[Stoves] Retted Switchgrass Fireball Test

[Jeff Davis]

On Tuesday 05 September 2006 10:58 am, Roger Samson wrote:
> In Ohio, you should be able to late fall cut the switchgrass and winter
> bale it on frozen ground or in the spring.

Here's my harvest story: Fall, the floods come on for about 3 weeks. Lots of 
silt on switchgrass. Next the chilly winds and miles of snow cover the ground 
and flatten the switchgass out. Next in, the spring, the snow melts and the 
floods cover he switchgrass, once more, for 3 weeks. About in April/May I 
raked it, with lots of fine dirt, in windrows. It cuts it's self, you just 
need to rake it. One could rake it by hand. Next with the aid of my electric 
golf-cart, hay fork and trailer I stacked up my retted swichgrass. That's 
five acres BY HAND. Need to write an article if I can find the time.

I have made some major purchases for this year, haybine, rake and baler. Will 
harvest in fall before the floods!!!!

I need to get this old Farmall M on suction-gas. It was my grandfather's. I 
bought it at his auction, when he sold-out.

> I have had some feedback from commercial boilers users that herbaceous
> fuels like switchgrass need to be fairly dense to burn effectively. Some
> have suggested a bulk density range of 35-50 lbs/cu foot or 550-800 kg/m3
> is required.

If you soak your firballs in some WVO you'll have some of the fines fuel 
around. I need to write and article!

> It maybe that herbaceous fuels, unlike wood are too quick to 
> release their gases and then it's difficult to control the combustion
> process. 

This retted stuff seems to burn more like charcoal hence glowballs. That's the 
non-oil enriched ones.

Jeff





-- 
Jeff Davis
Somewhere 20 miles south of Lake Erie, USA
http://www.velocity.net/~jeff0124