Picked up a new hobby, (FEMA Gasifier), and started welding

What Not To Do
#1

Hello, I’m new here…
and I want to share my condolences to all of you who found them selves in the same spot I have done.

FEMA emergency gasifier plans are so stunnigly simple and comprehendable, no way there’s any issues with it, and they are free in the internet, so lets see what we can find. And what is this no welding? Didn’t they have MIG/TIG welding equipment back then? Well, I ain’t buying that advice…

So, after few months of gathering junk and buying some sheet metal, I think I’m good to go. And with a flying start there is a modern art museum piece sitting in the garage. Family members are pissed for not getting their cars inside anymore, and my leasure time is becoming exhausting from welding fumes and grinder dust, this fake tan on my skin looks really quite nice, don’t bother to wash it away every time.

First really annoying problem(one of many) jumped into vision when hopper and gasifier"drum" didn’t meet up as co-operationally I would have wanted…
" jeez… well, I will have to go and watch some youtube Teslonian videos and spy how he managed this problem. …Aaaaaand, seems he didn’t show it. Oh well, it cant be so critical then? Maybe the next video of this other dude will lighten my problem with a solution? After 2 hours, and few beers later… now what was I searching again? How cute “cat” on that video… I’ll check that one, while I at it… "

Few weeks go by, and a lot of “cat” videos, family stars to kick my junk around in the garage. Ultimatums are made, "get that piece of art ready or move it out side right away. " So back to grinding and welding.

"So, the air tightness of welding seams can be fixed with oven silicate says some Briton in youtube, SO I might do that, yeees, ofcourse… " Of you go to buy some putty to be smeared over welding and silicone rubber hose joints, “this must be good… Now if I only could weld over this silicate to get it stuck even better. One can try, cant I?”

Learning curve is up, and disappointment also, people are getting nervous and neighbors nosy. “What’s up Dr. Strange Love!” “What in the name of *****, is that!”

Battle fatique is creeping in, better check some keyword on internet about gasification… click click typottypoty, enter <–crush.

Drive on Wood!

WHAT THE HELL IS THIS!!!
A WHOLE FORUM FULL OF ADVICE AND DIFFERENT TOPICS ABOUT GASIFICATION, and I haven’t stumbled on it earlier!

So… I am here… now what?

7 Likes
#2

Welcome to the forum! I wish you had found us before you found the FEMA plans.

They’re basically a tar machine. But I don’t think anyone has made their first gasifier build their best.

You can either adapt the gasifier by adding nozzles, or you could salvage that project and build a different design.

There’s a lot of options but we all like to help.
Also, we love pictures of builds! I use my mobile phone simply for the reason of being able to send pictures here.

6 Likes
#3

You all love pics? I give them, “allrighty”, fantastic modern art, maybe operational, haven’t got yet to test fire things…

And I have seen people explaining these FEMA’s tar issues. Made me also regret to start with FEMA plans but, anyways, hobby as any, it will take some time to get better at it.

At least I will be a warning example if nothing else(of how many others?).

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#4

What were you wanting to power with the gasifier? A generator or vehicle?

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#5

Generator, small 16 hp motor with 6kW gen. For a start.

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#6

Oh I am soooooo gonna salvage this junk, when I am ready to take on with these other plans found here… Or maybe there is no time for torching things apart… we’ll see. Anyways pictures impound tomorrow.

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#7

Don’t know if he has posted anything about it here but Andrew Heath is the only person that I know that ran a riding lawnmower using a FEMA. He demoed it at Argos some years back.

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#8

WhatsApp Image 2023-01-15 at 14.23.12
WhatsApp Image 2023-01-15 at 14.23.12972×1296 107 KB

Famous Fema grill shining and under it is the chamber pipe, red overflow pressure tank is old and modified to cool some syngas from top to bottom flow. Water is the cooling medium.

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#9

chamber narrowed
chamber narrowed972×1296 110 KB

I think I will have a huge problem with this removable drum lid. It’s too thin. And I am missing the seal material, lost or maybe never existed?

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#10

ash removal chamber and cooling, 3per4 inch niple downwards
ash removal chamber and cooling, 3per4 inch niple downwards972×1296 118 KB
This one has some cool flanges on both sides, intake and outside, just thought it would be easier to fit new one when the time is right. Gas cooling and ash removal “sycklone”.

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#11

intake to watercooling
intake to watercooling972×1296 109 KB

Here is the intake of water cooling heat “exchanger”. Just welded some niples on the “tank” and i am going to take this extra heat out for something, don’t know yet what. Green house?

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#12

Also see that silicate putty on those crappy weldings.

#13

tar check under watercooling
tar check under watercooling972×1296 117 KB

Going to make a real base for this work of art later. those bars wont hold waters weight. The master piece is coming… (now about the glass, it’s just mayo jar which is going to tell me what is the tar content of gas)

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#14

volvov40 fan and filter unit
volvov40 fan and filter unit972×1296 150 KB

FEMA had Passat fan with cover over the fan, ain’t seen those for decades. So I had to make a volvo v40 fan istallation. Works fine, don’t know if it really is enough. When this lid was on my workbench and not yet sealed, under it were two 22mm boards to keep it off from “crap”, there was some grinding dust, saw dust, metal flakes and such, and I wanted to test it, it managed to suck everything inside the box and throw them lightest ones out. Had to unscrew it and clean it. Maybe it will work for gas operations.

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#15

Hi Marko, where are you from? Sorry if i missed you posted this already.

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#16

And by the way: i started out with a FEMA too, (actually i started out with something even worse i came up with myself) then found the FEMA…

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#17

That tubing you’re using for the core looks substantial enough to build another gasifier. It’s very salvageable.

Also for that lid, most will make a flange welded to the hearth/burn tube to support the lid. You can make a new gasket with red high temperature RTV, either by using just the RTV in the channel and letting it dry, or coating a fiberglass stove rope with the RTV and gluing it into the channel with more RTV.

4 Likes
#18

Lid with core, is 1mm thick or less, i decided not to use welder on it, and that core tube has a flange on the other side. Just wondering if i should make a totally new lid for the drum because CO will destroy it(this one) quite rapidly.

RTV is really seal silicone, is it? That gray pasta on fan picture is that same silicone. Going to use that? -50 degrees celsius up to +200 operational temperature.

BY THE WAY, I COULD NOT REPLY HERE FOR 8H. System kicked me rights out to do so. So sorry for not answering you all!

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#19

Nice to hear. Göran, you know, you asked where I am from, guess? It’s the greatest ice hockey country of modern times. Has given Sweds their lives worth whoop ass in the box for a decade now. wink wink…

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#20

It’s the only country to win two world championships in a row(by not playing the other one, now this one gives it away, actually there was no championship games on that year.)