Some pics would be helpful at this point. What have you built so far?
While I suck at math, I come up with 91.54 cfm at 2000rpm based on your engine size…
(and that is imbert math based off DJ’s site)
you have a 18" restriction? your area calculations show your r=9
Use soap bubbles to check for leaks. Use vacuum and pressure as some leaks show up either way but not both. You really ought to bone up the 50 bucks for a premium membership so you get the most out of your build. It just amazes me how people will spend thousands in time and money on a gasifier system without the benefit of experienced builders and operators. You will save the fifty bucks many times over and not look like a jackass. Hee Haw.
Hey Chris, does this violate our code of ethics?
“It just amazes me how people will spend thousands in time and money on a gasifier system without the benefit of experienced builders and operators. You will save the fifty bucks many times over and not look like a jackass. Hee Haw.”
Am I a jackass? Don’t get me wrong, I have recommended the premium membership to people before. All I’m saying is people can build a working gasifier without a premium membership.
I researched gasifiers before building my first producer(2009) and now I have 2 working units.
This isn’t the first comment I’ve seen knocking people for not being a premium member. Is it meant to be insulting? I’m taking it that way.
Woody, that was a little much. Terry, don’t be too sensitive.
Look, we offer the Premium membership as an easy way to build a proven system. There are other ways to succeed - they’re just harder. If you’d rather forge a new path, fine. It may be more expensive and largely a waste of time, or you may take gasification to a new level. There’s no one stopping you from doing it. I would recommend to any beginner to save their valuable energy for building and not spend it reinventing the wheel. But if they choose to ignore my advice and others, so be it.
Brent has clearly stated his intentions, let’s watch and see what happens with no further comments. If he asks for help then it’s time to speak up.
Best of luck Brent, keep us posted!
Chris,
I do NOT think it is sensitive to take offense to being called a jack ass. As everyone says “there is more than one way to skin a cat”. We should not be little someone for trying a new system. Trying new things can only help everyone. People who are on these forums usually like to do these things themselves, otherwise they would just pull up to a gas pump like all the other sheeple. If it is time saving to spend 50 dollars on plans then why not just spend 15000 dollars and buy a gek which has pretty much a push button start up and reduces a lot of headaches and time.
meschke
Ok, so you have a 9inch restriction, if i may ask, how did you come up with this number?
how many nozzles are you looking at installing?
have you calculated their size in relation to the rest of the unit?
how far up in the hearth are you placing your nozzles and what will be their ring diameter?
how big is your reduction zone?
and what is the open area of your grate? it may be too open… just saying is all.
what are you going to use as fuel?
its not really that hard to make gas… it is somewhat harder to make engine grade gas that doesn’t have all kinds of tar to gum up the pretty engine. and, tar isn’t something you’re gonna filter out really.
nothing important was here
Hello Brent,
If I had to choose between hay and cloth I think I would go with hay.
Years back on another gasifier design I used cloth and found it plugged easily. Now the only material I use is hay in the current gasifiers. With that said I am a hay farmer and have a lot of it at hand.
Brent,
Premium membership is $50 for the book and 6 months, $100 for a year + book, $200 for lifetime + book. More info here: http://driveonwood.com/store
Gareth in england was using the “shammy” drying cloths in one of his filters. Once they got wet they did not let much air flow through. They did not dry very well either because they soaked up the moisture sitting in the bottom. He ended up not using them after only a couple of runs. i have heard house insulationworks well as long as you don’t get it wet. House insulation is what I am using now but I haven’t run it long enough to give a good report on it.
meschke
I wouldn’ t call Mr. Keith’s gasser an imbert.
I believe open area of the grate should be around the same as your restriction area.
You do need a certain amount of area under your restriction for reduction. I can’t speculate on your nozzle placement as i’d have to draw it out. Not sure why you’re not just looking at an imbert table and pulling number from it… that to me would make a lot more sense with a larger chance of success… just saying.
what are you going to use as fuel? that usually has a large design consideration when building.
Hey brother, just thought Id share this with you. This is what I come up with from the hanbook for dimentioning the largest recipe shown in the book. You can scale it up from here too, if you need.This is just the dimentions and the drawing is only for reference and is not to scale.
One thing to note is the hand book sugest only using an odd number of jets and even at this scale 7 are only required.
I will soon be building a new E-Series based off of these dimentions.
9" restriction for this size engine and an Imbert is way too much. Mr Wayne is using a different system. You cannot use dimensions from one system for an other. 6-7" will do for an Imbert and a 460 engine at about 2,500 rpm and 50% filling degree. Other dimensions depend on wood size and sort.
Note that there is a difference between fiberglass wool and fiberglas woven fabric. The later one can only be used for dry filtering, lasts forever and filters best, when you can keep the gas above dewpoint. For wet filtering hay seems to me more forgiving than fiberglass wool.
Grates can be too big and become a filter then. Resulting in clogging.
Again: build your first gasifier according exsisting dimensions and design. Do not fall in the trap of own improvements or thoughts when building your first gasifier. You will not have a clue what is wrong in case it does not work well. Woodgasification has too many wide grey area’s.
Regards,
DJ
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nothing important was here
Brent,
As to the area around the reduction bell in the drawing above; you want this area to fill up with ash. It should fill up to the top edge, and then from there form a ash cone up to the nozzles. This will act as insulation keeping the heat in the zones where it is needed to make good gas, crack tar, etc. You don’t want to clean that out. It becomes an important part of your unit needed for good operation. Some gasifiers also have a upper cone and then there is ash, or perlite fertilizer, or other insulative material packed in behind, but just the lower inverted cone with ash naturally forming the upper I think proves more effective.
David S
Looking like an idiot is not the same as being one. ALL woodgassers look like idiots to sheeple. I’m in the first days of yet another rebuild and covered in soot and melted RTV, but I am not an idiot, nor is Brent. We’re just nutz. But this time I’m inching my way toward the WK. The half a hundred was well spent and has got me all fired up. BBB
JohnS
nothing important was here
Hi Brent,
Here are some file photos from one of my manuals. The first pic shows some good detail of my inners and you can see how the reduction bell sits in there. If you are wondering about the sylicone that was for showing how to install the hopper, but Im doing something different there now.
The other pic shows my grate. My fire tube extends down 6" past where the seat is for my reduction bell is. My grate fits inside this and is adjustable up to 6 inches. The grate is about 2" larger than the bottom openning of the reuction bell and hugs tight in there. There is a shaker arm that rotates it form an actuator form outsid the unit.
Also if you notice the top of the reduction bell I have a BIG fat weld bead at the restrictor openning. This is needed if you dont do this the steel will degrade quickly.
The more ash you can stuff on the outside of the reduction bell the better. Also the gas that you make is an exellent insulator. Keep it inside the unit as long as posible. Notice my gas out port is offset, this is partially why its like this. The gas is pulled from the unit creating a vortex giving it a longer path to exit the unit plus it helps distribute the heat more evenly. Also this helps eliminate debris from exiting the gasifier.
Is your hay/fiberglass filter going to be horizontal? How do you plan to keep the material fluffed up and the gas going through it? The Hay/straw tends to pack after a while.
Just the first thing that came to mind. Looks good. can’t wait to see if it flares. To check for leaks i get the mammoth smoke bombs and light them. Then turn on your blower motor till you see color smoke come out of it and then back pressure the system to see where smoke comes out. Some times the smoke won’t make it through a filter so you may need to do a smoke bomb on each side of the filter. I would do them separate so that it is less to watch at one time.
meschke