"I don’t know if you could help me but I am entering a float entry at the upcoming GaTech Parade on Nov 1 and would like to power my “Contraption” entry with a gasifier.
My current “Contraption” entry design hopes to feature a gasifier that powers an small engine-genset to provide electricity to power (6) high intensity LEP (Light emitting Plasma) lights to shine on a solar array to generate electricity to power a water pump that will power a bowling ball water lift eductor device to lift bowling balls up by 8-10ft to allow them to race down a track to impact a device that will convert their kinetic energy to power the float along the parade route. So I hope to have a wood fired, solar assisted, water lift, potential/kinetic energy, bowling ball powered parade float.
The winning float entry receives no monetary gain except for recognition before 50,000 engineers & families attending the football game later in the day. The parade is a 75yr old tradition at the School and I want to shake them up this year with a “Contraption” worthy of going viral.
I will be the first Alumni to enter the competition which has been formally restricted only to active students.
I am allowed to have & name participating sponsors.
Would you know of anyone that would be interested in providing a “loaner” to power my float to show off their gasifier in front of future and current Engineers that attend the parade?
Thanks for your consideration -
Wills LaCrosse 678-687-1832 email: willslac AT gmail DOT com
Wow, that’s a tall order in my book. I wonder if Jim Mason (allpowerlabs) rents GEK power pallets. I can’t think of any other unit that could be operated in the almost turn-key environment that you will be operating in. Especially by someone who is new to the art. —And with all that other stuff going on. IMNSHO, you won’t have time to tend to a stationary gasifier while seeing to all the other parts of the system that you describe. Maybe you should look for someone with a Wayne Keith gasifier truck (with operator) and power the float with inverters from its batteries.
If you look around the woodgas community, you can find all sorts of red-faced guys whose demo in front of the public turned sour. And they didn’t have all that other stuff to contend with. If you look very carefully at the many woodgas to electricity youtube videos out there, how many do you see that would be able to generate the power you need for the time period required with I high probability of success?
Yup, get a Wayne Keith guy and his truck. Put a lot of batteries behind the inverter(s), just in case. —Unless you can borrow a power pallet. Now that I think about it, I believe that many universities have bought them for research purposes. Maybe you could borrow one of them (with an operator). I will bet that the allpowerlabs folks could tell you where the closest ones are.
If I were having a parade over here around my place I would tow the float with the wood burning tractor while it is operating a three point hitch gen-set on the fly.
If Wills doesn’t find one for this year, I will try to be ready for next year. My gasifier is coming along much slower than I wanted, but it is coming together, I will try to post some pictures in the near future.