[Gasification] drawings for gasifier systems

[Thomas Reed]

Dear all:

Please excuse this resending, but I forgot to sign off...

TOM REED


> Dear John, Ruth and All Gasifier Gonnas;
>
> We are currently building a 15-20 kW gasifier for generating power and 
> heading toward an 80 kW minigrid system.  We thought both would be easy 
> with our long experience and knowledge of the WWII experience.  We have 
> a 3000 ft2 lab with metal working capabilities and make several runs a 
> week complete with computer recording and data analysis.
>
> We sell two books complete with drawings and photos at our website 
> WoodGas.com
>
> /*(DRIVING ON WOOD: THE LOST ART OF DRIVING WITHOUT GASOLINE: 3rd 
> Edition */ N. Skov and M. Papworth, (1974). Description and beautiful 
> detailed drawings of various gasifiers and systems from World War II.  
> In this new edition we have reduced Skov's 20 X 30 in plans to 11 X 17 " 
> and bound them in the book, still very readable.  The gasifier was used 
> to drive a Checker car around campus.  Nils Skov was in the Danish 
> Underground and write of his experiences in a new book, see 
> www.kalama.com/~NASKOV/
> <http://www.kalama.com/%7Enaskov/>ISBN 
> 1-890607-09-6                                 
> 80pp                                      $25)
>
> This includes detailed plans on how to build a WWII type (nozzle air 
> injection, Imbert, ...) gasifier, and over a million of this type 
> operated through WWII.  They were forgotten when cheap oil returned to 
> the civilian economy.  I have never built this type of gasifier, but 
> have talked to many others building and operating this type 
> successfully, many on the first try.  There was a cross country 
> alternate fuel rally (LA-NYC) in 1981 in which three gasifiers made it 
> all the way (Ben Alexander, Mother Earth News and Dan Chittick).  My 
> pure methanol car was first in its class.  My drivers had wonderful 
> tales of the gasifier cars.  (Unfortunately, I couldn't go because I was 
> re-enacting the Battle of Yorktown.)
>
> /*CONSTRUCTION OF A SIMPLIFIED WOOD GAS GENERATOR:*/ H. LaFontaine 
> (1989) - Over 25 drawings and photographs on building a gasifier for 
> fueling IC engines in a Petroleum Emergency (FEMA RR28).
> ISBN 1-890607-11-8                                
> 68pp                                       $15
>
> Harry built this gasifier for FEMA and there are excellent pictures and 
> drawings.  This is based on the "stratified downdraft" gasifier we 
> developed at NREL in 1980-88.  It has since been modified by the CGP Lab 
> in Bangalore to include air injection into the char zone to greatly 
> reduce tars. 
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> The primary problem in building gasifiers is that no one completely 
> understands the principles.  We operate several runs a week at the BEF 
> Laab on our gasifiers, making improvements with each run and we know a 
> lot more than we did last January.  I hope to write a book incorporating 
> principles and practice after we have made a few dozen of various sizes 
> for various fuels. 
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Until than, I recommend that anyone interested in gasifiers build one or 
> the other of the above models to get their feet wet.  They will work 
> adequately if not perfectly.  I also recommend buying one of our WoodGas 
> stoves and converting it back to a gasifier by closing off the 
> combustion holes. 
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> A gasifier is basically a chemical plant operated close coupled to an 
> engine.  Amazing that the gasifier section (not including the fuel 
> magazine) is typically much smaller than the engine itself. 
>
> Tars are the Achilles Heel of gasifiers.  Our mantra is that the 
> gasifier can and should be operated to destroy most of the tars inside 
> the gasifier, rather than having to add on filters. 
>
> There is a great variability in the chemical properties and 
> gasifiability of different biomass fuels.  If a gasifier manufacturer 
> claims that he can gasify a wide variety of fuels, run the other way.  
> In principle, you can, but in practice minor or major modifications will 
> be necessary.  Meanwhile, wood chips (not shreds) and pellets are 
> excellent fuels for gasifiers. 
>
> I hope this note doesn't discourage the serious builders and turns away 
> those who are not.  We need more successes in gasification, not more 
> failures. 
>   
Yours for better and sooner gasifiers,

TOM REED             THE BIOMASS ENERGY FOUNDATION




> John and Ruth wrote:
>   
>> I have been following the chat for some time and would now like to build a unit from gasifier,cooler?,cleaner filter to motor.I would like to fit unit to a2000cc petrol truck.Would the group be able to tell me where to get drawings? Would like to use wood as I have plenty of gum trees and would like to split and cut into short lengths.  Regards John Appleton
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