Can a 5 hp gasoline engine power a generator that will turn a 120 Hp electric motor to peak efficiency?

Answer 1

No. If you could, you'd have solved the energy crisis with your perpetual motion machine. The gas engine only provides 5hp so the most you can get out of it is 5hp. The engine is a 120hp so it will need 120hp to run at full power, so your generator will need to deliver at least 120hp. If this would work, you could feed the electric motor back to the generator and use 5hp to drive the generator and leave an excess of 115hp to use as you wish.

In Reality:
Electric motors and generators are about 90% efficient.
Combined cycle electricity generation as used in power stations from natural gas and fossil fuels can give overall 60-65% efficiency and this will probably be more efficient than your motor driving a generator.

So, you will theoretically get from the shaft of the electric motor 5hp(shaft power from IC engine) *90%(generator efficiency)*90%(motor efficiency) =4.05hp at effectively 80% efficiency.

Alternatively, to run your electric motor at full power you would need an IC motor of 150hp to allow for the 80% efficiency of the generator-motor combination.

Answer 2

Yes. Hopefully, though, your science lab is too sophisticated to have a simple bar magnet, some wire, and a fan blade. Mount the fan blade on an axle of some sort: pencil, broom handle, etc. Mount the axle on some sort of support so it can turn freely. Mount the magnet on the axle at a right angle. Place a coil of wire a millimeter or so away from the path of the magnet's poles. As the wind turns the fan, it'll turn the the north and south poles of the magnet past the coil, creating a voltage. Use this voltage to turn a small motor. You might need a diode or bridge rectifier (found in the electronics lab, not the science lab) to convert AC to DC for a small DC motor such as is found in many toys.

Answer 3

NO ...No way! Peak efficiency means you need a higher source of horse power to generate the same power. Higher source will give allowance for the loss during transition.

Answer 4

to meet its peak efficiency the motor should run at rated power, as the gap of 5hp to 120hp is quite large it isn't possible
5hp generator cannot produce as much power required to take upto 120hp so no peak power so no peak efficiency

Answer 5

Your trading hp for hp plus the lose during the conversion (say 10%)

Answer 6

yes!
with elaborate gearing and cluching machinery
too expensive for the worth of what your driving

Answer 7

yes