[Gasification] TAR FREE WOOD GAS

Sun Nov 12 18:36:15 CST 2006

Dear Gero:

I was a good friend and colleague of Gus and visited his house several 
times. 

It is important to speak the same language.  What is the tar content of 
your raw gas?  Filtered Gas?  Particulate content?

Congratulations on all of your installations.  I didn't find you 
attachment about prices etc.  Please send again...

Yours truly,

TOM REED        The BIomass Energy Foundation
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gero Eckermann wrote:
> Dear Paul and all,
>
>  
>
> Many thanks for your mail, my partner Guenther Freudendahl and I are
> delighted about your kind reference to Gus Johansson, our friend and mentor,
> who passed away at the age of nearly 84 on 09 March 2005.
>
> Gus retired from his co-founder position of one of South Africa?s major
> civil engineering companies in 1984. To realize his dream of many decades
> and keep his gray matter active, he devoted all his time to invent a TAR
> FREE Gasifier, based on the 2nd world war Imbert down draft method. The
> result came swiftly: in the System Johansson, tar is cracked at ±1,500ºC ---
> a breakthrough of extraordinary proportions. 
>
> Guenther and I founded Carbo Consult & Engineering (Pty) Ltd in early 1994,
> in close collaboration with Gus, investing substantial work and resources to
> document the engineering of five types of gasifiers with an output capacity
> range from 120 to 850 Nm³ tar-free gas per hour, with complete sets of
> workshop drawings, manufacturing manuals, layout drawings and operation and
> maintenance manuals. 
>
> We also initiated basic engineering to establish design data for five larger
> gasifiers with an output capacity range from 1100 to 2500 Nm³ gas per hour.
> Substantial development work was done by redesigning the hearth reaction
> zone to widen the range of suitable feedstock to biomass, sawdust- and
> agricultural waste hard compacted briquettes. 
>
>  
>
> We currently produce four types of TAR FREE Gasifiers only, in the following
> kWe (kWth) ranges: 
>
> 1.	A 120Nm³/h, with a max output of   40kWe   (180kWth), 
> 2.	A 180Nm³/h, with a max output of   64kWe   (275kWth), 
> 3.	A 300Nm³/h, with a max output of 112kWe   (460kWth) and 
> 4.	A 450Nm³/h, with a max output of 160kWe   (685kWth) 
>
> The basic design data for the 850 Nm³/h (400kVA) and bigger plants are
> available, but have not yet undergone industrialization due to little or no
> demand. 
>
>  
>
> Since cost is always one of the first questions asked, please find our
> budgetary, ex works prices and cost ratios in the attachment.
>
> I am shying away from giving you the cost per energy unit, as this depends
> on the cost in your country of a ton of biomass. ?Ignoring? the once off
> purchase cost, you can say as a thumb rule: 1kg of biomass produces 1kVA
> (0.8kWe). 
>
> The size of wood block fuel, or hard compacted briquettes, for the four
> types range from 60mm long x 20cm² cross area to 110mm x 40cm² cross area,
> with a max allowable moisture content of 20%. For additional information
> about the fuel topic, please consult para 14 of our brochure in the website
> www.carboconsult.com. It will also provide answers to a host of additional
> questions which come to mind. 
>
>  
>
> Finally a counter question: We are interested in a complete listing of all
> the ?gasification enthusiasts? --- how do I go about it?
>
>  
>
> Kind ?renewable energy regards? from Johannesburg,
>
> Gero
>
>  
>
> Gero Eckermann, CEO
>
> CARBO CONSULT & ENGINEERING (Pty) LTD
>
> Oak Park Building, 325
>
> 352, Oak Avenue, Ferndale
>
> Randburg / Johannesburg - RSA
>
> P.O. Box 1397, Cramerview 2060
>
> Tel  +27-11-886-6727
>
> Fax +27-11-886-4545
>
> E-mail:  <mailto:info at carboconsult.com> info at carboconsult.com
>
> Web:    www.carboconsult.com 
>
>  
>
>  
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Paul S. Anderson [mailto:psanders at ilstu.edu] 
> Sent: 10 November 2006 06:43 AM
> To: Gero Eckermann
> Cc: gasification at listserv.repp.org
> Subject: Re: [Gasification] TAR FREE WOOD GAS
>
>  
>
> Dear Gero and all,
>
>  
>
> We on this listserv are glad to have your participation.  I looked at the
>
> website briefly.  Could you give us a short statement about the costs of the
>
> system in total and cost per energy unit.
>
>  
>
> I had the pleasure of knowing Gus Johansson rather well.  I stayed at his
> home
>
> perhaps 5 times during my visits to South Africa and Mozambique.  He was a
>
> wealth of knowledge and had fantastic Africa stories.  I saw in operation
> the
>
> gasifier system at his home property and the one at ESKOM.  When I knew him
>
> (2001 - 2003), he and your company were seeking contracts for 
>
> installations. Information about your progress would be of interest to 
>
> this list.
>
>  
>
> Note to readers:  Gus was in his 20's in Sweden during World War II and was
>
> directly involved in the gasifier development work there.  He eventually
> went
>
> to South Africa and founded (or co-founded) an engineering company that
> became
>
> one of the largest in South Africa, I believe.  Maybe Gero can tell us 
>
> a little
>
> more of that story, especially as it relates to gasifiers.
>
>  
>
> Gero, I believe that you are the first person of the company to directly
>
> participate with this Listserv.  On this listserve (as you may have noticed
> if
>
> you have been reading it for a while) the great value comes from the open
>
> participation and sharing between the members.  I hope that you will
> benefit,
>
> and that you will provide benefits to the others.
>
>  
>
> Paul
>
>   
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
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