I use vertical as well horizontal, both doing ok, be it that the vertical pointed doing better in my opinion.
The “nozzle problem” is less profound if you size the nozzle to lower airspeeds and lower temperatures
I consider the nozzle as a “consumable” to be replaced if consumed
For different tests and aiming for performance, i try many materials as available.
I don’t have a perfect solution nor have i solved the nozzle problem, but enjoy every moment on the quest.
The mentioned nozzles, nipples from plumber, do just fine, for starting. easy to replace when needed. Teaching daily maintenance to my students, emptying the gasifier every day takes only 10 minutes including refilling. It avoids all problems. and it runs whole day…
1: The load on the geny was with only charcoal, but advanced timing and no restrictive carburator .
2: i misread your statement on the 10 kg usable in your drum, overseeing that it was a gasifier and not a retort for making charcoal … oops, sorry
Hi Dave,
It is amazing indeed isn’t it ? Once you run your system without heating everything… addictive…
Thats why i can use plastic hoses from the gasifier to the plastic filter…
Only thing i can’t use plastic for: the nozzle… believe me i tried
What do you mean by dc generator? An alternator? I’ve been looking for an efficient way to generate voltage stable dc. I want to hoop up my midnite classic 150. With a regular alternator and car regulator it just doesn’t charge the batteries fast enough or even properly. I need something capable of programmable bulk/absorb/float and equalize and nothing comes close to the midnite in that regard. 9 HP isn’t exactly a small engine. If 9 hp runs for 4 hours on a 40 lb propane tank, a 55 gallon drum should be more than 10 hours.
Hi Joshua , up till a few weeks ago I was using a 9hp engine to drive a 12 volt 40 amp alternator on my 12 volt battery pack , I also have a few inverter generators for when I need real power , all running off the same system , I just swap the gas pipe from one machine to another , last week I decided to trial out a DC generator , this has a 24 volt alternator and I bought 3 of them from china , this is a link to a very short video of it running , its max output is 30 amps @ 24volts .
I am using this now to top up my 24 volt battery packs as we are still in winter here .
Interesting. never seen one of those before. Does it hold voltage even when its not hooked under a load?
I could use one of those with an mppt controller to charge my 12 volt battery bank. I think they make military gensets like that as well.
Joshua , yes it still puts out a voltage when not connected , infact the instruction manual that is written in perfect English recommends to start generator first and then connect to batteries , this little generator I found in china and bought 3 of them for only $140 us. each the costly part would have been the shipping , but with luck I had a friend loading a container at the time and he allowed my 3 little units weighing 17kg each along with some spares to piggy back all the way to Australia for free , and yes I have already put this through a mppt solar controller just to see if it would work and it did it just fine even taking the power down to 12 volts .
Dave
Joshua ,if you want the name of the company I bought it from this is there web site , the chap I was dealing with is called John Huang he was very helpful and even sent a follow up email some month later asking if my items had arrived and was I happy , they will arrange transport for a single unit through DHL , but the cost from there to Australia was a bit to high , but if you know someone dealing in china already you may get lucky like I did and get the good home cheaply . http://www.yang-ke.com/
skip the regulator and see what the voltage output of the alternator is. You can use a bridge rectifier to get the ac output to dc. there is probably one in the alternator or rectifier circuit somewhere.
Alternatively, you can probably use an AC induction motor to generate AC, then run it through the bridge rectifier to feed to it your midnight.
I just don’t think you want to go down to 12v when you can input 150v into your midnite 150.
Allow me to give some sad real-world results. I worked with a group who didn’t fully grasp the concept of gasification. The PhD and the chemistry instructor didn’t heed my call for higher temperatures and monitoring vacuum. The end result is they probably didn’t put 25 hours on a brand spanking new 20kw generator. I suspect the tars coated the valves and piston rings. No problem while running but once all that goop cooled, there was no compression left.
I’ve considered water/methanol injection for a preventive measure to clean out the top end of the engine. Has anyone tried it?
That project died on the vine leaving lots of investors hurting. Who knows what happened to that generator. I agree on the valves. What do you think about the water/methanol injection as a preventive measure to clean? Granted, most use injection with turbo but I feel it would help naturally aspirated engines as well.
Wow. I’ve been summer green-growing season busy and took a while to read to the end.
JoshuaK the shortest explanation to woodgas system tars are that they are cooked out hydrocarbon chains that had not yet been adequately Time/Temperature/Turbulence disassociated; then reassembled; into motor grade fuel gasses.
So a fuel potential, energy loss in a woodgasifier system!! And these are toxic and carcinogenic hydrocarbon compounds. WHY they were 19th century used as wood preservatives.
These hot vapors will cool into honey-like asphalt and WILL clog any dry filtering system quickly requiring filtering pull-out replacement for flow restrictions.
Wet-washed gas flow filtering (or washing of the “dry” media) makes for a polluted toxic water problem.
A properly designed, built, AND OPERATED woodgasifier will not make any tars except at cold start heating up.
Charcoaling making burnes up and oxidizes these tars volatiles as a heat fuel, heating input to cook down to the just carbon porous cell cores in the woods. “Burn the volatiltes. Save the charcoal for later”.
FEMA sucks. And will suck your time, energy, and enthusiasm.
You seem to have an existing make-power need.
Only follow those who can show they can meet needs, now, today.
Add in reading here Doug Breathowers systems. Charcoal.
And Ben Petersons. Woodgas.
When I’m playing with a new system I usually run the engine on gasoline for awhile before shutting it down… gives it a chance to clean the valves some before everything cools off.
Never use the water/methanol injection unless very experienced…
Better use / allow the engine to run for 2 or 3 minutes without load before shutting it down.
using gasoline on those moments is surely a good idea. same as for startup.
Sadly, i removed all my carburators… so, charcoal gas only
Okay, sounds like charcoal it is than. I’d rather have something thats simpler and more reliable than something complicated and more fuel efficient. Wood is cheap/free so I’d rather guarantee its clean and good charcoal sounds like that. Now I just gotta find the right engine. I will probably try it on a cheapo harbor freight engine and see how well it works.
