Well, this wasn’t exactly right.
It will hold the lid down but very little room to poof.
A little bit crooked but this is more like what I wanted.
I’m not sure the springs are strong enough but should keep the lid from flying clean off the tank.
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So Brian, why did you put raw wood on top of the Charcoal and more wood on top of the big sticks. Wood chips would probably pyrolysis down better then the larger wood. If it did make some tar though, I would change out my filter medium and start with fresh stuff.
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LOL that just described everyone on this forum. We all still here building!!!
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i only put a little bit of raw wood and then put more CHARCOAL on top of that. I just had some small sticks that I broke up by hand. The ones in the picture were easy to locate again digging through the charcoal. I plan to mostly stick with charcoal but hope I don’t need to worry so much about keeping it real dry.
I couldn’t see any tar but there was very little raw wood. I was just curious if it would char and it looks like it was starting to convert. I wasn’t sure how much heat would be above the nozzle but didn’t want to risk putting too much raw wood in since I was running the generator on the gas.
I fired it up again (twice) after putting the clamps on the lid but only to flare it. I was blowing air into the nozzle instead of pulling the gas through because I didn’t want to suck hot gasses through the pump. There was some liquid leaking out in a couple places from the lid. I am pretty sure it was water though and not tar. It might not have leaked with a vacuum instead of being pressurized though. My charcoal got rained on so it wasn’t dry. Probably a good reason to get black paint instead of yellow or red though.
The flare started out yellow but turned more blue and almost invisible after it run a while. There was some “sparks” if I gave it full air blowing into the nozzle. Getting rid of the fine dust in the charcoal should help with that though. What I put in it wasn’t screened at all.
Next thing I plan to try is take the flute nozzle back out and drill the holes bigger and maybe add one more. The one in it has smaller holes than the simple fire and one less hole so I don’t think it is getting enough air through it to run the generator at full power.
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You were right. I still think it is just damp charcoal dust but really plugged up my filter.
This is gravel and not charcoal. I wondered why I couldn’t even get the simple fire to run my generator today.
Now I get to test out my idea of cleaning these rocks using the drain plug and a garden hose.
This is the first layer of felt above the gravel. That caterpillar obviously doesn’t mind the dust.
The worst part was getting the planer shavings off the gravel.
I’m going to try only the rocks and several layers of felt. The top layer above the planer shavings was still mostly clean.
I’m going to burn up most of the charcoal that’s in my simple fire but then I’ll go back to stopping at 1/8 inch instead of using the window screen to catch the smaller charcoal. Most of the dust was from the test of the down draft gasifier which wasn’t screened at all but I was loosing power even with the simple fire. I expect the filter was putting too much restriction on it and not allowing enough gas to get to the engine.
Much better. The simple fire runs the air compressor at full power again.
The down draft will need emptied back out again and screen the charcoal instead of just shoveling it in.
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When I tried using felt it did not matter how many layers of it I used. The first layer would plugged up and then the gases just tried to by pass around the edges if it could. If not you will get a very high vaccum in the filter and the gas flow will stop making it hard to get a flare or start up your gasifier. Wool and open foam are better but did the same thing but not as quickly.
I have found just using hay that is moist and nothing else works the best. If you are concerned about it you could put wood shavings on top of the hay. I would put it all in a laundry netted bag. You can make up a few of them and have them ready to change out. That course rock gravel is a mess to clean out once it gets full of soot. Pressure washing it helps get it clean out but it takes time to do it and you can not get it clean like it started in the first place. The hay and wood shavings in a bag will clean out much faster with just a garden hose with lots of water. Open the filter drain plug and wash it out from the top. Let it drip down close your drain and it is ready to go agin. Of course this is with my WK Gasifer on the 5.2 liter V-8 engine, not a smaller unit.
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I’ll have to experiment and see what filter material I can get that will work better. The felt did/does stop the dust from getting through it.
This is the front and back of the first layer.
Most of this was from the testing though. The simple fire wasn’t getting it that bad.
The rocks weren’t bad to wash out but it did take some time. Mostly trying to get the planer shavings off them.
I’ll see if I can get a couple laundry bags and some hay or straw. The planer shavings are nice but they really hold the water once they get wet.
I thought welding the ring on the lid would be better than on the tank like I did on my filter but condensation and tar leaks out.
I was playing around and put a bunch of wood chips in just with a flare. Tried to get a picture of the flame but it doesn’t show up good enough. It had a yellow color but I could get around a 2-1/2 foot long flame roaring out of it.
The tar was dripping out around the lid but the gas outlet pipe didn’t show any signs of tar.
This is inside after burning it.
I tried to dig down to the nozzle but I’d have to empty some out to reach it. It did look like it was all charcoal by the time I got to the nozzle. The tank did get pretty hot too but I was feeding it a lot of air. Way more than the generator would need.
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If you have a good charbed and hot heat above it to crack the tars, you will not get tar down stream of the charbed, it is all converted to good gases. This goes for any well built gasifier of what ever draft design you have. Keeping a active charbed and the hot heat and not over pulling the gasifier system with to much flow or velocities which shortens the time for converting the gases and tars to good gases Carbon Monoxide, Methane, and Hydrogen.
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Tried adding a ring around the lid to help direct the condensation and tar back down instead of dripping out around the lid. Probably should have done this to start with and make it so the stove rope had a pocket to hold it in place. This was just tacked in place in case it didn’t work but it looks like it should help.
Then I hooked it back up to the generator after adding more charcoal.
I run it until the charcoal was bridging and the generator wasn’t running as good.
This is a view inside just after shutting it off.
Switching back to the more uniform and smaller charcoal should help.
I opened up the filter and it caught a lot of condensation. Probably just everything including the charcoal is still not dry enough.
Once I get the Cyclone filter made and/or put the cooler on it to catch the water before the filter it should help.
The outlet pipe did get hot but not as hot as the simple fire has been before so I think the cooler I made should be enough. The amount of moisture leaving with the gas wasn’t good but I hope using a bit dryer fuel stops that problem.
I probably will try more “rocket fuel” but want to get it running good with just charcoal before trying that with the engine. I wasn’t too worried when just flaring it and it did look promising but not going to risk it yet.
All in all, it still looks like this will be worth the time I’ve spent and the time still needed to finish it.
My simple fire needs more charcoal ground up and screened since I used up a lot of it yesterday. Like I said, I still plan to use that one but I’m hoping to get this new one set up specifically for the generator so I can use the smaller simple fire as my portable gasifier. I’ve already proven that one can run the log splitter but I’ve been keeping it hooked to the generator because I use that almost daily. Sometimes it’s just for a quick grinding job or refilling the air compressor tank but other times it can be an hour or more running the welder, cutting and planing boards, or recharging batteries although I try to do that one with the solar panels unless I’m using the generator for other stuff and remember to plug the batteries in.
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Thanks for the updates Brian keep them coming as your adventures will help a lot of people joining the group in time to come .and those here today .
Dave.
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Pop corn size and smaller like 1/8" size charcoal. The voids need to be filled up all the time with the finer charcoal to keep from getting a forge effect and just making heat.
Good job on your progress you are making.
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More progress but more problems
I cut the first piece for the cyclone. This is the bottom cone.
Clamped up ready to weld.
Next up, the top round section.
Not pretty but welded together. There was at least one hole I had to reweld.
This one I wasn’t looking forward to. Turned out to not be as bad as I imagined. I cut it out with the grinder and cut off wheel then cut grooves for the bends.
I actually meant to put the weld joint on the bottom to hide it but I guess this will do.
This it the first problem I found. I’m going to need to cut a little off the corner of the inlet pipe so the outlet pipe doesn’t hit it. Shouldn’t be a big deal but I wish I would have noticed that before I welded it on.
This is the next problem. I know what needs to happen but don’t want to do it. I’m going to need to cut off the outlet pipe and raise it up to give it room for a collection jar. This jar is from the simple fire that I haven’t been using. I’d like to think I could just put a plug in the bottom of the cone but then I wouldn’t be able to SEE what it was catching. I had some problems with this catch jar not closing tight enough.
This is one possible idea for cooling fins. I’m not sure if it would be too ugly or too dangerous. I could grind off the teeth or at least knock off the sharp points.
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You can have the cyclone at an angle, it will still function. Since you made a great cone shape it will still find it’s way downwards.
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Too late.
I figured if I had to raise it up I’d add some cooling fins to the extension. Got some of them warped but should still help a little.
Looking at the cyclone, I found more holes. I think I’ll end up coating the joints with silicone. I’m not going to do that until I get the rest of the pieces finished for it. It is not real thin sheet metal but still easy to burn holes in it.
The simple fire gasifier got a work out today. Over 450 degrees F. near the nozzle and over boiling at the top. The little cooler on it kept the temperature down some and it was cool by the time it left the filter. Burning the paint off the main tank but the generator was running good. No hour meter on it but I think I’ll get some oil this weekend and change it. I’ve used it more on charcoal gas than it had been run on gasoline since it was new. Doesn’t seem as bad when I know I can make my own fuel compared to buying gasoline for it.
I hope this new gasifier works as good as the simple fire and isn’t as picky about the fuel.
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I wouldn’t be afraid of brands being mixed in, but I wouldn’t try blending any raw wood in. Lacking a true restriction your gasifier doesn’t have a zone to crack tars.
It will definitely run better on engine grade charcoal like your updraft, but it won’t be as picky on size because of it being downdraft. My Double Flute ran alright on my poor size selection of charcoal. My issue with that gasifier was having rubber connectors too soon and melting them.
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Just put a few extra coats of paint on it and it will be fine. Any color will do, as long as it is black paint.
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Thanks Cody and Bob. I should probably pick up a can or two of black paint this weekend too. I knew I had tar stains from my testing but that last picture looks bad.
I was only running a flare with the raw wood mixed with charcoal and hopefully the ring I put in the lid helps keep the drips inside instead of dripping out of the lid. The main problem was blowing air into the nozzle which pressurized the tank. It didn’t leak like that (even water) when it had the engine vacuum sucking the gas out.
I’m almost out of dry charcoal again so I’ll need to make another batch soon. The last batch I ground up filled the simple fire for today’s run and I dumped the remains into the new gasifier. Actually, I have more nice charcoal from some of my first charcoal batches but I’ve kind of been saving those bigger chunks in case I wanted it for cooking, melting metal, or for the forge. The rest is in a barrel that got wet. I did set some wood aside to keep it dry for my next batch but haven’t made any for a few days or so. I did take a little out of the furnace but it hasn’t been cold enough to have much of a fire yet. I’ll have to get another good barrel or even a metal bucket with a good lid for saving the charcoal from the furnace. I don’t expect to use the gaasifier as much once it does get cold but I hope to save up a good bit of charcoal over the winter.
I didn’t keep track of where I got this picture but I’d like to have something like this with ready to use charcoal. Thanks to whoever came up with this.
EDIT: That picture was from Giorgio.
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brian, also the white 1000 liter containers in plastic are good for storing charcoal and keep it dry
originally this containers are for chemical stuff or motor oil, and normally after one use they were sold…only the well in the bottom is a bit small for bringing the coal out, but this can be modyfied…
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Not much going to happen with the gasifier today but I did empty it back out to cut the bottom opening bigger to fit a grate through that’s bigger than the brake rotor opening.
This was not much fun reaching inside with the torch. Would have been much easier to cut this opening bigger to start with when the barrel was in two pieces. My oxygen tank isn’t even moving the needle on the gage anymore so I’ll need to get it exchanged soon. Cutting the brake rotors really used it up.
Made another batch of charcoal for the Simple Fire.
Figuring this should give me 3 or 4 hours worth of fuel for the generator (enough to refill it twice).
I got a bucket of nicer sized charcoal out of the down draft after screening out the dust.
This would be perfect for the Simple Fire but there’s a little bit of tiny pieces of raw wood mixed in so this will have to be saved for the down draft.
This is the bigger stuff I emptied out of the down draft. Again, it has at least some brands that didn’t completely convert to charcoal.
I think I’ll put some kind of restriction in the down draft when I get the grate figured out and put it back together. There didn’t seem to be tar making it into the gas or filter from my experiments but I did have a lot of fine dust in the charcoal that I separated out when I emptied it so combined with it being too wet probably explains why my filter clogged up when I tried it on the generator but it did run it so I’m sure it will do good once it is put back together and fed better fuel. I’m hoping the cyclone helps keep the dust out of the filter but just starting with better graded charcoal should stop most of that problem. I was just testing the down draft so didn’t want to waste my good charcoal and I wanted to find out what I could get away with since most of the testing was just flaring it to see if a little raw wood would convert. That’s what caused all the tar drips on the outside of the tank.
This does look like it was working.
This was some of my normal made charcoal that almost has a graphite shine to it.
Pretty conductive too. This piece is reading under 5 ohms resistance according to my cheap meter.
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Well, I didn’t think I would do much more today but I know tomorrow I can’t work on it at all so I found a piece to build a new grate.
The torch left a lot of slag.
Cleaned up pretty good.
I tried welding pieces of chain on it to hold it on the brake rotor. Kind of held it but it wouldn’t fit through the hole at the bottom of the gasifier and welding to thick cast iron wasn’t holding good enough.
I used up the remains of my oxygen and then resorted to the angle grinder trying to cut that opening bigger.
I ended up cutting 2 of the ears off and only holding it with 2 short chains. It rocks more than shakes but could work. This is likely going to be stationary and shaking it will have to be done through the clean out port.
I’m not sure if I made enough holes and slots but it hangs down into the ash pan so the gas should be able to get around it if it can’t go through.
Then I went back to my original plan with the stack of brake rotors. I used up a lot of oxygen cutting them so have to at least try that idea.
I packed around each brake rotor with ashes before putting the next one on and repeating the packed ashes. Towards the top I started using the fine charcoal and really packed it down to try to form a funnel to help direct the good charcoal into the burn pit.
I must not have taken a picture of the initial charcoal but I used some of the bigger pieces directly on the grate. Then I filled it up to the nozzle with the charcoal I had sifted the fine dust out of that was originally in it.
I had to dip into my freshly made charcoal to fill it fuller. It probably would have held another bucket but I need the new charcoal for the Simple Fire. The fresh charcoal wasn’t ground up so it is kind of big but I did sift out any real fine charcoal.
I put it all back together but it was getting dark and trying to rain so I didn’t try to light it. I still need to finish the cyclone filter and other stuff but at least it is closed up so it won’t fill up with water. I even remembered to put the lid back on my new charcoal this time.
I might try lighting it in a couple days or I might just leave it alone until I get some more done to it.
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