I think I see what you’re talking about. It’s a ceramic rope or tape, or the combination of the two with the bulb shape.
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The stove rope i got came from a foundry its woven into a rope but will come apart as its only loosely twisted and it looks and feels a lot like Kwool its good because it will go to what ever shape is wanted .
The 3/4 hole will work for you if its threaded all the way through , just get a 3/4 pipe nipple and weld it onto a thick walled pipe to make your flute , if your just going to run that small generator of yours you don’t need 1 inch a 3/4 will work good .
On the hatch i would look for a 4 inch nipple and a threaded cap or even a 4 inch box section around 3 or 4 inches in length and weld that onto your tank and then you can use everyday stove rope around the lid to seal it as its far enough away from direct heat .
Dave
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I had already planned to use stove rope on the lid. I should have enough left over to use on that access hatch.
I priced a 4" black pipe nipple and end cap. The cheapest i could find was about $75 + shipping.
I read somewhere that you should’nt use galvanized fittings. I assume this is due to toxic fumes?
With the flute all the way through the tank do you start it the same way (propane torch in the air opening) as the Simple Fire? As you stated there is no way I can reach in there and screw anything in. My original thought was to weld in a large nipple and drill an end cap for the flute but with the price of fittings another way might to a better choice.
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Yes just touch one of the flute holes with a torch or other flame. Could be a wick of kerosene.
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Yes i also looked at the price of a 4 inch nipple and plug and nearly fell of my seat ! i wont bother unless i can find one in the scrap , cheaper to use a small section of 4 inch box and fab the lid for a air tight seal .
I don’t want to step on Cody’s idea of a straight through flute , but in my experience of running the flute in my 100lbs propane tank there is no advantage the stationary unit can get, i had my unit sat on a lean anyway due to me not having flat land here and when i used a water drip any excess just ran out and only a certain amount turned to steam and was sucked up , i also think with only one way in there is only 1 way out so if u do get a back fire you know for sure what way its gonna poop , but again both work so go with what ever works for you .
You always want to grind off the galv around the area you are going to weld anyway so you get a decent weld and help keep them nasty fumes lower .
Dave
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Yeah you still want to make sure any excess water will slide out. I noticed with my flute it has a liedenfrost effect and glides across the hot steel.
I think the nozzle pointing directly up definitely has its benefits, you could do the same with a pipe and elbow, but you’d need to be able to get to the darn thing to remove a melted nozzle.
I think a single silicone carbide nozzle would be ideal, you’ve shown they last nigh on forever if you carefully clean the nozzle.
Eddy Ramos and Bruce Southerland made a really nice guide for an updraft gasifier.
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Never heard that term before. I learn something every day here from all these young smarty pants.
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Everyone see the Leidenfrost effects. But does not know the term or name of the effect.
Bob
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Most common way to see it is get a cast iron pan real hot and drip some water.
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Hi Cody. This booklet that you are posting is the first version. I have already edited versión #4. This last version #4 can be download for FREE in English at my web page. AUTOABASURA.COM
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Well, I survived my camping trip and am back on the project.
I got the hole cut in the top to take the paint canister. Since I do not have a torch or plasma cutter I had to use a sawz-all, jig saw and a 4" grinder with a cutoff disc. The top of the water heater tank was not a smooth arc so I had to inlet the paint canister into the top.
There was some sediment in the bottom of the tank but luckily it was not hard. It all came out when I upended the tank.
Unfortunately the bottom of the tank is domed and the 3/4" fitting is below the top of the dome so I cannot use it for the flute nozzle.
Next I have to level the paint canister and weld it in. Here is a photo of the canister wedged into the top of the tank.
I need to start thinking about how I am going to make some charcoal and what flute design I am going to use. I need to do some measurements to see how high off the bottom the second fitting is. How high should the flute be off the bottom?
Also if anyone has any suggestions on a flute please explain and show some pictures if possible. Someone said that a piece of pipe nestled inside another pipe would be better. What size pipes did you use?
By the way thanks for all the help you guys have given me.
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The flute can be as close as you want. As ash builds up it’ll settle below the flute and make its own insulation.
Where do you plan to set the reactor? The bottom in mine got hot enough to melt the plastic bed liner in my Mazda and I was at least 2 inches off the bottom, 4 if you count the top of the flute holes.
I’d set the reactor on bricks or concrete, it’s what I did.
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You will like to have about six inches below your nozzle for ash. The second hole up would be fine for a lighting port. I wouldn’t worry about doubling up you flute nozzle. It is cheap to replace and will last a while as a single Sch 40 nipple.
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I had planned to set the reactor on some concrete pads that I get from the local Lowes. The ground here is damp I need to get it off the ground to keep it from rusting anyway.
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I spent the last day or so chasing parts and supplies. The MIG needed a new tip and I looked at some pipe fittings. I want to make it as easy as possible to change the nozzle. What I have tentively decided to do is weld a 1-1/4" pipe onto the tank. I was going to drill a cap to accept a 3/4" pipe and weld the two together. I could just unscrew the unit to check it. Anyone have a better idea?
I have been reading through old posts and noticed one where Gary Gilmore was testing using a slot instead of holes on the nozzle. How did this work out? It showed how to clean this through the air pipe without needing a port. I want to keep this unit as simple as possible. The less holes in the tank the less chance for an air leak.
The motor I am going to test run this on is a 6.5hp Predator hooked to a car alternator.
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When I cleaned my nozzles I used a poker, just to clear the holes.
I think my poker was part of a windshield wiper rod system or battery tie down. It had a very short nub after a tight 90° bend. Just jammed it in there and poked into each flute hole.
I’d only do a full detail cleaning every once in a while(when I remembered to). I hadn’t been running it long enough to have to scrape slag volcanoes off.
One long slit I think Kristijan and Don Mannes tried out and it didn’t really benefit anything.
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This is how I would do it Hag. Weld an Inch and a half coupling to your tank. Get an inch and a half to one inch reducer bushing. Does not need to be stainless. That was the first example I found. Screw an one inch by two inch nipple into the bushing and a three quarter inch sch 40 nipple will slide into both sides of that bushing. Make your nozzle the size you want and fit it into the inside of the bushing into the inch nipple and then another three quarter nipple to the outside. It will be a snug but not air tight fit. Screw a three quarter to half inch T on to that and another short nipple out the back. You will do your water drip into the half inch side of the T with fittings and a needle valve. Where the T and nipple slide into the one inch nipple seal it with a little high temp silicone When you unscrew the bushing the nozzle comes out with it. Way more confusing reading it than doing it.
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Do it as Tom suggests , that way when you cant get the poker into some of the holes in the flute its just a simple unscrew and take out , and to replace it you just bang it back in and that will fracture some old coal ready for when you relight , plus it will also crunch up the slag build up around the flute .
I tried grinding a slot in my flute , but only because the pipe i had was stainless and i did not have a sharp enough drill so it was easier to just grind a slot , so long ago i cant remember if it was any better than holes , the one thing i do remember though a slot was easier to poke and clean than 4 holes .
Dave
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I’m going to have to go to the “big city” to find 1-1/2" fittings. 1-1/4" is as big as i can find locally. I did try to fit a 3/4" pipe inside a 1" pipe and it did not fit. I believe both were schedule 40. I really like your idea if i can find the parts.
My welding helmet which was over 20 years old finally bit the dust. Waiting on my second replacement this week. The first one arrived D.O.A.
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Gary, did the 3/4 to 1 seem like it was sorta close?
Sometimes if you sand down the paint they’ll nest.
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