Dug out my dads old hunting tractor b allis chalmers, last time this ran was at least 10 years ago,gas lines were rotted so I pulled plugs and squirted some gas mixed with oil in and it fired so I thought I’d try wood gas, it did run.
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The last couple times I was flaring this gasifier, it seemed at about a 1/2 hr it started to congest, the flame started to shorten , and temp at heat exchanger dropped, I added a 120 volt small hand held vacuum and it sucks good, but it also slowed,the only thing differnt is I’m using 1/2 white polar with the tamarack now, when I open lid while running seems like lots of moisture on top of wood , I’m waiting on nanometer to check vacuum , my grate base is set to about 3/4 inch from reduction tube , maybe the poplar creates to much ash and plugs the bottom, when I get vacuum ports in a few places I can tell more.
Thanks Dean
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Sounds like it’s working good. Nice sound on that tractor.
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Good analysis Dean.
The W.K. guys run with 2-3 or more vacuum gauges.
If you think your grate edge is clogging activate it more. Later after shutdown cooled off check your hopper lower thru the clean out port. Ash versus char. You start seeing more than normal char you are probably too much grate sifting on this system.
If you are seeing wood moisture in your upper hopper you should also be seeing collection in the hopper lower collector. None? Then you need to add a blow past the hopper and lid fan.
Regards
Steve unruh
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Thanks Steve, yep if I fill the hopper to top with fresh wood and once temps get up and if I open valve on hopper drain it shoots out water , when I shut down with a half hopper then the water will collect in hopper lots.
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If you don’t already it would be recommended to add a condensate tank for the hopper. Just use some heater hose running to a tank from your water drain, still want it airtight obviously. You might be building up so much hopper juice that it’s re-evaporating and steaming up the hopper. Or it’s spilling over? Would eliminate any concerns of the reaction being cooled down from hopper steam.
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Congratulations on a pile of tasty meat! Now the work begins
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Make sure you eat the liver too, they say the liver is loaded with non synthetic vitamens and healthy minerals, you caint get out of a bottle of pills.
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Organ meat is good for you unless you have high blood pressure/thick blood.
If you got thin blood it’ll help with that.
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My internet sucks was trying to download a couple pics
Needed a little more cooling so I added a cyclone and a couple pipes to set a box on and a couple baskets I made to warm wood up.
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What’s the source of heat for the baskets? Just radiant warmth?
Also that looks like a good strong flare! Congrats.
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Ya so far just the heat off the pipes, prob won’t do much in 20 below weather, the box just lifts off it it doesn’t work
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You could maybe vent in the hot air coming from a generator’s flywheel fan. Or the hot breeze from it’s exhaust. I wouldn’t tightly plumb that stuff for flow reasons, but just a warm dry breeze of air will dry the wood decently.
If anything it’ll leave you with wood ready to be dumped into the hopper and keep any rain off of it. Transitional storage.
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You are an excellent fabricator Dean. Impressive build. Congratulations.
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Also good choice using pipe unions for removable service points. I grease the shoulders as well as the threads on the ones I use.
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“my internet sucks”
Just telling you, you live far enough out.
Ha! My one place has satellite that low angled doesn’t like regional misty rain, snowing.
The other place half a mile at the end of a long lane, end of three miles dead end buried copper wire service.
Nice add-on you are doing. Yes. Good you are keeping it modular so you can tweak-tune it to your needs.
Best Regards
Steve Unruh
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Made an air box for generator
More insulation on gasifier
Some short videos of gasifier and generator
I tried to reload them , don’t know if they’ll work?
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Excellent job Dean. Very professional. The last two video’s are private. You would have to open them for general viewing.
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Winner, winner chicken dinner. It sounds great and you certainly had plenty of test load. Too old to read your gauges but I have always wondered what the gas temps were after they passed through a Ben P cooler.
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