I am trying to make a gasifier that runs a chevy 454 motor on an RV. I have already built most of it. 55 gallon drums are the base. 8 inch hearth. 1/2 inch walls in hearth. piped 4 in to filter barrel. 4 inch fan to engine. any suggestions??
Pictures of your build would help us with suggestions. Is this an Imbert design or a WK? Good luck with your build. Anybody who starts cutting and welding is usually hopelessly hooked!
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Good morning Philip and welcome to the DOW, ( drive on wood )
As Don has said some pictures would be good.
If I were gasifiying a lawn tractor or a ATV a 6 or 8 inch hearth should work out OK but I see no way a 8 inch hearth could furnish the gas for a 454 on a RV. 
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If he’s referring to the choke diameter, then that’s probably the right size. Saying “hearth” instead of firetube may indicate an Imbert style.
I’ve posted this elsewhere, but here’s my standard warning on motorhomes.
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Thanks Chris ,
I may have miss understood hearth vs fire tube .
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I’m looking forward to seeing picts of this!
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Here’s a bit of a brainstorm. My friends in electric car world use a phone app with GPS to find a free charging station. This is a free good buddy network. Most of the charging stations are people’s homes / carports / etc. A similar set up would allow “people of the woodgas” to roam more freely. Great opportunity to meet others and share ideas too. I realize that there are many hurdles to this concept, but I wouldn’t mind supplying wood to a fellow wood gas tinkerer passing through. My other thought is strategic storage lockers with wood throughout the US.
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I have looked at this idea too. What I concluded was the following:
- Big block gas engines don’t have nearly the durability of say… a Cummins Diesel.
- BB gas engines don’t have the torque needed to move massive steel.
- If you had a pretty small RV, shoe-horned a 454 in it, you could get away with gasification and maybe blending regular gas. I’d probably bore the 454 to a 502 or something, but that’s my style.
*Yes, I know these are MUCH expensive to overhaul
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what size of hearth would you recommend. i’m already fully committed to what i am doing. almost done with the whole build. I will provide exact measurements soon. its all experimental so its kinda trial and error. im working no budget salvaged materials. but im thinking 8 inch hearth and 4 inch pipe the whole way might do it, super blower fan. gas shut off. i need a 4 inch ball valve to dial things in but they are very expensive. also wondering of i need to ball valve air intake?
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If I may ask, what is your reactor based on?
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my own design 22.5 inch wide feeder barrel to 8 inch diameter 8 inch high hearth 1/2 inch walls . 4 1 inch ball valves air intake. might need more. down draft design. media filter is 55 gallon drum 1/2 sawdust, 1/2 shed paper. 4 inch DC blower fan. 4 inch inside diam pipe 36 feet long for cooling. 4 foam filters in pipe.
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Almost done with this entire project. Pics coming soon. I think it is entirely done. Might need a ball valve to the engine to dial it in. I havn’t even tried it yet. Probably should get valve and alot more saw dust / shredded paper for the filter. As far as the thermo cracker I have all the parts. I just need to fabricate them and put them together. Do you think i need to water cool the gas / diesel , converter. or air cool with copper. Trying to design an auto oil filler hopper. kinda complicated. also wondering what types and amounts of catalyst metal to use to split oil into gas/ diesel. Also thinking of water cooling the entire system to prevent over heating and to get free hot water on demand for my shower / sink.
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Welcome to the site Philip.
You have sparked much interest with this thread, you just haven’t answered anyone’s key questions. Without your answers, pictures or videos, it will be difficult for anyone to offer suggestions. This forum has many daily wood gas drivers with a lot of miles driven.
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Phillip, I’m not quite sure here what you are trying to accomplish. Is this a wood gasifier or are you planning on using some other fuel like oil?
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