Saw mill gasifier

General Discussion
#21

420cc Harbor Freight preditor. I was trying to retain the factory air cleaner housing but now I see that’s probably not going to happen. I use a gate valve on my other WG engines because it provides the best incremental opening and closing but they are a little clunky and I was looking for a way around that.

https://www.harborfreight.com/13-hp-420cc-ohv-horizontal-shaft-gas-engine-epa-60340.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=12188110244&campaignid=12188110244&utm_content=123857267944&adsetid=123857267944&product=60340&store=3370&gad_source=1

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#22

Cloudy day so I tried to get caught up in the garden because I don’t do direct sun. That was some hours at 85 per cent humdity and 82F and tropcal dew points so not a lot left in the tank when I got done. Did manage to get the plumbing for the gasifier worked out and installed. Ended up using a 1 inch gate valve and was able to keep the engine filter housing in place. Wanted to finish welding the two sections of the gasifier base back together but we got a short thunderstorm and I called it a day. Should finish tomorrow. Been over a year since I built anything like this. It was fun.

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#23

This has been on the back burner for a few weeks. Hopefully I can test it sometime this week. Don Mannes pointed out that the shop vac I’m using for a blower and filter housing uses a brushed motor. That means it makes sparks. I considered that the actual fan blades moving the wood gas would be pretty much isolated from the motor and thought about just going ahead and risking it. I’d throw a movers blanket over it and set up a remote on off switch a safe distance away because I didn’t want to have to do the rework to make a different filter/blower set up but then decided it would be foolish to risk blowing up a 60 dollar vac. I’ll have to see what I have as a substitute.

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#24

I probably have to talk about one thing I did Tom, I tried to suck crap out of the gas tank of the PV (volvo), it didn’t go so well, there was a lot of smoke around the vacuum cleaner, it looked very black and melted, it didn’t like the fumes from the gas tank.

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#25

Our local thrift store has an intermittent supply of air mattress blowers. If you’re patient, you can choose D-cell battery, rechargeable, 12-volt, 120-volt, manual piston and manual bellows.

As an aside, I’m suspicious that a lot of flare failures result from too strong a blower. My four-D-cell blower seems to work better with three batteries and a “jumper.” If the blower’s outlet is faster than the flame speed of your gas, good gas still won’t hold a flame.

I think.

Perhaps @smartguys could comment.

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#26

I’m just going pick up another bilge blower. Tried and true. I just thought I’d try something different.

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