Well this week I fully shift from Gasoline to water to sustain myself off grid.
I did all fuel processing from its power direct from the generator and the mighty Greenworks Chainsaw. It can sustain 2100 watts this is 40 amps on the charger. Gasoline peak is 45 amps and I generally set it at 40 amps even on gasoline. So there is no compromize and keeping with fuel is pretty easy. Just cutting a splitting wood. The VersiFire is getting more and more efficient as well. Im now going to line Seven 55 gal drum around it to fill with fuel and you use the drums in a rotation. If you use Seasoned wood by the time you get around using that wood after its been heat cycled from the VersiFire 12 times. it will practically be torified. I think at that point the Versifire might actually put both stacked drums in a retort mode and you will get a two for one. Basically the lower retort heats the top one for its full process. I nearly had one do it one time with really dry wood. Then if controls and the exhaust heat exchanger are added the efficiency will just keep going up. You are looking at one or two runs a week!! Thats like 3 hours of your time for a weeks worth of power and all that is loading and keeping an eye on the Versifire as it processes fuel.
Yeah now you dont run the gasifier and completelly run it out and then just live with what it gave you for a charge. Now you fully top the batteries off and if the CXF Si still has fuel in it. Oh well shut if off and save it for tomorrow. <<< This is a first time ever Ive had a machine that can do that and be expected everytime you use it.
Im officially launching it to market. Updating the website now, this is just the home page so far. Ill update the rest tomorrow. Time to go hang out with the VersiFire, who needs a campfire when you have a VersiFire!!!
Ok so I wanted to know if pine could be viable in the CXF Si as the steam loop compoletely changes the flow dynamics. So I made a batch and tried it.
I would say as far as the CXF Si is concerned Pine Charcoal Fuel is the E85 of charcoal fuel.
To my surprise it ran just as stable as the hard wood. I did not push it as hard but it had power and ran with a good cadense the entire run.
Fuel density is a bit less than hardwood. We knew this but a full hopper in pine weighs just 8 lbs versus hardwood a full hopper typically wieghs 12 lbs.
Run time 2 hours and 45 mins which is still pretty good for a machine this size.
Water to fuel ratio was ( are your readyâŚ) 1.05 to 1!! But the char per kW produced was 2.2 lbs
So even though it pushed the water it had a higher fuel weight to kW ratio. 2.2 lbs per kW is actually pretty decent compared to older units. So this is fine at least it actually works and its good enough to be viable if hardwoods are not available. That is my case right now. I have tons of pine and Im out of hardwood for the time being other than what I have processe and drying right now.
The more I run this machine the better it gets. Controls and the exhaust heat exchanger are the next steps to make this thing even better.
Matt, I am following your reports with interest, which are promising. This unit is well designed, the width is larger, which allows the reaction to take place isolated from the casing in the middle, so the high temperature required for gas formation is not lost. The steam loop currently steals some energy from the process, well, using the waste heat of the exhaust gases to form water vapor and preheat the air, the results will be even better.
I use a wood gasifier almost daily, where there is no shortage of water vapor, or rather there is too much, well, heating the jacket with exhaust gases, makes a significant difference, everything works relatively hotter, and the gas comes out drier, which means that almost all the moisture is converted into quality gas. I personally think that the best indicator of how much water vapor to add to the process is the humidity level of the gas at the outlet. I think it is optimal if the gas is slightly humid, which also ensures good filtration in the wet filter.
As I was just stating to Tone. If you are converting to high temp steam and using steam induction you wont have any moisture in your filter to sensor. It will be bone dry and void of all moisture.
Never let water into the gasifier unless its fully flashed to steam first. If water is dripping its too much and you have to throtle your water flow back.
Yeah the geometry is based on core temp boundaries. This was designed specifically for the water loop to place it in the outer boundaries of the hot zones. The older machines were to big and these areas are too cold. Then Ceramic is used in these areas to contain the heat. Ironically Greenhill forge did the video where he mapped the core temps inside his unit and its a perfect match to my geometry.
Another thing too. When we are integrating water into the nozzles. We do this for what reason? To cool the nozzle as the primary goal rite??
Here throw that thinking away as thats no longer a problem with this system. We are no longer using water to directly cool the nozzle. We dont need to do that; The core temps are now controlled and nozzle degredation is no longer an issue as the temps are always restrained in the 1600 to 1800* F range. Just dont ever run it out of water and make the sure your pump is working.
Matt, Thanks so much for this reply. I have a 1-1/2 inch schedule 80 pipe passing through my downdrafter with both ends open. It has two 7/16 inch holes 7 inches apart in the middle as nozzles. Will I need to restrict one or both of the pipe ends in order to control the amount of steam available at these internal nozzles?
so you only have a 1 1/2 inch pipe for the reactor with two nozzles. How are you spreading them 7 inches apart? along the axis of the pipe?
I need to see a picture it to understand it. But I dont think a down draft is going to work anyways.
You guys do not miss this part ââ Its steam inductied " This means the steam is injected at high presure and it is what is drafting the air into gasifeir not just the engine. You need to inject directly down the middle of your nozzle and directly and penetrate the core for this to work.4
Your limitation is the heat available to flash to steam. the more steam you introduce the less air can get it and core cools. This is why we use steam induction to make sure there is enough air even if it over produces. But there is still a point where you just cant harvest any more steam and thats simply the limitations of your unit not the technology. If you have the heat to flash the water to steam then you can inject it and crack it.
I think the unit can be improved I think I may be better off instead of lining the hose around the core. Just wrap the nozzle with a double coil instead of a single coil as it is now. All the heat is right there local to the tip of the nozzle jet.
Ah ok I looked at your build. So you have a flute nozzle arrangement? Yeah Id just wrap that pipe with the corrogated NG tubing and create a port inter face. But you will lose the higher presrue injection property of it though.
Many thanks, Matt! very helpful. Can I place two âport interfacesâ on the opposite side of the flute pipe and point them directly at/through my nozzles?
Yes!! I think you can or just one. Like has been talked about you need high volocity!!
Here is AIâs advice for you all. It explains it better than I can. lol
To help the DIY community adapt this to their non-cross-draft designs, you need to teach them the physics of the kinetic injector. Here is the universal principle they must understand to make it work in their builds:
The Mechanism: Mass Flow vs. Static Wetting
The DIY Misconception: Most builders think steam is just a chemical reactant to get more hydrogen. They inject it slowly or let water drip onto a hot plate. This creates cold, heavy, un-ionized vapor that dampens the combustion zone like a wet blanket.
The âSteam Inductionâ Reality: Your design treats steam as a high-velocity kinetic driver. By placing the steam tip before the intake hole array plane, you are creating a mechanical steam-ejector pump (a thermocompressor). The raw kinetic energy of the expanding steam physically grabs the surrounding ambient air and slams it through the intake plane at high velocity.
How to Adapt âSteam Inductionâ to Other Designs
If a DIYer wants to run a 1:1 or 1.5:1 water-to-fuel ratio in a down-draft (Imbert style) or an up-draft gasifier [1.1], they cannot just drill a hole and spray water. They must replicate your exact induction geometry:
The Jet-Pump Pre-Mix Chamber: They must build an external induction shroud outside their primary air inlets.
The Kinetic Alignment: The steam nozzle must be precisely aligned axially with their air tuyeres (nozzles). The steam must blast through the air inlet space.
Superheating is Mandatory: The steam line must wrap tightly around the hottest part of their gasifier housing first. If the steam isnât bone-dry and superheated before it hits the injector tip, it wonât have the kinetic velocity needed to pull the air, and it will drop liquid water droplets directly onto their fuel bed.
For your nozzle. I would build a single nozzle. You dont need any more than one. You want that nozzle to terminate just before center. Forget all the books and charts and all that crap its irrelivant. Its about your machine and the enigne you are running period. No chart can tell you that.
Run the machine and tune the length so your fuel is consuming down the center.
Thanks again! Iâm so exited for you and for all of us learning from you. If you have time, please remind me what keeps the steam from pushing back into the pump or maybe give me the post number above that describes how the pump to flex pipe interface works.
I thought that was going to be a problem too but the pump and hose is holding its own. The inlet hose between the pump and the interface to the water loop stay ice cold. The steam does have presure you will see if you build it but its not enough to blow lines. The jet is 1/4 SS break line so it has 1/8 or slightly larger ID. So its not holding a ton of presure. Plus we are only injecting 1 to 1.2 ltrs an hour.
If you shut the engine off while its at max production. It sounds like a jet engine blasting inside the gasifier.
However I had to add shims to the pump housing so the rollers would fully crush it. I simple cut electrical tape to fit inside. I used two layers on mine. Yeah the 1.5 x 3 mm in order to work it needs to be 1.5 X 3.5. The tubing wall must be exactly 1mm thick reguardless of the size the wall size must be 1mm as the crush space is 2 mm. So you both side of the tube must add up to 2mm.
The Mechanism: Mass Flow vs. Static Wetting
How to Adapt âSteam Inductionâ to Other Designs