Best of Commercial Gasifiers? Review, Compare Experience!

General Discussion
#1

Hi all! I am new to this site and forum so I hope this does not come off in poor form to be so bold as a newbie! If this is the wrong place to post this then I’m sorry!

I am a long time gasifier enthusiast. Enthusiast in the youtube, armchair type. Never done much more than a coffee can gasifier in real life. Now I want to get serious and start producing my own energy using a gasifier. I was wondering if any one had REAL life experience or could comment on the following models that are commercially available. I know that I do not want to build my own, since the techniques of tar cracking and high grade filtration are better handled by professionals, I think.

So here are the models I know of. Please let me know what you all think!!

GEK
The gasifier Experimental Kit is a gasifier company that started up literally six months after I started studying gasifiers. I’ve watched them grow and have sentimental attachment to them.

http://www.gekgasifier.com/products/product-overview

Vulcan

Totally new players. Looks simple enough and the price is good when compared with the others. Need input!

LEAF

These guys are new as well but they look really slick and they are priced decently. Again, looking for some real experience and input!!

http://www.leafgenerator.com/

Victory Gas Works - But unless someone can say something REALLY awesome bout these guys that would justify gasifying $38k, I don’t much consider them an option.

Hope to hear from you all soon!!

I’m really looking for some input! Hope to hear from you all soon!!

#2

Welcome to DOW Justus.
Just to maybe give you an understanding, you are on a site of problem solvers. Most of the people here are welders, plumbers, engineers, mechanics, etc. Most have built or are building a gasifier using each other’s experiences to fine tune or continue to learn. More than likely not one person here will tell you which commercial unit they would prefer over another. With all the experience here, you just may be able to make an unit better than the commercial units that are for sale and for a lot more inexpensive.
Bill S

#3

Thanks Bill! I took a look around the site before posting. I admire the talents and skills of the members of this community. I wish I was better at manufacturing solutions. I’m not that great when it comes to mechanics though. I realize most of the guys/gals here are hard core DIY, but I really don’t know where else to ask for the kind of feedback i’m looking for. Thats all.

#4

Hi Justus, my advice is to contact the manufacturer direct and see what they have to offer and then compare. Email is going to be your best bet as Im sure they are very very busy. Search their you tube channels to see there products in action. They all have great things to offer its really what will best fit your needs.

MR

#5

Well Justus Walker the best way would have been to ask these questions would have been to identify the different individuals here with the actual working experience on these different commercially offered systems and then e-mail or PM each individually for thier candid experences and recommendations.
Then you could compare and contrast thier recommendations.

It is the stated desires of the site namesake and the Admin here to remain Brand nuetral and offer even free “For Sale” home pages here for any recognized woodgasifer developer/manufacturer.
Your topic start would force a brand prefernce response that can not help but lead into a flame war.
So . . . . I’d suggest you fold up this inflammatory approach on this DIY site and try a different approach tact.

These are the basic user questions any wood gasifier system supplier will need to know from you:
State you available wood fuel type(S).
Your willingness and abilty to process these wood stocks into appropriate gasifier input chunks, screened sized chips, or compressed fuel pellets/briquettes.
How moister dry you can actually deliver these pre-prepped wood fuel particles into the gasifier system.
Manual Human operation?
Or, as close to an electronified turn-key/push-button system as you can get?
Your desired IC ENGINE power goals.
Your own answers to these would self guide through a system type unit selection as MattR says mostly just by the manufacturers own web sites. You will find actual independent users youtubes for most all of these systems.
Here is an older previous VictoryGasWorks 2010 systems listing with specific fuel recommendations:
http://www.timeandbeing.com/Applications/CountryLiving/VictoryGasworks-Hottwatt.pdf
Youtube broadcast by engineer775 shows an earlier larger all SS ~2009 VGW Offgridder system. He also does a new fuel up engine running highlight of the L.E.A.F.
Youtube broadcasts by cncmachiningisfun shows two videos now of an even earlier ~2008/09 VGW carbon steel Woody model unit.

Compare capabilites THEN you compare manufactured prices. A cheap price will not make a dedicated manual only chunk wood fueler work well unattneded on chips or pellets. Or ANY gasifier work outside it’s designed engine gas draw design range.

You left out other members here offerings in the “Cassified” under the Buy Plans dropdown with their direct web site links:
Arvid Olsons International Supply Co’s units
Beaver Energy plan books
Herb’s Welding and Machine Shop (Herb Hartman the woogassing Caddy driver)
TEI in SW Missouri offere WK formed shell kits
Sean Frenches Gasification Services for custom builds for vehicle and generators

Also DOW member Chris Seymours Superior Gasificartion “Elit” units
www.superiorgasification.com

And lets not leave out Lawrence Garringer at Garriger Gasifiers:
www.garringergasifier.com
He also developes and builds. People do buy. And do use his.

Steve Unruh - Small Engine Users Forum host.
The owner of the 1st GEK stainless steel gasifier, and having operated different GEK versions since Feb 23, 2009.
The owner of VictoryGasWorks “Victory” hearth model serial #1, and have operated EVERY single VictoryGW gasifier hearth models from June 2009 through April 2012.
Operated 11 other different mixed bag of small engine gasifiers 2008 to current. I LOVE burning wood and hearing engines woodgas run for a purpose.

#6

Hello Justus and welcome ,

I just realized you are in Siberia, Russia.

The cost of shipping might be more than practical for a gasifier. Also you may want to look over Gary Gilmore’s information ( simple fire ) depending on how large a gasifier you want.

Maybe you could gather information and have one built lacal .

Thanks
Wayne

#7

Thanks all for the advice. I was not meaning to hurt any ones feelings. I realize that I can look up builders info on the web, contact them directly, watch youtube vids, ask qs etc. I am doing that, have done a lot of that already. I was just hoping to pick up some real life experience. I realize now that any of the manufacturers are members of the forum and really wouldn’t want to cause discomfort. If any one has had real life experience with the commercially available models please PM me with your comments or write to [email protected]

To let you all know what I’m looking into, here’s a little backstory. I run a christian mission in rural siberia. We often have power outages and the price of electricity is not so slowly creeping up. Also some of the places we want to work in (and are working in) have no power at all. So mainly I want to get a system that can provide power (3-5kw and heat maybe) for clinics and educational meetings as well as church meetings.

Also our mission runs a small farm. The farm truck we could afford is an old soviet GAZ53. Equipment here, even really old stuff is EXPENSIVE. This truck guzzles an equivalent of about 5.95 gal/1mile! The cost of fuel is getting very hard to deal with. I have a really good mechanic who helps with the equipment (tractor, truck, car) and he is interested in trying a conversion but not so hot on manufacturing from scratch. I personally am more in favor of horses but the local authorities won’t let us convert any land into pasture so we’ve gone to ICE based farm equipment instead.

Again, sorry for the poorly chosen topic, etc, etc, etc

We have TONS of fuel available, mostly fur trees, pine, larch, birch. Chips, shavings, chunks. We’ve got it all. I’m looking for something simple, something that recycles exhaust heat to pre dry fuel (in the hopper) so you can deal with “green” or at least “greener” wood. I do not need a “push button” solution. I am willing to observe, tinker with and do maintenance on both systems. I just feel I need a good platform to start with.

Yes Mr. Keith, shipping is an issue, but sometime we get containers of humanitarian aid and I could pack a unit or two into that pretty easily. I’m also open to assembling a well made kit. So again, suggestions from real users would be nice. Again, PM or email is fine. I admire ALL the manufacturers! The gasifier technology is awesome.

On a side note I know an old guy, the only Russian I’ve ever talked to who knew anything about gasifiers. He says his family was sent to the Gulag for something (speaking against stalin he thought) and when he was just a young teenager he was assigned to a crew that made fuel for imberts that were being installed on non combatant military vehicles during WWII. Pretty cool!

Any way, sorry if I rubbed any one the wrong way. Just looking for input.

#8

Hello Justus Walker
Excellent info use fill in you did. One of the best I’ve ever had to work with.

I will E-mail/PM you with my three different experienced manufactures with systems that I think would fill you requirements nicely and do have International shipping expreinces.
I hope others will do this for you also.
On mine I will give you the candid ReasonS why the current offered VictoryGasWorks offered VictoryGrid system is priced as it is as a FYI bonus. You did ask.

Best Regards
Steve Unruhs