Hello everyone just found this forum and wanted to post some pics for my first project. I bought bens book and have read it a few times and watched obsessively all the videos on them in world hah. So I divided to go with the fema plans first with some junk in my yard and a old lawnmower engine to make sure I will actually follow through with it before I tackle a big project like ben Petersons gasifier. Im using some different ideas from people on you tube like the flashafire filter system and I’m in the middle of making a small aluminum radiator. But any ways here or some pic let me know what you think and maybe some ideas for best results thanks.
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Usually when a new member first posts the forum is asked to welcome them, so welcome Josh. Nice looking gasifier. Very nice workmanship. What kind of fuel are you using. I use charcoal so I’m not real versed in all types of wood or wood chip units but I think you will need to turn your grate upside down or the rim will be a problem clogging with ash. Others here will give you much more information.
I see you already posted in another thread so the welcome message was there.
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Thanks for welcoming me. I plan on using wood pellets mixed with charcoal for the first start
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Personally speaking I would make a lid with a pipe running through it. It could act like a nozzle. Or you could weld a hopper on top of this and add a Flashifier nozzle. The FEMA is very interesting but it was intended for emergency use only.
The build quality itself is good though, kudos for that and welcome to the forum!
PS I think it could work decently with more charcoal than pellets. Like maybe 20% of the weight in pellets and the other 80% in varying sizes of charcoal
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Thanks for the advice! I’m going to test full fema before I start modifying but I really like the idea of a higher charcoal wood ratio I will definitely test that. Oh and also pics later but my aluminum cooling radiator is looking sweet!
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Trial and error is fine but there are probably 20 designs on here that work better than a FEMA. Seems futile to go that far back. Poke around the site some. Might save you from clogging up your trial engine so soon.
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Welcome to the DOW JoshL.
You fabrication cutting, fitting and welding look to be good.
Too good to waste time on a FEMA.
The most important FEMA lesson?? Only size down to a 4 inch (100mm) restriction.
This is because of fuel material flow blockages. Because of ash blockages.
A 4 inch/100mm restriction is sized for a four-cylinder engine. The actual government publication cover shows producer gas fueling a four-cylinder farm tractor. Tractor, car or pickup truck gives travel vibration shaking down.
Just do not struggle trying to operate a FEMA on smaller engines.
For true small engines like electrical generators up until larger 2 and 3 cylinders, wood splitters, riding lawn mower tractors there are many, many better single fuel types designs fellows are doing here.
First. Pick your fuel type.
Pre-made charcoal.
Compressed densified wood dust as in pellets and stove briquettes.
Chunk chopped limbs.
Shipping pallet boards sawn and chunked up.
Then you can be directed into the best system to look at.
BenP’s book system in it’s smallest set up configuration was his previous distilled out most successful experiences from 10+ years of trying them all. From FEMA to more and more complex. In gasifier designs and engines.
His own designs evolved to more complex for-benefits, yeah. His engines used got larger and larger for experiences learned reasons too.
Heed well his books minimum engine size and power loading guidelines. The engines gas demand is what give the gasifier internal heats to make for good complete conversions. Regardless of the solid fuel form used.
F.E.M.A. was for chipped wood fuels. And that requires made chips screening. “Clasifing” Or very special, expensive, purpose made fuel-wood, chippers.
Anyone really wanting the best small engines chipped wood fuel gasifier it is Stephen Abaddesa’s tall skinny dual level downwards angled air nozzle series. AND the way he chips his limbs and tops, on-site fuel wood.
He’s on youtube too. Northern Self Reliance
Kick s a FEMA’s ass in performances.
Regards
Steve Unruh
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Steve,
Would a FEMA gasifier work OK as a down-draft charcoal gasifier or not?
I’d prefer one of the dedicated, experienced Charcoal guys to answer this one.
The little bit I’ve charcoal ran was a burn through killer on the thin metals systems I tried.
I think you do need a nozzle/nozzles on a charcoal system to fix in place the super hot zone. Leaving the uninvolved char chunks as the insulators/char-glow energy blockers.
Remember FEMA’s are no-air-jets systems. No real control except the fuel stack air flow resistance. Fuel consumed . . . .less air-in resistance! Then runnawy overheating.
S.U.
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Good points. It would be good if someone could come up with a standard modification for the FEMA design which would be simple, yet make it useful.
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I think it could be possible to make it into a single nozzle diagonal draft charcoal unit. In some of the FEMA builds I’ve seen they have a lighting port welded in. You could attach a nozzle at that point and simply use a tight lid.
I would still use a heavy plate on the opposite end for the blast to go into in case of high demand moments, and maybe a plate at the nozzle side too like a Pedrick. Do like JO does and make the plate held down by a screw in nozzle.
So like I said I want to just get this fired up and mess around with it before I tackle bens design and make it look sexy I like the all stainless look about it. Also it is a 4 inch tube that says its good for 20 hp so I am hoping it works well. The grate is right off of bens design so it will work if I do make his and some of the tubing matches up perfect to. And I did pick up these two beauties today that match his design perfectly for 50 buck.
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I am totally obsessed with wood gasification to be honest lol
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Great deal! To take off the valves on the tanks, ratchet strap them to a tree so you can take a monkey wrench to it. It’s what i do with any propane tank. Fill it up with water before you make a cut. Normally I will let the tank sit upside down for some time since propane is heavier than air, it will fall out.
Thanks for the tip I well definitely use that . and Thursday I should be done with radiator for the fema to post
Hi Josh welcome , only thing i would say is don’t use too much charcoal inside a FEMA ,its not designed for the temps that a charcoal gasifier will get too , also the gasifier and filter is made up from aluminum expect to see corrosion pretty early on , that said i do like your enthusiasm and your building skills and cant wait to see a video of your engine running .
Dave
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sooooo got the radiator done and some work on ben Petersons tanks thanks for the tip on strapping it to the tree
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Nice welding on the cooler. A lot of good welders seem to have trouble with aluminum. You may want to consider some kind of clear catch jar on the bottom of your cyclone. It’s good to see how much condensate or soot you are getting. I just use a jelly jar with the the nipple JBwelded to the jar lid.
I don’t know if you use many of those propane tanks. A lot of guy seem to think they are a bomb of some kind. I’ve cut up quite a few. I fill them with water and cut them with an angle grinder. I don’t drain them first. I’m not pretty but it’s not from having one blow up in my face.
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I think about 60% of my construction has been with tanks. It’s good steel. Yeah just fill with water and cut and it’s safe.
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