Hi, Tom!
21.8.2019
I have only indirectly put your gas transport system under question; you are yourself drawing the conclusions! (I have never before heard anything like it)
But well so! Your description of the condition is not very impressive.
A proper work from the beginning would feel good today.
I wish you proper results and air regulation enjoyment to come!
That will help to perform the lid-test without extra temporary arrangements.
If you return to the swift-flow reduction and a proper nozzle cone ring, I hope you get enjoyable performance.
Your back-flap restricts itself; it has the shaft on the wrong side of the flap-plate!
And it seems not to be tight when closed!
When you find the leaks just SWELYF. I found a hand full of small leaks that were giving me trouble. The small leaks add up to a lot of air getting into the wood gas stream that is not wanted. Making weak gas, and poor performance of the gasifier.
Bob
Well performance wise small leaks where the gas is cold dont matter at all. We blend air in anyway later on. Hot parts are critical, Jakob learned that the hard way driving to Argos. Cold leaks make different problems usualy when the gasifier is cooling down, air entering the gasifier will mess up the charbed, specialy in a lmbert! Now that one l learned the hard way
I agree with Max and l think we put to litle effort to make the system air tight. I stoped useing screw on joints, flanges with seals etc a while ago. All my joints are either threaded pipes, welded or a sewer pipe with a self tightening seal. And still sometimes eccidents happen, like a broaken weld in my previous gasifier. From that l learned the only proof way with using dome shapes (JO always does, he is smart from the begining )
Good morning Max; It’s 2:00 am and wood gas is spinning in my head.
You asked if my Kirby was directly attached to my system. The answer is ‘‘no’’. I have a rather complex plumbing system— so I can both create a vacuum and pressure on the system.
Every thing you question in my system I accept as things that would make the system better. In trying to follow these suggestive questions, there have been misinterpretations, and because I am not working from a ‘‘machine shop’’ things were not done to either of our liking. The condition of my air system is pathetic, but it has been sufficient to allow to allow me to ‘‘drive on wood’’. The condition of your system, I considered ‘‘utopian’’ and did not try to obtain it. Now knowing that it can be reached, I am trying to improve my system.
Today I started with my air cleaner on top of the TB which acts as part of my mixing system. I found a couple of pin holes rusted threw. Repaired them. I think a bigger problem is the rubber gasket on the air cleaner between that and the TB. With age and heat it is very stiff. Don’t know if a new one is available for this old beast.
A big problem showed up in my secondary air valve. It is the choke butter fly off from the top of a carburetor from a four cylinder engine. Never suspected it wasn’t doing the job. It did very little to stall the engine when I closed off the wg line to the mixer and then closed the choke butter fly. Took the choke body off and siliconed the mating surfaces. Another trial and it did a better job of restricting the air but made a whistle indicating, still leaking. Tomorrow is another day.
I had to cut up the ‘‘restricted flow’’ reduction bell for material. I do have the inverted cone bell and screw in nozzles that can be installed rather quickly.
I asked but you didn’t reply; if I have some hot lackluster char coals, and I blow on them, they will ‘‘come back’’ to life. Is that because l am feeding more oxygen to it — the velocity of the air is causing the O2; CO/CO2 molecules more excitement — or is the velocity just knocking the ash off the surface?? With the ‘‘restricted flow’’ reduction, the char burned away without pyrolitizing the wood which fell into the restriction raw.
See if I can get to sleep now. TomC
Hello Kristijan, l think I have learned these lessons many times over. What do you mean when saying ‘‘proof way using dome shapes’’? Guess that one I haven’t learned. TomC
Look at this skizz of Jans gasifier. The domes are great at releafing stress from heat cicles. A 90° weld is more suseptible to cracking. Even worse is rectangular geometry, one of the reason my gasifier fell in batle.
Four years ago, when I started the Rabbit build, I read someones thread (maybe Sean French???) about welding ss to mild steel being the biggest mistake, due to the different expansion rates. At the time there was a lot of talk about mild steel firetubes flaking in the nozzle area and eventually sagging. Herb Hartman and Carl Zinn started to put protective shielding in. Herb even used thin ss. Also at the time, someone made a domeshaped topplate on his WK (don’t remember who).
I happened to have access to ss tubing and mild steel propane bottles. I did some further investigation about welding ss to mild steel and decided to give it a go, despite the earlier warnings.
I have over 10,000 miles on each gasifier now and no cracking that I know of. I think the domes are what made it possible.
That is true on manually blending gasifier systems, but with my auto mixer that mixing 1:1 ratio of air to wood gas, if you have already weak wood gas and blend with 1 to 1 you now have very weak wood gas. This has been a lot of my problems.
Bob
Where in your build are these domes? I know where the one is in he WK build. And how do the domes play into mild steel fusing to stainless. Point me to the skizz that Kristijan mentioned. You certainly have a good recollection of post that have been made. I wonder how Herb is doing, and Carl Zinn hasn’t been very active lately. TomC
Tom, click on the link l posted you will see what we talk about.
Since ss and mild steel have different expansion rates a 90° weld can easyaly crack becouse it has forces on it in all directions. A dome is flexible in all directions.
JO, I guess I didn’t realize the technicalities of your build. I thought you had curved domes in a couple of places was because you used propane tanks that come with the dome. Didn’t dawn on me that you were mixing metals. You seem to like doing things that some might say can’t be done. TomC
Hey guys, As you may already know, I’m trying to cure ‘‘leaks’’. After a couple of days, I’m still under the hood. I’m sure in the past I have been able to get my air cleaner sealed enough that putting my hand over the airborne would kill the engine. This time, it ain’t happen’n. I have a rubber boot that is suppose to rconnect the air cleaner air horn to the a-filter. It is shaped like an accordion. When I put my hand over the a-filter end, the carb vacuum retracts the ‘‘accordion’’ to it’s shortest length, BUT the engine doesn’t die. The IAC can’t be adding air to keep the engine running can it??? I have the air cleaner almost totally enclose in sylicon. TomC
Hi, Tom!
23.8.2019
Besides the very important leak investigation and repair, the
8 measures in message
1167
makes it likely to pinpoint the malfunctions in the gasifier,
if you want it solved!
Max
Hey Michael— I don’t remember seeing such a thing. I’ll gladly check first thing in the morning. I’m running a Chev TB injection. Do you think I have one. Can I see it without taking the TB off the manifold? Thanks for the suggestion. TomC
Tom, on my chevy, it was made right into the throttle body. Just a passage with a solenoid to operate it. Mine was newer than yours, but maybe a family trait?
