Vulcan Gasifier

Hi Matt,

Here is a picture from my run last night. A mix of apple and oak. I had my first flash back last night. Happened while I wasn’t looking right at the machine so I didn’t see it pop the condenser lid. I don’t have anything in there right now so nothing popped out. Do you think clay pellets would work like your lava rocks? The top of the hopper is leaking in a few spots. I’m going to check the seal today in the light.

Last night was my first chance to get back to the machine and try it out again. As Steve would say, I’ve been working the debt life. Still, I need to keep the lights on until we can take the next step.

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How do you know the hopper leaks? Keep in the mind it can only seal under vacuum, if noted slight smoke during shut down that’s not exactly a leak. If you open any lids make sure bump them while under vacuum to reseat the seals. One thing Ive noted in the picture is the lid looks like it is not sitting flat. Is that just the picture? On the hinge side you can level the lid to sit flat, I have to wonder if it got bumped in shipping. You can loosen the hinges mnt where its bolted to the hopper and then put some wieght or simply use the blower to pull a vacuum on it and retighten the bolts. That may be all you need to correct the leak. The lid leaking really is not that big of an issue unless its excessive. Other leaks however can be a problem.

Aha if you had a good flash back, you now know the power of this gas. Im assuming you may have lit too early? This is do to where our lighting port is, its up higher so you have to wait a good bit for the combustion to migrate down, otherwise the air jets will introduce air below it and that causes air mixture into the gas.

For your filter media just use your fuel that you are using. Start out in small increments, Its more important for the machine to be able to breath then it is to have filter media in here. This filter is for ash/char debris and thats really all you need in there.

It looks like you are ready to engine run. Run the gen on gas leave it disconnected for now and run. Get to know it a bit and listen to it run and how stable it is. You can play with mixer controller here as well. the top switch arms it and the lower switch is to go from manual mode to auto mode. “Off” its in manual mode and “ON” its in auto mode.

Turn off the gas supply valve and let it run out of gas and then once you have the machine flaring off again you will be ready to perform an engine run. First is you turn off the blower and shut of the flare valve. Open the gas out valve and then arm the mixer in manual mode and turn the mixer pot knob fully CCW “valve is fully closed” hit the starter and watch the 02 guage once it goes in the rich condition direction, then begin opening the valve slowly, You will be able to see this effect the 02 reading. Slowly open the valve until she fires, once it fires you may then need back off the valve slightly but let is get going and then fine tune. Once its up and going slowly make adjustments and try to get the readout between 14 an 16 on the gauge and then put it auto.

Now watch the automation on the machine and note whats going on, The hopper may vibrate the engine crashes for example, You will have to play with the automation a bit to fine tune.

Keep us posted everything looks awesome

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If you have not seen an engine run on woodgas, be prepared. Its really cool and most that you show will not believe you.

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I got board this weekend rebuilt the table on our cnc and it looked so nice I had to try it out. So I designed an entire machine just to cut on it. lol

The project is a gasifier cook top. I think Koen is doing something similar to this with a charcoal unit. I attempted something like this last year in a single unit. It worked ok and build cost is why it was abandoned. So this time around Im building a smaller unit to run on stored compressed air. So “no” electricity input will be needed. Depending on how successful this is, I will experiment with higher pressure tanks and use the PCP air rifle pumps for filling it; to extend run times.This time the gasifier is separate from the cooktop and may become a product by itself. It will take the Micro Badging and the current versions will get re named the Utility Series. Then the cook top may be offered on other systems as well. Additionally Ive been wanting to tinker with a rocket stove, so we are going to build one of those for the same purpose of an outdoor cooktop unit.

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From CAD to reality and tested. The Rocket Stove are really cool, and they are basically a wood gasifier too.

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Matt, you should have no problem selling those. That would be perfect for helping to cure my refractory castings, plus so many other things.

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A rocket stove for sale made out of something else then tin cans or cinder blocks… and not an open toed shoe in sight anywhere! Sure looks pretty Matt.

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Ok going to build version #2, Im adding a door to the back side for char build up removal. I didn’t like the T handle bolts as the bottom was getting a bit hot to handle. So Im going to the style that is on the tent stove we build. It will come with a poker with a hook bent into it to open those latches. I had a couple comments on the stand, although it is very stable in the current configuration; I changed this to widen the stance. They are now removable as well.

Tomorrow we will have the other version with the tiny micro. Ive made changes to it to give it more height and made revisions so it can work just like this other rocket stove with natural aspiration. A restrictor plate can be installed along with jetting for the forced air mode. Hope to be able to fire that one up by the end of the day.

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Well I built the other one and did it work? Absolutely not!! haha

The little gasifier worked just fine, it did what it supposed to and that was to make gas. But getting it to naturally draft just isnt gonna happen. This is majorly detuned in this attempt to try to get it to do that, but its a no go. But it is a neat little gasifier, Im going to keep experimenting with it and I have a plan to build a simple platform for and a small filter system. Im thinking of putting this on my pick up for mileage booster, it will be interesting to see how it goes running pellets and what kind of mileage I might save.

So not all is lost, Im going to take the tower from this and use on the next rocket stove build.

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So today I rebuilt the little gasifier, fired it up and ran our test generator. It is pretty cool and is about as simple as it could possibly get. Just simple gasifier hooked up to an ammo box filter. Im going to try lava rocks in this and that will be it for its filter.The gas will go in the engine hot. It will not need any electricity to get going it uses compressed air input. So a small tank that could be pumped up with a bike pump will get it going. However, Im way to lazy to do that and use my air compressor, other options could be an air mattress inflator or a small DC tire pump.

This machine is available for $650.00 with everything needed to adapt the 4000 watt Predator generator.

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I got another small project coming, probably going to go in tomorrow and build this. Just a simple collapsible fire pit.

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Matt. Turn it upside down and don’t put any holes in the side. Make a Gary Gilmore cone for making charcoal. To me it seemed like the smoke rose up then curled into the center. That might stop smoke from getting in peoples eyes as they side by the fire pit and enjoy a toddy. TomC

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Hey Tom, that is sort of the idea so you could run it either way. :wink:

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Hi Matt,

Sorry I’ve been mia, I’ve been running around the country and just got back this weekend. My neighbor is super excited about his new gasifier. It got a couple of dings during shipment, but nothing bad. We should be able to fire it up this week and see how it goes.

I picked up one of those carts you told me about. We will cut the wood this week and bolt it to it. :grin:

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Very cool Jason keep us up to date on your progress. Looking forward to your first engine run.

Today I ran the production version of the new M-1. Ive added a few things to it, one is a cook top for the flare tube and the other is an air pump to run it and it will come with the engine adaptor as well. So I did an engine run with our little green generator, it ran that one ok but I think this little generator is just to small to really do anything with. I could run a grinder and that is about it. lol. I then made lunch again, I dont allways eat hot dogs but when I do; they are cooked on a gasifier. haha.

Video coming soon!!

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What size ammo can is that? Like the cook top

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7 x 12 x 8 1/2 tall Ill post a link bellow. Yeah that cook top is cool, and its really efficient compared to the rocket stove. It runs much more stable as well, the flame is easy to control with the ball valve.

We will work on add on filtration next. One will be a bolt on additional ammo box for hay or whatever and then we may adapt a barrel filter.

http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/buffalo-outdoors-oversize-50-caliber-ammo-box

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Hi Matt,

Great stuff you’r building…

I think i better come over there and learn how to do it, instead of just swimming around here :grin:

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Here is the overview and demo run!

Hold on I have to edit this, youtube duplicated the first video. Argh!!!

Reloading the video, it will here once loaded.

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