[Bioconversion] Fireball Express

[Ken Boak]

Jeff, Paul

North America has been a relative latecomer to the merits of diesel fuelled
vehicles compared to Europe and the rest of world.

In Europe, we have reached the point where just over 50% of all new car
sales are diesel, and trucks and buses have been diesel for decades.

The diesel engine offers superior fuel efficiency and longevity compared to
the Otto/gasoline IC engine.  In short this offers a better commercial deal.

Whilst running an IC engine on wood gas or biogas, may appear simple for a
spark ignition engine, the conversion is no more difficult for a diesel
engine, provided that you retain some injection of fuel oil (or veg oil) for
pilot injection.  The bulk of the fuel energy is drawn in through the air
intake from the gasifier, reducing the fuel oil consumption by a factor of 4
or 5.

The complexity of conversion of any engine to wood gas is likely to be
dictated by the need to obtain clean, tar free gas of fairly consistent
calorific value. This is a pre-requisite for either engine type.

I am experimenting with a 6hp Lister slow speed diesel engine on vegetable
oil and dual fuelled with woodgas.   The Lister returns 24% efficiency from
vegetable oil input to electrical output.


Ken