[Gasification] engines

Sat Feb 10 13:25:51 CST 2007

Geoff, Toby and List,

That looks like a very well constructed conversion, with a lot of thought 
put into it.

Using the pistons as cross heads, lubricated by the original engine lube 
system is definitely the way to go.

An enterprising foundry could offer castings for the cylinders to make the 
conversion, as well as pre-machined plates for the "blanking plate" and the 
cylinder heads.

Toby's idea of storing energy in steam, in order to reduce the variations in 
gasifier output is a good one.

A monotube boiler with a fat storage section, might be one way to proceed.

Of course gasifier/steam plant suffers from none of the problems associated 
with gas cleaning, cooling, tars etc.   It also generates a huge amount of 
waste heat in the form of hot water which would be ideal for domestic 
heating.

How about a gasifier home furnace with close coupled steam engine and 
generator? About the size of a large domestic furnace and spinning a steam 
engine at up to 600 rpm.

Couple the steam engine shaft directly to a permanent magnet alternator 
(PMA) intended for a slow speed wind turbine, and the accompanying 5kW to 
20kW grid-tied inverter.  A simple package available off the shelf from 
China:

www.ginlong.com

I have it on good authority that the volume prices of the 5kw inverter is 
$3000 and the 5kw PMA is $1280

You might want to have a look at this 20hp engine from Mike Brown Solutions

http://www.mikebrownsolutions.com/20hpse.htm

He also produces a 1hp single and a 3hp twin engine, which might be more 
appropriate for the smaller property - browse his site for details.

These engines are quite inefficient - roughly 5% efficient for the 
electricity, so expect a lot of heat and only modest amounts of power . For 
example - for the 3hp,   29kw of heat and 1.5kW  of electricity. But well 
suited to the typical home.

With wood gas you have a more controllable fuel than fire wood,  a simple 
diverter valve would direct the woodgas to the furnace heat exchanger, 
rather that the steam monotube boiler, when temperature and pressure were 
reached -allowing simple control of the steamboiler and diverting excess 
thermal energy to the furnace and domestic heating.

Ken

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <gfwhell at aol.com>
To: "'A Gasification'" <gasification at listserv.repp.org>
Sent: Saturday, February 10, 2007 6:45 PM
Subject: Re: [Gasification] engines

>
> Toby .
>
> A couple of years ago my son brought home a "THING" he found on the side 
> of
> the road.
> I took one look at it and said " That is a steam engine" I enclose 
> pictures
> of it.
>
> See: http://gasifiers.bioenergylists.org/whellsteamengine
>
> Seems that an engineer had converted a small 4 cylinder block into a 
> "double
> action " steam engine,  complete with  Stevenson valve gear and water feed
> pump, and probably left it to his widow to put out by the road.
> I tested it with compressed air to conform my appraisal .
> The unit performed, at high speed both, forward and reverse with a twist 
> of
> the vise grips.
> To be honest . it had, sort of frozen up a little, but with  liberal
> supplies of WD 40 and manual rotation, it ran  as described. (with
> compressed air).
> I felt it would go like an Indy 500 on dry steam.
> But I didn't have any.
> So.
> I put it in the Queue of future projects, and I've got plenty. Some of 
> these
> will be beside the road one day, I'm sure.
> The Engine would still be there to this day, but,  for  my son in law, who
> came visiting from England. He took one look at it and said, Just what I
> need for a steam boat. I gave it to him, together with a suitable 3/4"
> coiled flash steam generating heat I had added to the project. and just
> happened to have.
> He crated it , and, it followed him home at considerable transportation
> cost.
> I have not heard any more of its' situation.
>
> I did not disassemble it, but could see how it was constructed.
> A solid plate replaced the original gas engine cylinder head. Bronze 
> bushes
> had been pressed into a central hole above each piston. The original
> existing pistons had been drilled and  tapped to except  threaded PIGGY
> BACK" double action piston rods enclosed in cylinders, which were mounted
> above the bushed plate, now forming part of the "CROSS HEAD" I believe the
> original pistons were vented as they now only performed the duty of the
> "slide" for each cross head.
>
> At each end of the engine block a Stevenson linkage had been installed,
> operated by eccentric cams. and
> attached to the engine crank, the operation of these linkages,  moved a
> slide valve controlling the admission and exhaust of "a pair "of 
> cylinders.
> The tandem operation of these two sets of slide valves, could be performed
> at the twist of the vise grips. on the shaft connecting both sets of 
> valves.
>
> Some thought had gone into this conversion ,as the centrally  pumped
> lubrication system of the original engine  still maintained lubrication to
> the bottom end. It is usual to admit Steam oil together with the steam for
> the lubrication of valves and pistons on slide valve steam engines.
> You could say this was the Equivalent of a V8 steam engine, being  double
> action?
>
>
> Regards
>
>
> Geoff
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: seilertechco at yahoo.com
> To: kssustain at provide.net
> Cc: gasification at listserv.repp.org
> Sent: Fri, 9 Feb 2007 9:33 AM
> Subject: [Gasification] engines
>
>
> Kermit;
>
>
>
>  You recently mentioned the use of old  I.C. engines for making a steam
> engine.
>
> I'm particularly fond of the ford 300 six, perhaps to drive a sawmill. 
> How
>
>
> would that engine be reconfigured as a steam engine?  Have you seen any
> modern,
>
> perhaps computer controlled valving or multi source head designs?  Are 
> there
>
>
> good posts that one should know about for the subject, perhaps a steam
> engine
>
> list?
>
>
>
>  When you consider that most steam engines prefer dry steam (pressure), I
> ask
>
> myself why not use the rapid expansion of phase change to motivate the
> piston.
>
> Inject superheated water that will expand 1600 times. Boiler explosions 
> are
>
> dangerous, so it would make sense to close couple a gassifier and have 
> only
> a
>
> small high pressure side in a gassifier/boiler/engine configuration. That
>
> doesn't sound complicated does it?
>
>
>
>  Concerning mobile applications, is the IC engine perhaps suitable for 
> both
>
>
> combustion and steam... like a 3 plus 3 arrangement?  Energy stored as hot
> water
>
> could provide rapid response that the gas alone would not deliver.  This
> storage
>
> capacity is demonstrated well by the Stanley Steamer Automobile, it set a
> land
>
> speed record in 1907 of 127mph with no suspension.  I'm sure they crowded
> the
>
> 600 lb boilers upper limits as well as the 2 cylinder steam engines, but 
> the
>
>
> point is, that hot water may make a good thermal battery.  Storage of
> rapidly
>
> available energy appears necessary for mobile application of gasification.
>
>
>
>  Regards,   Toby Seiler
>
>
>
>
>
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