If you are going to run an engine on compressed woodgas. Wouldnt it be easier to just get an LP conversion kit and modify it for woodgas?
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Matt, adding some lime to the water will also scrubb out any CO2 from the gas.
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Ive been thinking about this. So I would assume the C02 is heavier than the other gases in the mix? Just wondering if this is how the CO2 is reacting with the water solution?
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It is hevyer but its not how this all works in solution/gas mix. Salt is hevyer thain water too yet a jar of seawater will not get saltyer on the bottom if left sit. Keep in mind gas molecules actualy travel around about at the speed of sound at room temp so there is plenty of mixing involved.
CO2 chemicly reacts with lime to form a precipitate, chalk, wich is unsoluble and will collect at the bottom. This will also neutralise any acids produced in the gasification process and extend the life of steel.
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This is very interesting Kristijan. There are ways to make a gas scrubber. But how big would it need to be to affective.
Bob
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Not that big realy. I think just bubbling it trugh a foot or two of solution shuld do the trick.
I remember an experiment from elementery school, blowing air trugh lime and it reacts quite fast.
No miracles are expected here, as woodgas only contains 10% CO2 at most but hey, if there is gasometer with water alredy in there, it only costs a few cents to enrichen the gas a bit…
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Oh, and althugh lime is cheap and a pound will theoreticly bond about 40 gallons of CO2, its totaly possible to regenerate. Throw it in the charcoal kiln and scoop it out together with the ash, redy for a nother go.
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Running the gases through a pipe into the lime water solution this will take vacuum to do this. But running the gases through marbles scrubber with a lime solution pouring over the top of marbles like Matt did with just water a couple years ago might work.
I wonder if this could be used in the bottom of the hay filter with a recirculating pump in the bottom.
Bob
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Bob, l wuldnt risk it if runing an engine with the gas is the goal. First, 40 gal sounds a lot but if you take in to a count the vast volume of gas that our engines suck, its real small. So if there is 10% CO2 in gas, a pount of lime will consume the CO2 of the gas from only two minutes worth of gas, or around 400 gal. Thats a lot of gas for cooking, but not a lot for driveing…
Aecond, just like soit travels with the gas, lime will too. Not good to have it in the engine…
Well since the kiln is pressurised it shuldnt be a problem pushung the gas trugh water. But pumping true wood gas in requires some maxhines to do…
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Oh, okay we are just talking about cooking gases. That does make a big difference.
It is still worth it even for cooking purposes.
Bob
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Maybe you could use one of those blow up Chinese pools 16 foot in diameter and make a weighted a top with some plywood to push the gas down.
It would not take a lot of pressure to raise the plywood top ( 30 -50 pounds ) and you could glue a PVC top on the whole thing then its air tight…
Another idea I had was to use some 40 foot PVC vent tubing like this.
Tie up the ends and make a giant sausage…
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Ill probably go with plastic barrels for the bottom vessel. Might even work for the top as well. This way no need to worry about corrosion.
https://grandrapids.craigslist.org/for/d/comstock-park-plastic-55-gallon-barrels/7424735318.html
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I know somebody here uses a big inflatable mattress as a gas bag in his truck. I wanna say it’s John Stout.
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I’m not sure if John ever finished his Rat Rod truck. He hasn’t been on the DOW site for awhile now that I know of.
Bob
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I hope @woodrat is doing alright. Maybe he just needs a mention to get an email notification.
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I just sent him a message.
Bob
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Ok built the first prototype gasifier for this system. its as stupid simple as it can get. So the idea is instead of having a complex gasifier and then catch bins you change in and out. Im just making the catch bin the gasifier. If it could be done this simple then it would be viable to make many of them and would be cheaper than building a more complex system.
So instead of changing out bins you simply have multiple gasifiers you exchange out and is as simple as un plugging the hose from one and plugging it into another with fresh fuel.
So I whipped this together today and my curiosity wont rest until I tried it. So this first run I layered in some charcoal and then wood chips on top. Fired it up and i got a nice flare for a while. But it faded out after 15 minutes. This is probably due to the charcoal burning out. However the chips are WET!! 
Ive drying this fuel months under a tarp and it is wetter than it was when delivered it is about 50% mc. 
So Im just letting it vent for a while maybe four to six hours plus Im drying fuel using the kerosene heaters for the next batch. So far I am optimistic as the flare is flammable, it just wont sustain at the moment. Could work after the steam settles out as there is a lot of water in the gas steam. Surprisingly it is not spewing out tar mostly just water. I think it just needs dryer fuel and it will work. This could be a big game changer if it can supply gas for appliances while creating charcoal for engine fuel for power. This would make everything so simple and viable. If i can get chips to work next will be cutting up larger slat wood and see how well that works. Then its multi fuel system that can tolerate a range of feed stocks.
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I managed to get a flare. I had to mod a coffee can and mount it to the flare tube. Still would go out after a bit but long enough to get some pics.
I capped it off for now and going to let it set for a few hours. I might pop the off to see whats left and refill it with the fuel I am drying and try again.
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So is it a bottom lit up draft or an incredibly simple downdraft?
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Bottom lit updraft. …
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