I read this entire post as I too thought about using a blower. Remember, before you make fun of me, I’m brand new here.
All I kept thinking about was Mad Max. In other words, a clutched Blower. Remember? He had a switch on his shifter much like a gear splitter. Add a thermocouple into that and you could force the blower to drop out once a dangerous heat level was obtained.
I’ve been up too many hours today…
I glad you read this all of the way through WilliamW.
I’d stopped reading/contributing way back in early 2013.
You forced me to read on forwards to catch up.
Lots of name guys way-back then no longer with us.
“Beware of Hollywood” or whatever the Down-Under entertainment video makers call themselves.
A Roots lobed blower, not turning does not allow flow through worth a crap. Why military, HD truck they use a breakable narrowed section “quill” drive member. Snap. Then they can freewheel turn some allowing some air flow for limping back home.
At least this is what I’ve been told.
Steve Unruh
Not a foolish question, I had that thought myself at the time.
Unfortunately, the Mad Max movie supercharger was a fake. Lots of folks have wished they could duplicate the “supercharger ON DEMAND” movie setup… it doesn’t work. Real superchargers need a solid shaft connection.
The A/C style electric clutch you’re thinking of can transfer maybe 5hp. A Roots blower making moderate boost takes around 50hp to turn over.
The idea to control the boost is a good one however. If you want to equalize the power output of your engine you may need to think outside the box. A Gated turbo that exhausts most of the pressure when on gas and then only boosts when running on woodgas might be a workable idea. It also hit me that a manual truck could be switched to elevate the RPM when just idling to keep the fire hot until such time as you needed to begin driving again. Then it would switch back down to a lower RPM so you could easily engage the truck and start moving. The other idea would be a gated blower of sorts that would improve the vacuum a little at low speeds choosing to exhaust the gas into the atmosphere. Lets see, big ol stacks with flames roaring forth when you’re sitting still. hmmm … LOL
You all know I’m probably gonna push the envelope a little too far and blow my first one sky high … hehe
I spend a lot of time thinking about this. Was not even aware of this thread. Right now I believe the only off the shelve supercharger that overcomes the problems discussed would be a ProCharger. Once you sell both your kidneys to afford one you may be able to drive from one dialysis session to the next. Still, for the purposes of enhancing some to the power deficits from wood gas you are not going to need as many pounds of boost as most superchargers are capable of. Is it possible to jerry rig some kind of low boost supercharger out of something that could be a cross between the intake side of a turbo and a unit like the procharger. That’s the fools errand I’m considering.
To put this back on topic…
@SouthernYankee and his brother were on Monster Garage to build a wood burning Corvette. It’s worth the money to get Discovery+ so watch that episode.
I remember they added a Turbocharger to suck up woodgas and deliver to the engine. Kyle did they eventually remove the turbo or keep it in?
Hey Cody I’ve been wondering why you do not seek out and go this way on your next car:
The year I worked as used car tech at a Buick-Olds-Saturn-Nissan dealership I came to like these the best.
Regards
Steve Unruh
They’re too well known and snatched up around here. Prices inflated. I’m lucky to find anything worth a hoot for sub 2k right now.
One thing that also puts a major damper on my findings is after the acquisition by Terry Taylor Group, we no longer hold the auctions for wholesale cars anymore
Which means no buying a wholesale before it goes to auction if it can pass Safety Inspection. That’s how I got my Mazda, and my Sierra.
Yes. There are a lot of inevitabilities with time passing.
Any specific model configuration there were only so many ever made and with time passage, year by year later they are fewer and fewer.
Any cause for interest, like this 2017 article, stating desirability of these factory supercharged now have on at least 4 guys youtube best cars rating sites will drive up the price. Dry up the free offered availability.
Still. Thing do spring loose. Don’t overly focus on this. But developed 2-3-4 of these be-real-nice’s and life will surprise you.
Just like fishing. Being there. Able to respond. Is half of it.
Now I am talking available $'s.
Buy a what’cha’jigget $$$$ ideal transfer switching center: then when that fish swims by. You’ll cry.
Having an absolutely great motorcycle and then the big winds come, or Putin disrupts our Grid, will not keep these refrigerators, refrigerating.
All personal time. Personal energy. And personal $'s budget juggling we all have to face into. Have to juggle.
Trick is I think to make the juggling the game-fun of it. The daily successes.
Steve Unruh
I’m getting confused about what thread to even post in anymore. Everyone seems focused on making a gasifier fit into an existing vehicle. And then we are concerned with what can we get away with if Big Brother is watching. I say build a vehicle based around the gasifier. Get your self a pre-emissions junker, a early seventies anything but preferably a truck with a frame. From that point on you are breathing free air, exempt from most regulation. Even air bags. You are not going to be driving high speeds regardless so you have no need for anything but a straight axle, leaf spring suspension. Stick a big block whatever in it. Mount the gasifier on it so you have access to all the cleanouts without having to be a contortionist. Cab? Interior? No restrictions. You can have plywood door panels and a hard assed bench seat or transplant some nice heated butt cheek massaging buckets out of a Escalade.
Sorry Steve. I still have a soft spot in my heart for something like this.
Ha! Ha! You’er not hurting my feeling any TomH.
There is room in woodgas for hmmm Pirate? Outlaw? gasifier guys.
I’m more comfortable being a scofflaw myself. See no capitalization standing out. Sneaky bastard, smoothing on by. Whoosh. Feel something passing? Who? What? Did some just happen?
Yep. Freedom out carousing.
As far as I’m concerned, and can control in my surroundings, I’ll never have another flathead anything to have to pita adjust valves on. Or in-block seats lap.
Never have another set of contact point to file and adjust.
Give me one free; this-has-happened; I’ll give it away. Or use it for destructive learning testing.
Carburetors? I’ve done, and can do them all. OK fine for all of my small engines.
Immensely glad the electronic feedback types have all cycled out, and gone bye-bye now.
All of a mechanical carbs problems. With then layered on sensors, actuators and some kind of processor.
Having the sensors, and processors sorted out the peak of usability is simple throttle body low pressure big fat never clog injectors.
Freeze there, for the best results, with the least needed inputs. That was the peak of the best.
But in truth in all things I am really best as a Here&Now guy.
And this is where 80% of guys (and gals) wood-for-power will be working and developing.
A fellow’s just got to attempt to keep up. How long since you known one of those Ford V-8 flat head guys still above ground kicking, eh. A VW air-cooled was the pinical Peak guy, eh.
Nope. Nope. Nope. The real nuts and bolts working future will be based on the present Here&Now. Not on the once-was, long past.
And GM supercharged V-6’s are this still present Here&Now. Findable. DOable.
Regards
Steve Unruh
This is my dinosaur brains point of no return. Geared cam and distributor. I cannot adapt beyond that perimeter. I will take the fuel injected engine with it’s sensors and ECM, strip it naked as a J bird and scrounge ways to get it to function well but if a set of gears is not spinning that rotor then I’m left with anus thumb.
In regards to the woodgas Corvette…
The turbo was installed in the rear against my brother’s and I having consent to it since it would result in only pressuring the fuel and NOT the fuel/air ratio together. We had a passionate conversation with Jesse about it that went nowhere. The very first drive it went 60 or so mph before building boost to richen out the fuel ratio too much once the woodgas pressurized. After the car was painted I “disabled” the turbo and it ran 72mph consistently. BUT the turbo wasn’t at fault. If the crew had listened and installed it in the engine bay then the air and woodgas would have been boosted like a drawthru carb setup. That would have the woodgas supply and air valve just before the turbo inlet. Which could have resulted in a much better speed run.
On a side note, I’m getting a '76 Chevy c10 with a 350 and automatic that I’m going to boost. I’m hell bent to work this all out.
Perhaps, instead of a supercharger or a turbocharger, something like half of the compound turbocharging setup that Volvo trucks use might be of use. It’s basically a main turbo where the expended gases are used to drive a secondary turbo that provides extra power to the flywheel.
Perhaps the expended exhaust gases could be used to drive a small turbo to provide extra power to the engine without the risk of drawing down too much on the burn chamber.
Here is an exploded view of the set up.
Of the superchargers I’ve researched, you may be able to get into a basic turbo If you don’t need a lot of extra pipe fab or an intercooler, for around 2K. Next up would be the TorqueStorm as in the article above. Right around 3.5K lastly a Pro-charger at 7.7k to 10K. Roots type not considered. A lot of bucks just to get WG up to petrol power levels.
This is a rethink from my earlier post about boosting. I have been thinking a lot about how to increase the overall power to match or surpass outputs from running gasoline and I keep coming up with the same answer. Boost is a problematic solution no matter how you do it. In the world of prepping an K.I.S.S, I have decided against it entirely. (I’ve also decided against the 02 Dakota I have if anyone is interested. but more on that later)
Turbo charging, supercharging or any other type of pressurization techniques end up costing more than just a simple engine rebuild to increase cylinder compression ratios and intake systems with more open flow characteristics.
For example, I can rebuild my peanut port 454 (usually without even removing the motor) to change from a flat top piston to a domed piston. Taking the engine from a 7.5 to 1 ratio to a 9.5 or 10,0, plus an RV cam and an intake manifold change from 2 to a double plenum (4bbl) can allow me to increase the HP from around 230 stock to more than 430 bhp. Reduce that by the 25% loss and you’re still in the 300 bhp range with more than enough remaining vacuum at idle for the system to work properly.
Oh, and for me, a carb over injection is an absolute must. Remember the EMP strike? Nothing worse than a cooked electronic system. A coil, 12 volts and a resistor is all I need.
I know I haven’t actually built one yet and I am sure I’m in for some big surprises but I’m a thinker and I try and get it all laid out before I even make the first piece for the puzzle.
How weird am I? I’m even looking at a way to lay the whole thing on it’s side so it doesn’t stick up above the top of the truck, lol. (I’ll let you know how that doesn’t work out). I’ll probably end up with some weird hand crank system I have to turn while I’m driving down the road to feed the hopper.
One thing if you don’t want the gasifier to go higher than the cab is to make a wider diameter hopper to keep it short. That’s how the Monorator hopper was discovered, or so the story goes at least. A Finnish woodgas racer needed to see behind his car so he opted for a short but wide hopper, found out the wide hopper was also removing water from the wood due to cooling. Before the monorator was standard the exiting gas surrounded the hopper, sort of combining a drop box and reactor body into one. Condensation really only appeared on the inside of the lid since that was still exposed to ambient air.
If you need it to be up against the cab but retain plenty of volume, make one face of it flat, that way you can preserve bed space.
Just make sure you leave enough of a ramp to reliably feed into the hearth.
If you really want to future proof and have the means, definitely go with stainless steel for the hopper area to protect against acidic tarry condensate and anywhere water would collect or humid gas can touch. Stainless exhaust tubing for the cooling rails and filter body, bottom barrel, etc. Stainless doesn’t transfer heat as well as carbon steel so maybe the burn tube should stay plain.
I can do stainless. Thanks for the tips!
I am building this truck to haul trailers and 5th wheel campers with. That’s why I need the extra power. (yes, I probably will back it up with gas). It is a long bed The hitch assy sets right above the rear axle and when you turn tight, the front edge of the larger 5th wheels actually come closer to the back of the cab. I am using what is called a slider hitch. This allows me to slide it back and forth about a foot. The design requires the hitch be in a position forward of the rear axle for weight management but I can mount it over the wheels directly instead. (Long Cab, Long wheel base). This allows me to slide it back behind the axle for maneuvering tight spots when necessary and should give me enough room so the trailer doesn’t interfere with the gasifier tanks.
Has anyone considered removing the sides of the pickup bed completely and replacing them with the cooling system? Again, need to keep them lower so they clear the trailer.