Don's Geo Tracker Project - 2- - Charcoal

[Strawman]

Yes, that's always the issue with Charcoal isn't it? All good except you have to make the stuff!

The next burn barrel I light up will have a sealed container containing 5-10 lbs of store bought wood pellets in it. I will inspect the resulting charcoal for quality, toughness, and measure for density.

If it all looks good I will build a pellet mill, I already have a hammer mill, and I will produce pellets from both straw and wood.

For charcoal production, I want to experiment with huge TLUD gasifiers. They're simple enough to build, make great charcoal, don't smoke, and don't go up in a hurricane of roaring fire like some retorts do. They also put out the kind of heat that would be easy to use for space heating: moderate, and long lasting.

I'd love to find a way to choke a TLUD off automatically at the right time. Then I could build 4 or 5 of them, fill 'em, light 'em, and forget 'em .

[bsoutherland]

Will,
If you haven't done so already, check out the "Making Charcoal without Smoke" topic here on DOW. You will find a few "light 'em and forget 'em" retorts. You don't need to choke them because the retort is already choked except for small gas outlets. The biomass is heated with its own pyrolysis gas. Once all of the volatiles, are driven off, the reaction stops and leaves the resulting charcoal. The retort is sealed except for the small gas outlets. There is no flue to create a draft, so air does not enter and burn the charcoal.

I hope to make an auger fed system for pellets or chips that makes char as long as the auger is turning then cools for char removal. A gate could be added in the collection chamber for cooled char removal and continuous operation.

One way to partially justify the loss of heat energy is to daisy chain the retorts.

[trigaux]

The only reason l do not use charcoal anymore is you loose too much heat/time produceing it.

To produce charcoal and to value the calories lost is it a bigger challenge than to cleanly gasify wood?

Is it more complex to pyrolize wood by recovering the lost calories or building a wood gasifier that produces a motor quality gas under any circumstances?

I like the idea of solving one problem at a time

1: to produce coal and to value the excess calories of the process

2: gasification of coal

In a wood gasifier the two stages are managed simultaneously: the wood is pyrolized and gas is produced with the burning coal.
This challenge seems to me more complex that is why I chose the dark side

[KristijanL]

In a few years time my wood burning boiler will need replaceing. Then, l will make a new one, with augers that automaticly draw charcoal from the bottom. I think thats the only way l can make this economical. Shuld produce at least about 4 m3 of charcoal per year. Thats about a years worth of motor fuel for a small car.

[taitgarry00]

l am sure l can char gas it in a days work. Woodgasing requires at least a week.

And that's at your incredibly productive speed. Convert that to months in my case, but significantly simpler on any scale.

[taitgarry00]

"Charcoal water" you have to keep in the house and fill up for each and every trip if you do not have a warm garage

Could a person simply use a water methanol / ethanol solution for water drip instead? I imagine the hydrocarbons would add even more energy, and solve the freezing problem.

[gasman]

The alcohol solution is lost in the hearth! Only the split-up water will give some hydrogen.

But otherwise, a lazy driver, who doesn't carry out the "charcoal water" is just avoiding the small job and loosing the costly alcohol...water is needed anyway, with or without the pricy boose!

[taitgarry00]

Respectfully Max, in my region throughout winter months, wasted alcohol or no, there will be no other way. A small diameter water line is sure to freeze, perhaps instantly, and cause endless difficulties.

I've had the experience of having dilute windshield washing fluid frozen in lines.

I am far from a chemist, and could be wrong, but won't the hydrogen entrained in the alcohol end up being broken down and incorporated into the process just as the water is cracked? The alcohol used would be relatively little, just sufficient to prevent freezing down to minus 40C, and added as a drip, so not such a heavy loss.

If this would avoid farting around with warming water tanks and lines, and removing same and thoroughly blowing out lines after, it seems like a good practice to me.

[gasman]

Hi, Garry!
7.7.2017

Equally respectful; I just meant that the there is no accountable gain in the small alcohol amount over all. Well, on a woodgasifier's surface no condense canister freezes, but during extended pauses a charcoal gasifier's watertank may freeze as they usually are not so hot... and new water isn't usually available when needed.

[Jeff]

I think it is easier in the winter time. Water all around. No need to look for it ! Just scoop it up in my water pan. Even the steam car worked in the winter time.