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I’m working on the ferret. and putting the gengas assembly back in, etc.
Do you have any ideas on what I should do with the gengas assembly, I think the tar can get between the nozzles, and the heat in the restriction is not enough, can I build up a cone from the restriction to the ends of the nozzles somehow?
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Jan, I installed a smaller than the firetube diameter straight tube insert and longer nozzles back in October. Loose fit but stuffed with ash around it. The inner cone shape forms automaticly as usual.
Before I installed it I had a sticky throttle from time to time. Had to clean the tb with acetone once a month or so. With the new insert installed there’s no sign of a sticky throttle ever since.
I think this proves my charbed was simply too big to be able to keep the heat up with the amount of air the Volvo was able to pull into it.
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Good idea, I’ll see if I can do something similar.
This one hadn’t started to build any cones at all yet, just a little build-up around the nozzles and I’ve been running it for 2 winters, very strange.
Now it worked this winter, but now that I’ve cleaned it again, I suspect it will get tar again.
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Does this make acceleration better after a stoplight? Is this inner fire tube stainless? I imagine a layer of rockwool insulation would do the same thing?
Rindert
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Hi Rindert! Yes, it’s a stailess 10" inner tube. The best I can tell the hesitation sympthomes at accelleration are now about half of what they used to be. Stop and go driving in town has developed from annoying to ok.
To shrink the firetube I guess any insulative material that can keep its integrity would work. Tube and ash was just the easiest fix for me at the moment. The idea was presented by SteveU a few years back.
Hm, I find that hard to belive. There has to be some debrie stuck on the restriction treshold towards the firetube wall.
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There is another later idea that has been used now for between the jets filling.
You can see this pictured up on @DeanL (Dean Lasko’s) 2022 “Newbie from Canada” topic.
Post #37. The fourth picture.
Welded on wedge vee blockers. This was a Ben Peterson developed feature. In his books.
Ha! I forget how to link to this post directly.
I forget a lot now.
It is what it is.
Steve Unruh
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A working machine or tractor has its own characteristics in operation, for example, when you install a certain tool (plough, harrow, circular saw, trailer, …) and prepare for work, it can take a lot of time, while the engine runs slowly without load, gas consumption is very low. The gasifier thus operates with a very small load, the hot zone shrinks a lot during this time and here is the question, does this glowing rim cover the area of the limiting opening and thus prevent the passage of tar gases? If you cannot say this about your gasifier, then convert it. Another unfavorable characteristic is with a gasifier that operates in place and this is poor cooling of the condensation zone, you absolutely need forced cooling, this greatly affects the maintenance of the active hot zone. It is also interesting that frequent filling and keeping the fuel tank as full as possible also has a beneficial effect on operation, as this gives the wood more time to dry and pyrolyze and convert it into charcoal already high above the hot zone…
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I looked at the dimensions that should be for this little engine, it should be 10-11 cm between the throttle and the nozzles (4"- 4.4") I have 15cm (6"), wondering if that’s the problem?
The fire tube was 30cm in diameter (12") and that’s according to the book. It works very well if I run on gasoline for a few minutes the first week after cleaning before I shut off the engine.
This winter I didn’t clean, and then I didn’t have to run on gasoline at all.
Edit: JO, when you reduced the diameter, did you notice any difference in power or top speed?
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No, no difference in top end power. The idle at redlights and howering around parking lots is more reliable though.
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No, it should be the ends of the nozzle that determine how much charcoal gets hot.
I’m thinking of doing this, I’ve built a cone with ash, if I put charcoal in it now, should it hold the ash until the ash solidifies?
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I don’t know. What happens happens. To form a hard crust on the cone can take a long time. Some claim up to 50 hours of operation. Some tar drip would probably help with the crust, but at the same time we’re tryong to avoid that 
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Tar would have burnable material in it, as would charcoal. Ash does not. it is mineral deposits, silicone, etc. You probably want a binder for it, which a lot of times is a clay.
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