[Gasification] Bourke Engine and Steves Gassifier

[drew]

The 1936 patent drawings of the bourke engine are here

http://patimg2.uspto.gov/.piw?docid=US002122676&PageNum=2&IDKey=B2AB2A5BECE0&HomeUrl=http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect2=PTO1%2526Sect2=HITOFF%2526p=1%2526u=%25252Fnetahtml%2525%25252FPTO%2525%25252Fsearch-bool.html%2526r=1%2526f=G%2526l=50%2526d=PALL%2526S1=2122676.PN.%2526OS=PN/2122676%2526RS=PN/2122676 
<http://patimg2.uspto.gov/.piw?docid=US002122676&PageNum=2&IDKey=B2AB2A5BECE0&HomeUrl=http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect2=PTO1%2526Sect2=HITOFF%2526p=1%2526u=%25252Fnetahtml%2525%25252FPTO%2525%25252Fsearch-bool.html%2526r=1%2526f=G%2526l=50%2526d=PALL%2526S1=2122676.PN.%2526OS=PN/2122676%2526RS=PN/2122676>

A 1994 patent for a similar engine but fancier scotch yoke

http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=41&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PTXT&s1=bourke&s2=engine&OS=bourke+AND+engine&RS=bourke+AND+engine 
<http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=41&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PTXT&s1=bourke&s2=engine&OS=bourke+AND+engine&RS=bourke+AND+engine>


The engine looks interesting, the pause at TDC and BDC are supposed to 
make the engine run better?   I don't know?   The true linear travel 
pistons look interesting.   I am not qualified to judge, and especialy 
not from the meager info on thier site, or in the patent.  I do notice 
that on the website they are selling an "revolutionary electronic fuel 
cracker" which gives 15% better fuel rating.   This sort of add does 
little for thier credibility from my point of view. 

The 1994 patent is licenced to Collins motor company in Austrailia, they 
have an artical on thier engine "soon to be released, after a bit of 
testing"  
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3165/is_n4_v27/ai_10615466

The wikipedia page

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bourke_Engine

Says poor NO emissions are what killed it, same as the wankel I suppose, 
as higher combustion efficency is obtained, the seemingly inevitable 
higher NO.    The scotch yoke mechanism seems like it could be (and has 
been) quite problematic too,  if it was huge and heavy like the old 
steam gear, maybe, but in a "high output" low weight engine?


Questions for Steve

Your drawings are not entirely clear to me.   You mentioned that you 
understand the fuel feeding/bridging problem with sawdust, yet your 
drawings don't show any system for dealing with the inevitable 
bridging.   I have found sawdust to be very tricky to gassify, in that 
in the higher moisture content stuff it actualy swells.   You also don't 
show a gas reduction area?   Idealy you need to collect all your hot 
carbon in one longish smallish tube then suck all your produced gass 
throught this tube, with just enough oxygen present to keep the char 
incandesent hot. Too much O here will consume your char, so just enough 
is all that's allowed.  This is critical if you want to clean all the 
tars from your gas, residence time in the presence of incandesent 
char.    Look at the FAO tables or to Doug's fluidyne archives for the 
sizing of this tube.   Perhaps if you fired the gasses and vapors from 
your system into a very high temp firing chamber, with another air blast 
you might get the clean combustion that you want but you still would 
have the fuel bridging problem.    I think that you might want to 
reconsider your plan.     The suggestion that you look into aglomorating 
or pelletizing seems wise.   Perhaps you can make fireballs first?  
    The other system that might serve your needs is the TLUD system, it 
is a batch feed system, but you might do well to research it if you want 
to use sawdust, especialy look at the large system developed in Asia? 
for producing gas for cookstoves from rice husks.   I have had some very 
good luck in my experiments with a variation on it.


Good Luck
Drew








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