Yup; Exactly why they dont exist on the market.
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Looking good matt, whats the bottom line on that unit there, is it designed to burn wood pellet exclusivly.OR ?
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Ok moving on to all new development finally!! This here is the rough draft of the VersiFire gasifier /’ gasometer system. One thing I had to figure out was how to integrate the gasifier onto the gasometer system so that it could be suspended. This is so a catch barrel can be coupled and uncoupled for removal when full. The idea there is there will be a spring loaded lift mechanism that will lift an empty barrel up to the unit and you will use the barrel clamp rings to secure it. To remove you will then take the clamp ring off and then use your foot to press down the plat form to lower the barrel down.
Im going take Bob Macs advice and try using the Amtek blower to charge the gasometers first. This means there will need to be a filter to protect the blower. So I plan to use the larger ammo box filter like the last one I posted above that will be removable using the cam lock couples. The barrels will be fed in through the bottom via a telescoping square tubing system. I will need the top barrels to stay in a static position radially as there will be targets for a sensor to read. So this is why Ill use square tubing for this. I like the idea of using the blower as it will add extra volume versus what you could get by just pulling up the drums. If the ammo box filter the gas then should be no problem for the blower. Plus the gas will be just that much cleaner.
The gasifier is fairly simple just a center single nozzle, no restriction and a passive grate. The intent is the application will use enough daily gas consumption to fill that catch barrel completely on a daily basis and even multiple times a day. There will be a grate shaker system to adjust this. 
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No we dont run wood pellets anymore. The new machines run on anything that is charcoal and can run 10% or lower moisture content wood chips depending on species and application.
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Does this unit have adjustabe or changeable restrictor/ or is that not nessisary with charcoal gasifier.?
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Not needed with charcoal the reduction process is more localized to the oxidation process.
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Ok moving on, the gasifier machine designs are now finalized. Now I will be working on re introducing the automation and continuing on with that development. The ultimate goal is to make the machines run autonomously from the AGS systems.
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What kinda setup do you have to run it ?
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Do you mean like what type of hardware? The light version will just use a 5 dallor Arduino Nano. This Worx version here has the addition of the touch screen with graphic interface, so it has an RPI4 for the front end of the controls and then the Arduino carries out the task. There is an AEM 02 kit with this and then other hardware to interface standard automotive relays with the controls.
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Interested in what types of wood are best and worst for woodchips. Is it just some have more tar then others?
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Ive only been able to test hard wood chips. I prefer to run charcoal and most users also prefer it; as it easier to produce and is more stable with more energy dense gas output. Without the expense of a commercial chipper and fuel to run it.
Its all about fuel density. You have the density of the wood itself, size of fuel after process, water density, etc. Too dense of fuel will overwhelm the machines capability to fully process it.
Users should run 100% charcoal at first and get used to running the machine. Learn to walk before you run. Then start adding in chip mixtures with the charcoal, until you reach a desire mixture or 100% chips successfully.
Running chip fuels will reduce the longevity of the machine as the metals will be subjected to wood vinegar acids. The filters will constantly need to be serviced and you will have a third less run time per hopper load. The machine will not be nearly as stable along with less energy dense gas production.
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Matt are you taking about the size of your charcoal? Or are you talking about Hard wood vs. Soft wood charcoal? There is also the difference in making charcoal too. Just burning wood down to charcoal vs. A retort style of making charcoal that turns it into hardness glass sound.
I like to use a little bigger charcoal in the hopper and let the gasifier reduce it in the the reduction zone at the nozzle and below the nozzle. By the blasting of the air into the charcoal. I am using a dowm draft apposing flute style with 8 nozzles vs. Your one nozzle cross diagonal down draft style.
Bob
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Im referring to raw chip fuels. But yes same applies with charcoal as you have explained here as well.
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That is all great information. I never considered the longevity aspect of it. If you do any trials with par char wood chips let us know!
I want to run some trials with different fuels but time to make charcoal and work on projects has been scarce the past month with farming.
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Trying out a new feature on the DFX-S3 Demo. This is what Im calling the “fuel assist”. The nature of these cross drafts is that fuel consumption is bias to the front of the unit. So as the hopper is consumed you had to tilt the unit forward if you wanted to get more run time out that hopper charge. Or you just end up with a void at the front and quite a bit of fuel left at the back.
So this is a spring loaded mechanism that pushes the fuel at the back forward. This will be tied to the lid via steel cable and when fully retracted there about an 80 to 90% let off . Sort of like a compound bow. So you open the lid and it pulls this mechanism back. Then you fill the hopper and then close the lid to release it. However I have not gotten as far as installing this pull cable yet. Just want to see if it will even work first.
So running a test now. Im running the little 212cc genny, I know that it will run for around 4 hours if I intervene shoving the unit forward to knock fuel at the back to the front. Im to see 5 hours or possibly even better. But even if I get 4 without this need to intervene it will be a success and all DFX -S3 and S4 models will get this feature going forward. The S-2 is not as deep and its cheaper so it will not have this feature.
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I’ve had rough ideas of something similar with an L shaped barrel hopper for charcoal. I can’t wait to see how you’ll do with it I never got past the idea stage, never made it to the drawing board.
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Well it just died ran exactly 4 hours with one stall three hours in. It is extending but not as much as I was hoping. I think the fuel directly under it is not consuming fast enough. So I may need to add something to keep fuel out of its way.
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May be putting a counter weight above it so it will have more force when extending because of the counter weight coming down. As it extends the weight move farther out with more levege.
Bob
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I might be jumping the gun. The reason; is I did a fresh clean out on the unit when made this revision. The grate is not sealed, so it can bias gas at the front side especially after a clean out. As you run the machine fines, ash and what ever pack in here and help seal this front portion so the gas streams will eventually bias to the back as it is supposed to. So my thinking is once that is established; fuel at the back side local to the oxidation zone will be better consumed.
So not going to make any adjustments yet. If I am correct, it may be as simple as just welding in a plate to the front side just above the grate insert to ensure it is fully sealed no matter what. So for now going to run another batch and see if there is any changes to confirm my suspicions. I had been thinking of adding this plate anyways but trying not add any parts to these things. lol. We need to be done! But I guess this is our final chance to make these changes. But I have to say this already has the wheels turning on other concepts. lord please make it stop!! hahaha.
Now that its daylight I can see it did do its job though; it did push a considerable amount of fuel to the front and really nothing was left in the back. Plus is burned down exposing the jet nozzle and Ive never seen that before. However I did help it along here and there. But all that was is tilting it back and then let the front drop. I can live with that too, its better than tilting it forward and even then it would not get all the fuel from back to front. As is this is acceptable.
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This run was 3 1/2 hours. On this one I ran a 50/50 mix charcoal and sun dried chips. It consumed what I would call a full hopper charge and the pusher did extend out a little farther than the last time. However at the 3 hour mark I intervened dropping the front a few times to agitate it. But it is working, I think the next step is to add that plate and then see what happens. I bet that is all I need to do and that should help to direct flows to the pick up tube resulting in better fuel consumption towards the back.
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