Hi tom C Sorry for the miss discription, i built as you just discribed, i meant no finns just water heater and as you said, blanket on inside with air tubes flush with the blanket, i used ss old truck mirr brackets for air tube stock.Thanks for the correction.
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Hi al, yes i meant blanket on inside, no finns on outside, worked ok though not as good of a heat storege as the WK model unit.allso with the heated hopper worked good though had a lot of heat run off visually i did not like, my next unit is Wk heat exchanger no heated hopper, and ceramic, not quit as good of turn down ratio, though much lighter at the burn tube area for the lighter vehicle i have in mind for test trial and arer. probly could add all the burn tube recyclers,the heated hopper, heat exchanger, heated funnel area, plank heater, and few more tricks for a stationary small engine wood gas running generator, Thats ware the weight wont hurt, only help from all the heat recycleing. Yours looks really neat at the wood gas meet, nice compact looking rig.
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I want to retry this coal gasifier, wood is maybe easier to prepare but I have more cars to try that on.
After my failed 40liter updraft gasifier I want to do it right this time.
Donāt know if I will be able to make enough charcoal, but the plan is to use the car as a daily driver and be able to get up to 50mph.
So how do I know how high the reduction zone gets? The volyme over it is what I calculate my range from?
Is a grate unnecessary or how usefull is it?
How can I solve the water injection in freezing temps?
Just trying to get a basic understanding so I can design my system, thanks!
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The water could be mixed with alcohol or methanol to avoid trouble with freezing. Increased expense but also should increase power slightly.
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For a better chance of success, start at Ramosedmondoās ādrawings of charcoal gasifiersā. These a tried and proven charcoal gasifiers and picking one to copy instead of completely designing your own, will prove to be a better choice. TomC
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Thatās a great topic, Ramosedmondo is quite skilled in drawing!
I think I will use a single hole around 2-2.5" in the bottom similar to Jeff Davis gasifier as the ānozzleā
The output pipe from the gasifier would not need to be bigger then 30mm for a 1.8l engine?
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Steam cars were ether designed to freeze then un-freeze as used or insulated/drained. I plan on switching to engine exhaust injection. Not because of freezing (I could use snow) but for consistency.
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But, doesnāt adding water provide more piston power, by using excess heat energy to split water into hydrogen, and additional CO?
CO2 injection avoids system heat damage, but just by moderating the reaction?
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I would be happy to trade some power for a bit more consistency and simplicity but that is just me.
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Especially in an automotive system, if water can amount to more miles down the road, and fewer pounds of charcoal to make, seems to trump the simplicity, considering the sheer volume of charcoal needed.
Though Iām still a bit on the fence if CO2 injection just moderates the reaction, so less charcoal burnt, or if adding water increases horsepower and fuel economy.
Perhaps @KristijanL will chime in, he has run charcoal systems with and without water injection, and can give us first hand experience about relative fuel economy, horsepower and the tradeoff of the added complexity.
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Water is not without itās problems; freezing in winter, and microbial growth.
CO2 gets ācrackedā into CO in the conditions usually found in a good gasifier.
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Yes, but hydrogen is the highest quality fuel, it will increase flame speed and energyā¦
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I think Koen stated the water had more power and engine exhaust was more charcoal efficient.
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In terms of simplicity exhaust cant be beeten. It will cut yor fuel consumption down about a third, but will not do anything to boost power! Yes, exhaust contains CO2 wich turns in to burnable gas in a gasifier but it mostly consist nitrogen wich just diluts your gas.
Water injection and fuel economy are in a funny relationship. Problem is water injection gives you so much power at least l cant resist reving a bit since it drives like a rocket 
But joke aside, kwh per kwh, water injection beets all in fuel economy
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Hello Jim,
if you are going to build a downdraft charcoal gasifier, you can add the water to the charcoal. This is not the most sophisticated way, but quite bullet proof and should work in freezing conditions as well (given the water is absorbed by the charcoal and it is not freezing together).
Kristijan did this in his Mercedes. It worked quite well if I remember right. But he can of course give more details, pros and cons.
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I remember reading this and itās a good idea, but like you say it would not work in a simple updraft gasifier.
The car is on hold again, sorry 
feels like Iām all over the placeā¦
I need to get some higher priority things done along with my long work days before I can get more time into this.
Hopeless dreamer haha 
.
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No, definitely not with an updraft gasifier.
Regarding the progress of gasification: Looks like we are in kind of the same boatā¦
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Hi Jim,
Dreaming is never hopeless! It is hope! Pepe
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Hi JimH. and Til,
To get off of a Hopeless Dreamer hamster wheel cycle of using wood-for-power has a direct-use escape pathway.
Use wood for power in any way, any day that you can.
Certainly now longer not using than on a weekly basis.
Thia can be an out building shop heating woodstove.
Yours.
A neighbors.
Your wifeās brother worst brother.
Dose not matter.
What matters is you then have to source, size break down and manage some kind of wood-for-power system.
Puts use reality into all of your research and talking/exchanging.
Bluntly. Armchair āprofectorsā stick out here.
Donāt know sheeet. 'Cause they never done any sheeet with actual wood as fuels. And the more they āknowā about pump-spec fuels the worst they are.
Regards
Steve Unruh
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