O.K. out of the book page 39:
Metals Selection: Understanding the Effect of Metallurgy on Gasifier Design
“Five Factors to Metals Selection”
“1- Thermal Conductivity”
six lines of reasoning there
"2- Corrosion Resistance "
two lines of experienced text there
“3- Cost”
two self examine question there
“4- Workabilty”
three self-examine question there
“5- Shape”
he discuses why pre-formed steel new propane tanks were selected for this DIY book build system.
Then he finished out this chapter “The Contenders” with his summation experiences with using all metals types for gasifier systems.
“Aluminum is terrible at thermal retention. It’s hard to work with. It also hold up poorly to corrosion and should not be used. No further consideration is needed.”
Ha! Me speaking now, Shops working he/we were having to chalk load up the grind/cutter wheels to keep it from loading up clogging. Needs high amp TIG welding to work in high temp fluxuating areas. Was visibly corrosion pin-piting in just a few hours.
“Copper/Brass is also terrible at thermal retention. It’s hard to work with. It also hold up poorly to (woodgas) corrosion and should not be used. No further consideration is needed.”
Ha! That was me using copper, brass and bronze. Bronze did hold up well to woodgas corrosions. Impossible to vibration resistance braze connect. Ben could electric weld it - - with his metal sculptors fabrication experiences. Very very specialized. Just too damn expensive.
He then explains. overall why to use mild steels and selected stainless steels.
His last printed page 341 in the book:
"Thank You for Reading the
Wood Gasifers Builder's Bible"
"Spread the Message"
"Plant Trees"
"Stay Sovereign"
"God Speed"
Humbleness and humility are experienced learned strengths. On the pathway to Grace.
Ahh’ma still workin’ towards that, myself.
Regards
Steve unruh
Yeah I am working on getting away from AC generators. The Fusion power module will use a Honda GX 630 V twin coupled to two HD 24 volt alternators. We will design around 24 systems as well. Since we are keeping things close together, Im not to worried about losses.
I am also going to work on a kit to DIY your own inverter generator. Yes all these inverter generators are way more complicated than they really need to be. You need a motor, you need an alternator with voltage reg and you need an inverter. The inverter will shut it self down if there is not enough power for your load. Turn your engine up!! Not using that much power? Turn it down!!
Just got done running this amazing machine today. That thing runs and runs and runs no automation, set it and walk away. After two and half hours I got sick of listening to it. That is a first, generally I shut them down because Im sick of trying to keep them running !!! lol
Well Mat that’s another reason i have found it so hard to move on from charcoal , its just so damn easy once you have the basics set down and have a good regular source of engine grade fuel , its a clean of the filter a poke of the nozzle intake and away you go . gotta say though your machine is a work of art in my eyes, and i think the only thing missing is some go faster stripes on the side of that fancy paint work
BTW i have been running inverter generators on charcoal now for at least 5 years ,i don’t think i could go back to the ac generators of old screaming away in the back ground , luckily there are some not so bad 6,7and 8kw chinese units available second hand i have bought for 3 or 4 hundred bucks a piece and manage to keep enough power going despite the drop in output due to charcoal .
Dave
The idea of using engine driven alternators to feed a battery bank is appealing. What alternators are available that don’t rely on an ECM for voltage regulation?
I’m not clear on why an inverter generator is that much better for running on wood gas. I have a 2000 watt inverter generator and other than it ls quieter and drops back when not under load I don’t see the advantage other than fuel economy and don’t most gasifiers make more gas than is really needed for most engines? I have a Miller Welder that puts out 10 K watts at 1700 rpm. My understanding is that since inverter generators do a three phase cycle they produce cleaner power but doesn’t just running your alternator power supplied by a conventional gen head into a battery bank and then through an inverter accomplish the same thing? I’m just looking for some schooling here. My plan was to run the gen head off the Miller Welder with a water cooled four cylinder Honda Civic motor but just using the same motor to feed DC to a battery bank with Automotive type alternators is worth considering.
Fiat TwinAir engine
1.0 TwinAir 60
Displacement 1.0 L (964 cc) (naturally aspirated)
Configuration Straight-two
The naturally aspirated 1.0 L 60 PS (44 kW) version became available on the 2012 Fiat Panda and the 500 in select markets,
can not find a one
Power measurement on Chassis dynamometer
Due to friction and mechanical losses in various parts of the power train, the measured power at the wheels is about 15 to 20 percent lower than the power measured directly at the output of engine crankshaft (measuring device with this purpose is called engine testbed)
apply engine power to dynamometer while applying brakes to nissan leaf to power home .
Hopefully car does not go through wall of house
Well you have already pointed out that they are quieter and more eficients. Those are the advantages and when you are laboring to make your fuel. Any efficiency you can achieve is a big deal. Another advantage is a smaller motor in an inverter generator set up now has an operating range verse a fixed static output. An engine in a fix rpm generator has capability of way more power potential, but it cant because it is fixed to 1800 rpm. It cant even get into its power curve that is well above 1800 rpms. An inverter generator has broader range and can achieve higher output than say a fixed rpm generator with the same engine. It can run at higher rpms than 1800.
For the alternator drive system, this is coming from my perspective as a manufacture trying to cut cost. With AC again fixed rpm, you then need to convert to DC this will require a charger of sorts and you are now limited to whats is on market. There are good solutions but come at more money. This is more complex than an alternator system.
Now an alternator outputs AC and it converts to DC via a diode. So regardless you will be converting from AC to DC. But alternator driven system takes away cost and complexity while adding the flexibility of rpm ramping and unramping. You have power on demand this way verses a static AC power plant. These small AC generators really dont care a whole lot if they are loaded or not. Yes they do consume more fuel loaded but its not a lot. Regardless of load its eating your fuel you labored to create.
The challenge with alternators is finding powerful alternators. A car alternator is great for a small battery. But if you want to charge a big off grid bank you will more power, up to 5 kW DC output. This is where we move to 24 V Heavy Equipment alternators. They are abundant and cheaper than other voltages making them more viable and cost effective to offer as a product.
SMA USA 5 Kw grid tie inverter needs 125 volts DC to start , 125 volts DC for at least five minutes before it will consider connecting . I was thinking I should start before sun goes down . I will probably start with panels covered with snow , hopefully heat from gasifier will melt snow .
Hey TomH.
MattR stated the case for variable speed DC generating pretty well. The wind turbine way!
Btw, Matt R. the first Kubota engine in the Vancouver Victory Shop was set up with two belt driven opposing 200 amp Ford Pickup truck alternators off of the rear of that engine. To balance out the rear crankshaft side pulls.
Four belt taper locked pulley from an industrial suppler. And these particular series six Ford Motocraft alternators can be easy modified like most HD truck alternators for remote voltage regulating. In the marine field there are 2-3 brands of multi-alternators regulators suppliers (dual engine boats) that can handle two alt inputs AND do battery bank three stage charging.
The Kubota direct mounted AC generator BenP uses in his 3rd addition book conversion was simply a less expensive way to go for that part of the system. More compact too. No belts. No belts maintenances. But then back to rigid Nazi RPM needs controlling.
An all or nothing system.
The dual alternators set up could be ran with one unit if, when, one goes down. Swap out for any unit found mountable. Mix 12VDC and 24VDC into split battery use banks. Go with even 32VDC and 48VDC units.
TomH I bought a 2000 watt Honda inverter-generator for the wife. She can pull start operate it. Easy for her to move it around. Zero intimidation factor. Now one adult nieces and one sister have these too.
TOO small for gasifiaction conversion. Will not suck a gasifer hard enough!
I bought a 2700 watt open framed Yamaha unit to do that.
Next in the plan will be a larger yet 3000 watt Honda unit. I want to stay hand crankable.
The larger engined 6000-7500 watt units are electric starting.
My small units and the larger AusiDave is using still produce at any RPM from that ~22-2600 RPM (lowend max torque) idle/standby up to 5000 RPM max horsepower.
So as your DYI produced gas quantity and quality will vary you will still be fueling and engine running producing something useable.
And that useable supplied at an electronics safe very stable AC frequency and voltage.
Unable to do this . . . they self-sense, and they just drop out their AC output. Still engine running.
S.U.
Hi back TomH,
The third edition book cover has these distinctive features not found on the previous two:
Below the large lettered Wood Gasifiers Builder’s Bible is the line,
“2 Book Mastery Edition 2020”
At bottom edge of cover the two lines of words,
“BOOK 1 : WOOD GAS PLANS”
“BOOK 2 : ENGINE CONVERSION”
at the top of the cover in an orange block,
“Off Grid Fuel for the Prepared Homestead: Wood Gas in Minutes”
Does your already-have book have the Mustang car in the lower right hand of the front cover? 2nd edition publication with added history story, and short wood gasification process step for the how-works, why-works, why-do folks. Folks who need a bit of thermal-chemical math’s to trust. Ha! He added a Genesis and a Revelations.
Have the whole front cover as the stylized welderman doing TIG welding? 1st edition publication. A direct build, and use nuts and bolts step by step pictures plan set. Assumed you already had done your gasifier reading about the wood gasfiers historic who’s, what’s and whys.
1st edition could also be seen as a Solar folks presentation with sunlit trees-sky scenes front and back. Same build and design info on the insides.
S.U.
Ordered the new one today. No shipping charge. Says it’s been out since April but I checked about a month or so ago to see if I could get the carb book and at that time they just listed the previous edition as out of print. We have Amazon Prime and we used to get stuff in about two days. Says Oct 4. I guess since they have run everyone else out of business they don’t care anymore.
Hi TomH.
I think that this book is on a modern demand printing system.
You order; then your copy is print, ran off. And shipped. That is the new Amazon way.
Anyone wanting to get an idea of what you’d be buying look at this video:
Scotty Kilmer bemoaning the death of Englishman Mr John Haynes who originated THE BEST auto repair DIY manuals on the face of the planet. Based on actual full vehicle tear downs and researched factory released information.
Of course I’ve used actually factory paper manuals. Ha! Have to have the special factory tools set to really benefit. Used professional grade Motors, National and Chilton’s manuals sets. Really need to be a broad experienced Mech/Tech auto repair guy to already know the reference’s.
For auto DIY’s Haynes manuals beats the snot out of all of the other offerings I used.
BenP’s latest third addition combined book is the Haynes manual of practical woodgasing to fuel IC engines.
Well I got that now.
Now to get a Haynes manual for my newly acquired 2004 Toyota Camry I will be driving.
The family old 94 Ford hand-me-down pickup with weirding PCM for years is now PCM dead . I could retro convert it back to plain EEC II DuraSpark ignition. But the computer controlled four speed OD locking up auto trans? Nope. Need a change over to a manual trans. My old lower body don’t like MT’s anymore. Hurts.
And sick and tried of chasing down the last 7 years of coolant leaks in the wife’s handed back Hyundai. Still a new aftermarket radiator to put into it for the originals plastic tanks now cracking. Then, park it, and she can wash, preserve her good-car memories. I’m done now with it’s progressive electronics system failures life timing out. Climate computer weirding out now (after one servo motor fail! and two different sensor fails!) → tire pressure system now light-on 100%. And it’s crammed in DOHC V-6 is overdue for it’s 2nd 100K timing belt change. Interference engine. I’d told her to buy the chain driven Toyota Rav-4. But no-o-o-o.
I did get the last 10 years and 310,000 finishing miles out of her previous 99 Plymouth mini-van. From year 8, it was constant ticky-tacky electrical and trim problems.
Buy quality. Or build quality. Cry once at the expense. Or cry repeatedly fixing the always be sub-par . . . and Surprise! failures forever.
S.U.
Pretty interesting about the just in time book printing. Mine finally shipped and will be here tomorrow. I have a 2002 chevy half ton. Floor is rusted out in a couple places and covered with plywood. Has 298 k miles and still runs pretty good except every time I start it it tells me to change the oil. The oil is always changed or else it would not have nearly 300,000 on the odometer. I hate vehicles bossing me around. I hate transverse mounted engines. I like the trans in a hump on the floor between the seats. I don’t like points but I like my distributor to have a gear on the end of a shaft. I’ve never had one but I like the idea of having a PTO on my trans like they did with the old GMC trucks and the Dodge power wagons. I have always wondered why all the drive on wood guys seem dead set on making a truck look as much like original as possible. Cut that sucker up and make it look like yours. That’s where the fun is.
Well the answer to that is many do live in either emissions tested areas. East and west coast urban counties, and whole states.
Or annual safety check areas. Texas into Canada. East coast to the mountain states.
Or . . . the worst possibly . . . subject to Safety and Fitness rules. Western European.
Then there is the roads patrol police. Looks funny. Looks bad. Pull 'em over. Have them 'splain.
One Florida guy got Forestry Police pulled over in fires shut down season. No below bed cut through allowed by their state forestry rules.
I take it you are in none of these, eh?
If you were you too would learn to play the pretend-to-comply games too.
No points or gain for in-your-face boo-yaw stuff in compliance areas.
Well, Michigan has a lot of faults and it’s been years since I’ve been anywhere around a big urban hub, but in rural Michigan you can pretty much drive what you want. Wood is fundamental here. At least 50 per cent of the people in say a five mile radius heat with it. This time of year it sounds like swarms of bees. Nothing but chainsaws, elbows and assholes. I mean that colloquially, not sociologically or anatomically. I don’t really have a reason to have a wood truck because I just don’t go anywhere for weeks at a time but if I had some time from what I consider more pressing projects I’d take my WK gasifier and build some kind of steampunk looking truck out of it and an 85 Jimmy sitting in my woods that a tree fell on. No making that thing stealth anymore.
Got my book today. Glad to have the second section information so worth the cost of duplicating the other edition I have with the Charcoal mustang. I wish I could give someone my duplicate information, of the gasifier build. I guess I could cut it in half and learn book binding.
