MEP004 to run a welder

[NEIOWA]

I avoid "I don't know diddly about what I'm asking but a new "hobby".

I just bought at auction a Lincoln CV-300 with LN7 feeder from surplus at a small job shop. Said to work. New skill to learn. Way back when, all we had in HS welding was Lincoln stick welders. My kids HS have brand new high-tech Millers so this boat anchor may be too old tech to interest them.

I know diddly about MIG/TIG/wire. But for $350 (w/most of a spool of wire) hardly can go wrong.

CV300 manual says:

Standard Voltage Input Current at Rated Output
208/230/460V 3/60 100% Duty Cycle 66/60/30
208/230/460V 3/60 60% Duty Cycle 67/61/31

230/460/575V 3/60 100% Duty Cycle 60/30/24
230/460/575V 3/60 60% Duty Cycle 61/31/25

Have a nice MEP004. Manual says:

Load capacity (2000 rpm) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 kw at 400 Hz
Current rating (2000 rpm) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 amps at 120/208 Vac or 26 amps at 240/416 Vac

I thinking working with 240v. I read the MEP004 output as coming up a bit short. Am I interpreting this correctly? Or is the MEP004 rated conservatively enough that this is irrelevant.

60% cycle draws more than 100%? Need to do some search here.

 

[Coug]

the 60% duty cycle is if you have the welder turned up to higher amperage, then you have to stop and let it cool down once in a while. If you run at or below the 100% duty cycle rating you never have to stop welding.

The MEP004 should be 15kw at 60hz, the 400 Hz machine uses the same engine, they share the same manual, but the generator head is different and can't be converted to 60 Hz.
The MEP013 is the 400Hz version. They have the same data plate for load ratings on different fuels and altitudes, but as I said before, they are not the same.

As for power output, unless you're planning on welding some pretty thick metal you won't be needing to run it cranked all the way up, and 15kw will handle most of what is needed.
240v is 62.5 amps for 15kw. In reality if you're not out of phase, the MEP004 should be able to handle around 75 amps (18kw) as it's rated to 15kw at .8 power factor (electrical motors throw the voltage and amperage cycles out of sync a bit, so they're requiring more power than the gauges are able to read accurately, therefore the military likes to down rate the output on these as if they're all running big motors to keep people that don't understand electrical theory from overloading them all the time)

The above is a little moot, as there isn't a 240v 3 phase setting on this gen (at least not to my knowledge) so you'll be running at either 208V or 416V

So a 15kw military surplus gen would actually be sized just about perfect for this welder if that is all you're using it for (small loads like a couple of lights and fans won't really change anything)
That being said, you're most likely going to run the welder on 208/120 3 phase so you can use 120 accessories like a fan and lights and such.

There IS a benefit to running it at higher voltage, and that is being able to run smaller power cables from the generator to the welder (and copper cables are expensive). Your welder is 208V, 230V, or 460V, all 3 phase settings, and the gen is 208V or 416V in 3 phase. You CAN crank up the voltage adjustment to near 460V, as the plate above says the adjustment range is 395/480V, so you can do that if you want to and run the smaller cables.

 

[NEIOWA]

MEP004 is 3ph only (unless you do a conversion on it).

Thanks

 

[Coug]

MEP004 is 3ph only (unless you do a conversion on it).

Thanks

Yes, generator is 3 phase only, and so is your welder, so they should pair up well together.