almost finished with the fabrication of my direct exhaust heat exchanger for the heating of my DCH loop, at the moment I am running a loop of microbore around the exhaust baffle but wanted to run the microbore inside the baffle so I have completely refabricated my exchaust and heat exchanger and it should be live tomorrow evening after work!

The Lister CS 6/1 is running 24/7 right now and has been for 4 days and nights! No problems at all with the setup, just need a 230VAC generating head and the setup will be complete!!


Kind regards

Andy Mahoney
http://www.homebrewpower.co.uk/
www.groups.yahoo.com/group/homebrewpower
Home made heating & power from sustainable fuels!

info@homebrewpower.co.uk
Mobile: +44 (0)7504 50 50 89

Fabricating-A-Exhaust-Heat-Exchanger-Lister-CS

I am almost finished with the fabrication of my direct exhaust heat exchanger for the heating of my DCH loop, at the moment I am running a loop of microbore around the exhaust baffle but wanted to run the microbore inside the baffle so I have completely refabricated my exchaust and heat exchanger and it should be live tomorrow evening after work!
The Lister CS 6/1 is running 24/7 right now and has been for 4 days and nights! No problems at all with the setup, just need a 230VAC generating head and the setup will be complete!!

Andy Mahoney
www.groups.yahoo.com/group/homebrewpower
Home made heating & power from sustainable fuels!
MolesMail@Gmail.com
Mobile: +44 (0)7707 365 588

Lister-CS-Listeroid-Stationary-Engine-Restoration-Service

Lister CS Restoration Services

I offer a Lister CS restoration service for anyone who can send their engine to me. I charge for my time per hour and for anyone who would love to get their engine back to it's former glory but does not have the time orknowledge then I may be able to help you.

My services are suited to anyone who can transport their engine to my property and then collect once the work has been carried out.

I will also fit parts that have been purchased by the owner to the engine they require.
I will also travel to your location and work on site if this suits your needs,I require a bed to sleep in and somewhere to work whilst I carry out the works.
I can be contacted via email andy@homebrewpower.co.uk
or mobile telephone on 07504 50 50 89Payment will be upfront for travel and then on a daily basis from there on in.

Will travel abroad if you require me to do so, I am only limited to the commitment and money you want to put into your project.
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IMPORTANT NEWS
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I will also travel anywhere in the world to help / create an Off-Grid type setup, i.e. Lister CS running on WVO (Waste Vegoil) or someone who requires my assistance getting a project completed.

How-To-Set-The-Injector-Of-A-Lister-CS-Stationary-Engine

How to set the injector of a Lister CS 3/1

Well guys and gals, I have finally put my thinking cap on and solved my Lister CS 3/1 engine problem out. It is now running like a dream, I have uploaded 2 video's to google video, the links will be posted once google have okay'd them for me..........

Here is how I logically re tuned my injector nozzle on my engine to get it to fire correctly :-)

1. Take out injector from head and clean with clean dino 'Diesel'
2. Inspect nozzle and injector hole, clean with copper strand of wire to make sure it is unclogged.
3. Make sure the nozzle glides freely within the injector housing.
4. Re-assemble injector and make sure you refit the copper abspestos washer on the nozzle tip.
5. Unscrew tension screw and locknut on top of injector fully and then blead fuel system of air (See manual for details) 6. Replace injector and tighten back onto head.
7. Turn over engine and make sure the injector is air tight i.e. No hissing from injector body when under compression.
8. Set compression changeover to high, fully wound in.
9. Set fuel govner to full.
10. Try turning engine to speed and start, you will most probably get nothing but fear not..........
11. Now turn tension screw 1/4 turn clockwise (Tighten) and repeat step 10...........
12. If the engine does not fire, go to step 10 and keep going until you get the engine to fire.
13. Once you get ignition advance tension by 1/8 (Clockwise) until it begins to die, you can then retard by 1/8 steps until optimum injector setting is found!

NOTE: I would strongly advise anyone who has a running engine NOT to touch the injector settings as this has taken me over 2 months to rectify, use this as a last resort.

14. Take a digital picture of your injector tension screw from above and from the side once you are running so you can count the threads when or if you need to clean / strip your injector.

15. Stand back and smile from ear to ear!!!

Renewable-Energy-UK

Things I have done this evening:-

1. Dug second trench in back garden from my Generator house to the house and knocked out holes under house and in shed.
2. Laid 2 x 10mm Microbore pipes from house to Gen, both fully lagged!
3. Laid 2 x 16mm2 Twin & Earth cables from House to Gen shed, 1 for Mains power to house from inverter the other for 12VDC under the house.
4. Sanded, treated and sprayed Exhaust in High Temp Mat Black paint.
5. Sprayed all pipework for dual fuel in High temp matt black paint.
6. Installed & fabricated 8mm Microbore heat exchanger (15 Coils) around exhaust.
7. Stripped down injector on the Lister and tuned spray nozzle to get a very satisfying 40deg mist and the famoud 'Creeking' noise!!
8. Primed fuel and started Lister first time!

The Lister jumped into action without any hesitation at all, let it run for 5 seconds and went for the fuel governer, once I touched it it died. I tried opening the governer up again but nothing! I took the injecter out again and there was no spray pattern!!

The problem is the injecter nozzle and nothing more! I need a new or working one!

Tomorrow I have 2 jobs to do for people, new BT point and an outside light of all things! Once that is done I am going to couple all my pipework up and internally lag the pipes, may even couple up the system to my central heating....

Also I am painting my wind generator in 'Straight to metal' paint tomorrow, matt black to make it look even more neat and tiidy.

I am so close to first stage completion now I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Oh, I am hooking my coolent system up tomorrow as I now have all the pipework and fittings to do so, plus since I am on with that I'll be finishing the Veg oil storage tank brackets and pipework as well.

More later......