My name is Sebastian Sanchez and I am currently a senior in mechanical engineering technology at the University of Houston. I have had some interest in gasifiers for awhile, but now I get to experience them personally! Three of my friends and I have decided to design and build a gasifier for our senior design project. I have been scouring the internet for information on the subject. In my search, I found this site.
My senior design team, Team NRG, is focused on making a light weight stand alone gasification unit. We are looking at a modular system which could easily be attached to a gen set, small displacement vehicle, or any other small gasoline engine. We hope to use heat recovery equipment and create a separate module that processes the wood. We are still in the early research phase of the project but will start putting together designs over the coming weeks. I will start a thread about our project so ya’ll can watch as we move along. I’m also sure I will be reading a lot on here and asking for questions and advice.
Thanks for allowing me to join the forum,
Sebastian Sanchez
Forgive my poor manners in not welcoming you sooner Sebastian.I read your post earlier but got called for supper.Hopefully there will be more along soon to welcome you also.
Paul
Ps
Reading will help but the wisest choice would be to make contact with an experienced woodgasser near you and see it up close and personal.Smell the creosotey smells and burn some hair off your forehead,drive alongside a woodgasser in his vehicle and listen closely to him and the engine.
Welcome Sebastian, sounds like a very interesting project with real life applications. I drive mine almost everyday. May I suggest building on a small trailer with the generator on board, and the ability to pipe to the pull vehicle. The best of both worlds, wood gas (or petrol), for any purpose, anywhere, anytime. Good luck and take lots of pics and video.
Sebastian Sanchez and 3 project lab partners. As college seniors the design of a totally new gasifier is a time consuming project, even with a team of four people doing the documentation and the construction. How about a 1/2 scale version of Wayne’s gasifier built on a trailer (modular design) to run the engines you mentioned? To do this, you will absolutely need to be a premium member to have access to the videos and other detailed information. Watch the videos, do some brainstorming, and start welding. Figure out what is going on, apply the math, physics, thermodynamics, and property of materials…come up with the theory. I was going to say, “write the paper”, but perhaps you might check with Wayne Keith and Chris Saenz to see what they think about the idea, (whether or not it would disclose information they publish in their book). If you photograph your progress, the folks here will be happy to review and offer plenty of advice. Also check out Matt Ryder’s information here, and on his website, because he has been doing some smaller engine stuff (not big V-8’s or V-10’s). Signed, Ray Menke, (whose advisors kept telling him that his proposed senior projects were too ambitious!) FWIW
