Saman's gasifier project

Hi
I’m a M.A energy conversion student
I work on the gasification project for my M.A thesis
I’ve made a gasifier based on the YouTube & f.e.m.a samples, but the exhaust gas does not ignite.
I need essential help because my graduation course is over, but my unit is not working
Thank you

1 Like

Did they let you graduate without a working project? Sorry, I don’t know what’s wrong with your machine. Some of the guys here probably would, but they will need a lot more info to understand the puzzle if they were going to try to figure it out. :slightly_smiling_face:

2 Likes

Welcome Sam, need all the info on the build, and fuel that being used(species, moisture content) you will get help here.

2 Likes

Hi Saman, welcome to the site.

There are lots of reasons your gasifier might not be working. If you could post a diagram, some photos, maybe a short video, we could help diagnose it.

3 Likes

My graduation depends on the completion of the project :persevere:
and I just have 2 months to finish and we have different university’s system in iran
we have not any workshop or laboratory for test or making any device like gasifier,so we have to make our device and complete our project with our money.in Iran Unfortunately any Industrial materials is expensive,for example for a gasifier system I spent about 2500$,if i cant start it I’ve had a huge financial and educational failure:frowning_face:

send info and you’ll probably get some good help…

1 Like


![photo_2017-10-13_09-57-42|666x500]

(/uploads/default/original/3X/6/5/651a3bd032e501d02a6d7c9f9846e3e6ed4b51c5.jpg)
i made like mr jr mclaws from youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6e3CprVTi8
and i made my pellet mill
because in iran we have not any wood pellets


thank you so much

1 Like

The pellet mill looks nice!

Do you have no other feedstock? Wood chunks, chips or similar? Pellets are wery tricky to gasify…

Can you show us the gasifier internals? Firetube, air intake… this is nevertheless the most important part of the gasifier.

2 Likes

Hello Saman
Your system as shown can only function as an Updraft gas making unit. You are taking your produced gasses out of the reactor/hearth area after flow Up through, and to above the raw fuel zone.
Updrafts will only work for making open air combustion gasses like in the old city-gasworks systems. And even for these that piped gas had to be large systems wet-washed and cooled making for severe contaminated wastes water disposal problems.
I am sorry. I could recommend fuel-fixes, and beds layered pre-loadings to have this for a short time make flareable-gas.
But to make real, fully converted, usable producer gasses progress you need to convert this to a down draft system.
The produced gasses taken off from below, after the hot glowing charcoal area. Not allowed to be contaminated flowing through the raw fuel area.
Regards
tree-farmer Steve unruh

1 Like

i can find wood chunks and chips like my filter media
can i use wood chips or chunks for this system???
i didn’t test other fuel until now


this is my gasifier unit

1 Like

Oh, this is realy good! I was hopeing you have this design. You can easyaly convert this FEMA style gasifier in a lmbert.

If you need to run a engine, things might get tricky. But to make clean, burnable gas, your gasifier can easyaly be repaired in a hour worth of work.

First, you need to manufacture a lid to close the firetube top, the place where you now put wood and draw in air. It needs to be air tight! and easy openable, to add in new fuel.
Then, you need air nozzles. You need to get air in a exactly right part of the firetube. This part is located about 15cm from the bottom of the firretube. I wuld go with 3 10mm nozzles.
And last, you need to insert a steel ring in the firetube, outside diameter 10cm (firetube radius), iner diameter about 5 cm.
Thats it. Fill with fine charcoal up to air nozzles, start the fan, light, ad wood pelets and you WILL have burnable gas in 60s.

5 Likes

Hello Saman.

This appears to be a fema type gasifier . They were designed for emergency use only with little regard to the motor’s longevity.

You can however make it operate long enough to maybe graduate . You can control the gasifier by the fuel you feed it. Only put 4-5 inches of wood in it at a time . If the gasifier is cold and blowing a lot of smoke try using larger and less wood . If the gasifier is getting too hot and making week gas use more and smaller wood .

You must have a good charcoal bed before gasification can happen. To create the charcoal you can reverse the air flow blowing the smoke out through the fuel hopper ( top of gasifier ) You can use this method of reversing and forwarding your blowers until you create a char bed .

If you can prechar your wood before you use it the gasifier will operate much better . You can do this by putting wood in a container and set it a fire . After it is burning good seal it off so it can get no oxygen and wait several hours or overnight before allowing air to it. The results will be very dry wood and maybe some charcoal .

Edit . Agree with all Kristijan said

4 Likes

Hello Saman,
If your filter media is dry, then try reducing the speed of the fan, or the amount of airflow. If you don’t have an electronic speed control, then try a mechanical method. Next, work on the flare burner. The straight pipe works when you are making clean dry gas, but you could try a flare stack burner like is used on oil wells, which introduces air at the bottom of the cylinder where the gas comes out. (Make it like the one in the McLaw’s YouTube video.) Another option is to re-configure it as a swirl burner (sometimes called a cyclone burner).
I would immediately dump out the contents of the filter for inspection and a bit of air-drying. I suspect the flare will not ignite (or stay lit) because the reactor is producing water vapor, and the filter media may be wet. Remember what McLaw said about his blower speed, especially where he mentioned that the speed needs to be slow at start-up. Good Luck…you are very close.


1 Like

There are two very good suggestion from two of our best. To build a real working gasifier you will need to do the modification Kristijan has pointed out. If however you and the professors are happy with makings and ‘‘flaring’’ some gas ( or if you want to modify an engine an run it until it possibly gums up ) then use what you have, and do as Mr. Wayne has said TomC

1 Like

The 3 air jets that Kristjan suggested can be connected together outside the fire tube and then brought up to the top plate to allow the fresh air to be heated on it’s way down to where they enter the fire tube. Just make sure everything is sealed up well so the air and gas don’t mix.

It is not a good idea to be running that indoors. You are making CO which can be deadly for everyone in there.

1 Like

Hello ray
Thank you for your help
I test all kind of the flambeau but it doesn’t ignit
in my opinion my problem are fan speed,oxygen,or pellets
Ten percent of the pellets weight i mixed stucco with Sawdust,because only stucco doesn’t Pressed :neutral_face:

No i was in my friend’s workshop.there were ex fan
Thanks for the reminder

1 Like