Jan-Ola, it doesn’t seem to matter what country you live in or government system you have, they all need the people’s money to run on and they seem to spend more then they really need, if you pass a law to benefit the people the greedy people in the government create a new law or loop holes to get the money back in their control. Looking forward to a Government with out greedy people running it. Maybe we should pass a law that greedy people can not be in government positions. Lol
Glad everything turned out okay on the inspection and now you are ready for winter. And now you have a new DOW friend that is a inspector.
Hope You and the family have a wonderful Holidays coming up. Thanks for the DOW snow ride. CHEERS!
Bob
Hello JO. Always nice to get a picture postcard from Sweden. I am a big complainer when it comes to our government ( I was one of the angry voters who voted for Trump out of anger for our present government ) But as I hear from you, I am uplifted a little. Your central government is probably as irritating as ours, but it appear you a locally harassed more than I am. ( thanking God). No one has to inspect our homes ( ref; chimneys ) after the initial construction. Yes the tax man does do a walk about every 5 years or so and if you haven’t modified any buildings, that doesn’t cost. Then you have those auto inspections. That is spotty from area to area in the US. My area says live and let live. So I guess I’ll more thankful for those many little things that I don’t have.
Thank you for the ride to town. I loved it— But oh that opening scene. It is an absolutely beautiful scene to look at from my living room, but again something that I am not wishing for. All of a sudden all my neighbors are talking about “climate warming”. We have a record temp over 70* F today. My wife suggested that maybe I should get the lawn mower back out. Normally because I am close to lakes we get huge flocks of geese gathering for the flight south. This year I have seen very few.
Is this the big calm before the storm??? Or are many of us wrong about “Climate warming”.?
Got to get out to the shop and take advantage of the day. Thanks again for the ride to town and even your insight into life in Sweden TomC
Beautiful country side in the snow especially. 80kph = 50mph! WOW that Rabbit likes to go. Here in the south we would stay home, close school, and wait for warmer weather.
Amen, to what Tom has said.
The Climate is changing every where if we like or not and it always has just not as fast in some years passed as now.
Bob
Thanks for the ride! I love the sound it makes when you push the gaspedal
Did you notice any power increase with colder gas?
Thanks, guys!
Kristijan,
maybe slightly more power when cold. Evens out using winter tires and snowy roads.
Carl,
80 km/h (50mph) seems to always be the most comfortable speed. Reached with little effort. Going faster means pushing it, showing both engine and gasifier the whip.
Tom and Bob,
About climate change amd human influence.
I think we’re like the ants. The hill keeps growing no matter what. The best we can do is try slow things down. Most of us here on this site do by using scrap material, DOW and such.
The bear will come rake down the hill eventually. Wether we’ll suffer from flooding or drought only depends on where we’re at. Starvation and a battle for resources has already begun. Many only look out their own window and refuses to take in the whole picture.
Thanks for the ride JO.!!
I had to put my coat on while I watched
Wayne, I try not to watch your sunny woodpiles when in public
Agreed. These Dakotas love to travel 50-55. You have found the “Sweet Spot” Go JO!
You are so right Carl and @JO_Olsson, once you go to 60 mph it seems everything changes. What I have noticed is this, the wood in the hopper disappears fast, when you give it “The Whip”. It is no difference with dino gas, you want good mpg. just go a little slower, less energy used to bust though the atmosphere to get from point (A) to point (B). Gravity is the other thing you have deal with (climbing hills).
It is more noticeable on wood because of the 25% less horsepower that you are getting out of the engine on wood gas. It doesn’t matter if it is a Imbert style or WK gasifier, the right foot makes a big difference on the performance in driving down the road on wood gas and miles per pounds of wood used. I like the terms “Sweet Spot”, “The Whip”.
Bob
While we’re at it:
Today I was running some arrends again. Lot’s of starts and stops. Several 2-3 min drives between different shops in town. Less than 5 min stops seem to allow me to go 100% woodgas without adding gasoline. Not enough time for the charbed to cool down…
…BUT…
…when going home I’m suddenly constipated. Running worse than 10:1 for several miles pulling 35-40 inches.
Do any of you WK-guys experience these symptomes? I now Wayne use to mention the balancing act work vs fuel size. Short bursts seem to effect the charbed the same as low load. Also Kristijan mentioned the other day the importance of velocity through the charbed to get rid of ash and fines.
Fun, fun, fun. When ever you think you manage the system the 75% operator learning curv still has things to throw you.
I’ve had that happen, to much idling or running at low speeds 15 mph or less. You then pick up the speed on the hi way and the vacuum is alot higher than it was before at the same speed, all of a sudden the vacuum drops. Ash is purge out of the char bed and everything is back to normal. If it doesn’t go back to normal, it might be full under the grate and need to have the ash dump out. This is what was happening to me ash blockage. Ditto on the 75% leaning curve. Swing…Batter… and a strike, on that DOW curve ball.
Bob
JO, same happens to me. I hate those short stops. It ruins my charbed. It takes me at least 10 km to get in to shape back. Not sure what causes this, l dubt ash is the case.
But! A most interasting thing did happen the other day when l was testing the whole system. The engine was runing in neutral at about 3500rpm for at least half a hour. I dont have a vacuum guage but based on the fuel consumed l wuld say l run at half the usual gas consumption.
The first thing l noticed l didnt collect much condense.
The other thing is in fact fascinateing to me. The other day l drove to work and the performance was just amazeing. I allmost forgot l DOW. Great acceleration. But after one hopper, when l drove back same performance as usual. Has anyone got a idea what is happening here?
Hello JO .
I think for just loafing around you could us wood a little larger . This should bring the temps up a little. ( fire burning closer to the grate ) .
When ever my gasifier starts getting congested I will hit the grate shaker switch. It will cause me to waste a little char but if I use the char in the garden it may no be waste after all.
Hi, Rural/Urban drivers!
This clogging/blowing-up is quite normal as documented all over.
Eaven vague descriptions get it mostly right.
The consumption stages of wood along the draft passage are
always the same, ash comes always last. (at each draft level)
At each draft level a corresponding volume of char is
glow-activated followed by a passive colder layer.
If the draft is on top, and blows down the ash through narrow
enough passages, that will seldom apply on low draft levels.
…
Abowe the restriction one can put in extra nozzles
for low draft between the normal nozzles and the restriction.
Always on, or switchable, eaven alternating with the normals.
…
Low enough, below the restriction, the grate function standard
draft dependent, or jumping vigorously on command.
Peacefully sieving is also offered.
…
Personal innovation has a large field.
Wayne and Max,
We’re honored to get your attention with our home brewed machines.
In the future I might not even bother running woodgas when only moving the car a few hundereds yards. I did that only because I can and it’s still fun to try to get as close to zero gasoline consumption as possible.
I did incorporate a grate shaker but left it out in the last minute last time i put things together. Next time I open up my bottom seal I might put it back in.
Kristijan,
If I were to guess only based on what you’ve written and from your videos I’d say you usually run a bit hot. Big fuel, loose charbed.
Haha, 3500 rpm for half an hour in neutral, that’s funny. I don’t think that engine likes you a lot. But to get to my point, I don’t think the gas consumption was much despite of the high rpm. With no load there’s not much work to be done and the gasifier accumulates lot’s of small char. Just like we just talked about when making short stops.
I find I get the most power when I’m borderline constipated. Lot’s of small char surface area but still not enough to get too high vacuum.
So when you drove to work you consumed the already prepared small char. When going home you where back to your normal state.
Remember, this is only me guessing.
We’re at -10 C (14 F) this morning. I’ll get out to see if my hopper juice is frozen yet.
Went to buy some spare parts for my little bandsaw today. It’s now up and running in the basement by my boiler. I can now sit down inside and saw some firewood into cockies and make chunks old style with the hatchet in my pajamas. Wery little dust with a bandsaw and my bowsaw (arm) gets to rest. I will mix these chunks in to make the rebak roundies last longer.
Today’s trip was 62 miles. 25 pounds burned. Ran sweet.
Every time I make a longer trip I’m surpriced how much energy the wood holds.
Btw, my hopper juice was slush this morning. -10 C (14F).
Jan-Ola, I agree with what you are saying to Kristijan, with your gasifier units, wood type and size is a big factor on how it runs. Even in my WK I have noticed it, in the performance levels. Letting it run with no load and then taking out on the road, I can tell the difference once the fine char bed that was build up and ash move on out of the reduction zone.
The balance taking place with char bed in the gasifier with unloaded conditions vs loaded conditions on the vacuum and the load of the engine.
Bob
Jan, l agree too. You make sence. So you say the point is not to have the charbed too fine but it has to be a mix of bigger bean size char and fine char to get that surface area? I just remembered l did mix some spruse branch chunks with my firewood the day l was testing, this is hard and dense wood but tends to produce fine, flakey charcoal. This is why l avoyded it but it might just be in help in fact!
I love my band saw that @mggibb found on Craigslist for me. Pajamas? I wish, outside under the covered deck. No heat the hachet part keeps me warm. Lol
Bob