Featured Project of the month for September 2015 is Dustin Moore’s 1994 Dodge Dakota. Instead of the traditional steel firetube, Dustin used a layer of insulative firebricks. This gasifier is so far “outside the box”, he had to cut a hole in the box to make more room!
"This will cover a modified Wayne Keith (WK) gasifier that I have been designing. Had some issues initially with the gasifier heating up and not making gas… fixed those issues and truck is running much better.
“Everything is running tip top. really happy with the performance of this new truck and ease of operation. Able to idle down to 800RPM and has lots of getup and go. took it on the highway for a short trip and did very well keeping up with traffic without adding in gasoline 60MPH and able to shift into overdrive on flats. Also fuel economy seems improved over the last vehicle, no stats yet but just seems to get 2/3rd farther on a bag of wood.”
@Dustin, if you could update us on the status of the truck, or any other woodgas projects you’re working on, we’d love to get an update. Congratulations!!
Looks nice,if you like this design mod ,you can allways move it around the truck for less wind drag, GOOD LUCK. PS does the bottom support go accrost to the otherside /THANKS/ PS all so you could cut peice of frame out in that area and weld then plate a heavy square peice under frame,and notch out around spring bracket on the burn tube houseing,and make room too move the barrow in closer too flush.I think if i had too get it lower than the top of frame i would settle for cutting half way through the frame and plate frame,then add that much frame reinfroce too botton of the frame, and put the fuel tank behind the rear axel.GOOD LUCK.
WOW! thanks for the nominations guys. It’s a great honour to be featured with all the other great projects that have been showcased thus far and those to come.
Thank you
I will be updating my main thread with photos and videos in the upcoming week.
Just throughing some ideas around,not sure how well they would work.It would be interesting too see your fire tube design.or are you keeping it in the pay section.SWEM
Hi Dustin M, I see you have the details of your fire brick burn tube,in the premium section, I wont be premium for a while yet, just wondered if you had any real gains in miles per pound ,with you modifications.Or not confirmed yet,THANKS
Can’t really say any gains in using firebrick in gas quality (All WK gasifiers make really high quality gas and this is true for metal and firebrick) however the gasifier is substantially lighter (I can lift the unit up into the truck without any equipment with the hopper off).
I am now experimenting with using only the ceramic wool alone and have removed the firebrick. I found a tendency for air to travel behind the firebrick which could have affected performance a little (however I was able to drive the truck at highway speeds without damage).
The Ceramic wool can be pushed snugly up against the metal firetube whereas the firebrick made good contact only with only the edges. I did not see any sign of air traveling behind the ceramic wool. The firebrick and ceramic wool seem to be holding up to inner firetube temps.
Thanks for responding when you have had some testing time.Good luck, getting things lighter is good idea,and for many it may be easy’er to build.Hope you can find out how too make it hold up over reasonable time frame, onward and upward,as or is that steeve’s U phrase.
Havent heard from dustin moore in long time,He chose a ceramic fiber fire tube design seems too work well, i tryed the ceramic blanket fire tube liner, as a few others and the thought it was improveing the WK design. He still used all the rest of the building ideas that are in the DRIVE ON WOOD book plans.HAPPY NEW YEAR TOO ALL.
Hi Kevin,
Dustin Moore was really onto something important with his close contact high heats retaining insulating ideas.
As you say he proved results.
Here is a few pictures of my well used Victory model hearth that was doing the same.
Apologies. They are at the end of this post I am linking up:
What you are seeing in the lower picture IS the ash laden alumina ceramic mat insulator. The insert removed tube above was actually called, “the insulation retainer sleeve” by Ben Peterson. The pencil stuck into a screw in/out jet hole.
After experiencing the great results with this system I then personally want to have a larger diameter system with vertically set and length split wood stove brick as he tried.
He could have solved his backside of gas brick sneaking by just putting a thin layer of mat behind of them as a filler blocker.
DustinM, like many now in the last 8 years were-here, gone-now.
The hope is as a developed confident fuel-gas-maker then off onto different Life challenges.
Knock-on-wood. Here best wishes sent out his way.
Steve Unruh
Hi steve i haveing trouble loading the page. Im happy with my Wayne Keith gasifier units. Though i did like the results with ceramic blanket added too the WK Burn tube set up as well. My next build is an other Wayne Keith design for my 99 dodge dakota v8 , and i will try it with adding the ceramic blanket as my s10 was, though this time i am adding about 1/2" reflective refractory cement over the blanket too keep ceramic blanket dust away and help hold the heat in the hearth.
Kevin,
This is interesting to me. I have thought that a refractory slurry aircrete could be sort of massaged into Dustin’s ceramic blanket to make a strong, shock resistant, insulating and heat resistant lining for a fire tube. Sort of like a fiber reinforced cement. Your thoughts?
Rindert
The refractory cost me about 95.00$too the door. its only 50 pounds, and since the blanket is more than enough heat insulating, the perpose of the solid cement refractory is too get the heat a bit more local at the coal areas, well thats the idea any way, i may find some fibers too mix in the cement, though i think its ok as it is, the cement is good for 3000 f not much agrigate or fibers that high temp. probley just use the cement as a coating for the ceramic, since the bag of contents, says can be formed intoo any shape or size and is fairly shrink proff and strong like it is. I thinking its a little more dence than the satinite coatings.
Hi ringert there are several on ebay,the ones with the highest alumina content , are the higher temp ones. Just type in high temp refractory cement on ebay, mine that i havent tried yet.https://www.ebay.com/itm/223838182910 Though ringert i need too contact the supplyer and ask if i need too add any fibers for strength.Still not sure there yet.?
Ringert you might also google foundry refractory supply. Especially if you are near any foundries. In the late 1990’s when I was helping build a gasifier for corn drying we were practically given a few busted bags of A. P. Green refractory. It was real high temp stuff for steel mills in Gary, Indiana.
I’ve made a few foundry furnaces. I’ve been thinking about mixing in soap bubbles to make a better insulating lining. And that fiber reinforced stuff would make sense to me for a mobile system. Has anyone made the restriction out of refractory?
Rindert
This is the 18th heating season with the same refractory. Starting to to see some wear in the hottest restriction part though.
A couple handfulls of tiny ss pins/nails/staples are mixed into the porridge for reinforecment. I guess ss metal shavings would do too.
This is common practice for wood stove ovens and such as well, even back when ordinary clay were used.
