Woodgasification Learning Milestones

General Discussion
#1

Step #1: Where are all of these consensates coming from?!

Step #2: Where’s all my hard scrounged/harvested and prepped fuel wood dissapearing to??!!

Step #3: AND Where is all of this clogging soot coming from???!!!

Step #4: Can only be learned after 3-4 years of operating your system in year round climate conditions to find if you actually have built in the capabilities to do year round operating where you live.

Takes about 2-300 pounds /90-135 kg of fuel wood passed through in a fuctioning gasifer hearth to reach Step#1 and suffer from the problems of NOT designing and building for condensates in each step of the total system. Then you will learn the 40’s and 50’s oldtimers were not so dumb.

Now with a well running hearth, separation and cooling system it takes about 600-1000 pounds/252-454 kg of fuel wood ran through a system to be getting choked off with soots and again really come to appreciate the late 40’s real in use proven systems with all of their evolved quick access cleaning out ports. Appreciate the 50’s ands 60’s efforts with hot box filtering. Truely appriciate some of the 90’s and 2000’s way of handling soots and why they chose the way that they did.

Step #2 fuel consumption alarm will be ringing in your tired hands, aching back and psyche and this will occur somewhere between 300 and 1000 pounds of fuel wood prepped, handled and gobbled up by your ravenous beast to make those wheels spin around producing usable work.
This should make you even more appreciate the sheer convenient evolved power in a gallon or liter of liquid fuel. Stuff really is like liquid gold. And should be used wisely while we still have it available.

I am through Steps 1-3. Ha! Ha! Still far short on #4
Only maybe 5-6 guys in the whole world past Step #4 now.
WayneK is one of these. And he is sharing this system learning and evolution.

Where are you at in your learning? Past the 300 pounds of fuel wood consumed yet to really start learning?

Regards
Steve Unruh

4 Likes
#2

I’m hoping to solve #2 with a fuel chunker one of these days… But there’s no way to avoid it, you are going to burn up a pile of wood. But till then… My hands are a-ringin’.

3 Likes
#3

This is my chunker - only it makes sawdust too!
http://jamclasses.drbanjo.com/static/dimages/Buzz%20saw.png

2 Likes
#4

Hey DonM
Tilt bed buzz saw been doing a fine job for over a hundred years. Quick. Safe and intuitive to use. Good enough for MikeL., Bruce Jackson, S.E. Werner and a ton of others.
Saw dust isn’t a waste - OK chicken litter. Then manure potentialized out to the gardens.
Only way to improve your set up would be with wood power. IC engine or old steam.
Nice detail on the 90 degree V-belt drive. Most young guys never seen this think it is impossible. Nope. Easy, quiet and safe.
S.U.

4 Likes
#5

For several years, I have always wondered if I would ever have the time to read through the entire site/forum. Long ago I decided it would only happen if I get really old and broken down, or if I get sick or layed up hurt for some reason. Back surgery seems to fit that bill so i have been reading through the forum from the start. I really liked Steve U’s “Gassifier’s Progress chart” in post 1 of this thread so I thought I would bump it back tot he top. I thought it was worth another look. Hope no one minds.

Also, update on my back: Every day gets a little better with the pain subsiding by small dedgrees. Mostly what is happening is the pain stays mostly the same, but I am reducing the amount of drugs I need each day. From 12 pills, to 10 to 7, etc… But the surgery itself was a success it seems. All of that pain is gone. Thanks all for your concern. Billy

13 Likes
Life goes on - Summer 2019
#6

Thanks for bumping up the thread Billy and hope you are feeling better .

A lot of wood has ran through the gasifiers in this 7 years. Driving them daily and seem like I have been going through about 40- 50 pounds of wood a day with my farming :grinning:

9 Likes