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.

[TomC]

I am a “friend” to Don Mannes on FaceBook and yesterday I think his daughter posted and interview he did at Argos this year on his charcoal gasifier. I think Kris did the video work but I just went back through 50 posts on this thread and found nothing. I think it is a very informative video about the “dark side” which many of us have minimal knowledge. Could someone please post it under this thread.
Also it brought up many questions that I would like to ask. I believe some of them have been answered up in the construction area of this thread, but many times we have ideas before construction and things change as we get to the actual build.TomC

[don_mannes]

Here you go Tom
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvhXMYDZB2U

[TomC]

Thank you Don. I see by the “likes” that you have already received, others are as interested as I am/was.
Now 20 questions; Today you said you got a buy on some “air filters”. I believe you are running double cyclones. Are they the same size and hooked up in parallel or series? Have you ever thought about adding a “thein” (?) filter? On YouTube one person says that a cyclone plus a “thein” filter works better than two cyclone. (I just built a new cyclone and am trying to get info on this thein thing.
That slug or as I would call it “hockey puck” that is in the opening to the bottom of the charcoal chamber; you said it was going to spin from air passing it. Sounds like it is working well. With out a positive drive I thought the ash/char would stop the spin.
With out a horizontal pipe being used to feed air to the chamber, how are you feeding your water drip? Earlier I though you said something about feeding it to the ring around the air opening. Wouldn’t that be so hot it would be steam? ( not that steam wouldn’t do the same as water, I guess)
Is that a 55 gal plastic hay filter. I’m on the lookout for something smaller.
I see a drawer under the gasifier. I suppose that is to catch and ash falling past the hockey puck You said you used the vacuum cleaner to get down to the air valve/inlet for inspection. Can you clean the ash and slag out through the air hole so you don’t have to empty the full 30 gal of charcoal?
Do you know anything about the Isuzu Amego? There is a good by on one here. I think they are one of those valve and piston interferance engines, because he said he just put a new head/valves/timing chain in it. TomC

[don_mannes]

Are they the same size and hooked up in parallel or series

They are the same size in parallel. Small cyclones spins gas faster so are more efficient I’ve been told but to get the volume of gas needed I put another in parallel

a “thein” (?) filter?

I never heard of it.

it was going to spin from air passing it.

You asked about this before but somehow I must have given the impression that the hockey puck (I like that name better than slug) spins. It doesn’t spin by itself but I have a lever on the side of the ammo box to rotate the puck a little to let ash through the space around it. The combustion air enters through that space and cools the puck.

you said something about feeding it to the ring around the air opening. Wouldn’t that be so hot it would be steam? ( not that steam wouldn’t do the same as water, I guess)

Yes that is correct, the steam enters the air stream through 3 openings spaced around the air inlet from the steam chamber below the brake rotor. As the steam contacts the white hot char above it does two things. first it reacts with the char to form H2 and 2 COs and second being that reaction is endothermic - it cools the reaction and prevents overheating.

Is that a 55 gal plastic hay filter

It is actually a 30 gallon plastic barrel with a removable clamp lid.

Can you clean the ash and slag out through the air hole so you don’t have to empty the full 30 gal of charcoal?

I put that 4 inch clean out later on the side for cleaning without emptying.

valve and piston interferance engines

That is what the Tracker has and that is one of the reasons why I switched it to charcoal and why I am building the S-10 non interference engine for wood chunks now. (Don’t ask for a progress report - it ain’t going fast. Too much in the way like granddaughters fast pitch softball games and mowing lawns)

[TomC]

Don Here is one YouTube on the Thein separator. There are several others here but this appear to be the better of them TomC
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgql1e7JN8U

[don_mannes]

Thanks Tom but it looks like another cyclone only bigger diameter. Good for sawdust - not sure about soot.

[ramosedmundo]

Hi Don Mannes:
I have being following this topic of yours. Very impressive!!
Here I am submitting to you a couple of info/drawing as I think your system works.
Please feel free to check it, correct it, delete or add any info you think may be usefull.
Truly yours.
Eddy

[don_mannes]

Wow Eddy, you must have been sneaking around in my garage taking measurements and stuff. You got it down pretty accurate! I think if I gave you a lighting torch and the keys, you could jump in and go without any further instructions.

[ramosedmundo]

Ha ha ha Thank’s for the compliments. Actually I am too far, in Argentina, South America to be near your garage. But please notice that there are several measurements with a question mark that need to be verify by you.
Truly yours.
Eddy

[don_mannes]

It looks like all the dimensions are correct except the ceramic is 2 inches thick and the water heater tank is 16 inches diameter.