Being the nerd that i am I've been looking into woodgas and gasification for years, and as promised here's some of the stuff I've found.
Disclaimer: I'm sure i don't need to explain the hazards of attempting this stuff to people who run chainsaws while hanging on a rope everyday, but this can definitely kill you. A gasifier is basically a carbon monoxide and hydrogen generator, and the gas is very hot and will contain oxygen as well. So all 3 components of fire are present, and with hydrogens explosive range of 4 to 75 percent it can and has spontaneously exploded if stuff isn't right. Most engine conversions utilize the vacuum of the engine to suck the fuel through the gasifer and other components, so not only will leaks be undetectable they will be introducing even more oxygen into the gas stream, making an explosion far more likely. Unlike propane or natural gas it contains no odorant to warn you of leaks, so it's a poisonous fuel gas that you cannot detect with your senses. If you feel unqualified to attempt something like this with natural gas or propane you aren't ready to try this either. There's a ton of people on YouTube and stuff showing some of this stuff, and a large portion of which know just enough to kill themselves. People filling bladders with it, building compressors with parts salvaged from refrigerators, etc. so don't do dumb stuff like that.
Up first is the fema gasifier, literally the govs contingency plan if oil stops.
Next is a really good site on the matter, geared towards converting existing vehicles to woodgas. Most of the information out there being used by people doing this as a hobby currently can be found on his site, and it's a great starting resource.
www.driveonwood.com
As is predictable adapting an internal combustion engine to run on a tar containing gas is not without its problems, and can definitely lead to engine failure. The incoming gas is hot, has fines entrained that can sandblast parts and ruin bearings when it contaminates the oil, so you will likely be working on whatever you try this on, and may destroy it. You will be needing to add and likely fabricate components such as coolers and filters to get the gas suitable for running in an engine, so there's a bit of a skill level you'll need before attempting this. As i learned more i wanted to run internal combustion engines less and less, and started looking into other external combustion heat engines more and more, like Stirling engines, steam engines, and turbines, which is the longer lasting alternative from what I've read, and what's commonly used in practice.
If you are looking for using it for heat tho it's a far easier endeavor, and stuff like the tars won't matter. At the beginning of the industrial revolution before electricity all sorts of gas appliances were in vogue, and was powered with producer gas, natural gas was flared off at the wells because it was considered too costly to pipe all the way to the end consumer, obviously that changed dramatically as time went on. So when you're reading about gas lights and stuff, this is exactly what it was burning.
Producer gas and wood gas are the same thing btw, it's basically using heat to break down the longer hydrocarbons into hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and co2. Depending on the type of gasifer it's often hot enough to even crack the tars, and will even separate water into its elements. The feedstock can be anything carbon based that will burn, but in practice the fuel needs be be able to be fed evenly, some are prone to clumping and bridging, which can create hazardous situations and poor gas quality. I have several engineering books like this one that I'll post later when i have a bit more time to go through them a bit again, this one goes into depth on designing furnaces to run on producer gas for different industrial processes.
play.google.com
Disclaimer: I'm sure i don't need to explain the hazards of attempting this stuff to people who run chainsaws while hanging on a rope everyday, but this can definitely kill you. A gasifier is basically a carbon monoxide and hydrogen generator, and the gas is very hot and will contain oxygen as well. So all 3 components of fire are present, and with hydrogens explosive range of 4 to 75 percent it can and has spontaneously exploded if stuff isn't right. Most engine conversions utilize the vacuum of the engine to suck the fuel through the gasifer and other components, so not only will leaks be undetectable they will be introducing even more oxygen into the gas stream, making an explosion far more likely. Unlike propane or natural gas it contains no odorant to warn you of leaks, so it's a poisonous fuel gas that you cannot detect with your senses. If you feel unqualified to attempt something like this with natural gas or propane you aren't ready to try this either. There's a ton of people on YouTube and stuff showing some of this stuff, and a large portion of which know just enough to kill themselves. People filling bladders with it, building compressors with parts salvaged from refrigerators, etc. so don't do dumb stuff like that.
Up first is the fema gasifier, literally the govs contingency plan if oil stops.
Next is a really good site on the matter, geared towards converting existing vehicles to woodgas. Most of the information out there being used by people doing this as a hobby currently can be found on his site, and it's a great starting resource.
Home | Drive On Wood!
www.driveonwood.com
As is predictable adapting an internal combustion engine to run on a tar containing gas is not without its problems, and can definitely lead to engine failure. The incoming gas is hot, has fines entrained that can sandblast parts and ruin bearings when it contaminates the oil, so you will likely be working on whatever you try this on, and may destroy it. You will be needing to add and likely fabricate components such as coolers and filters to get the gas suitable for running in an engine, so there's a bit of a skill level you'll need before attempting this. As i learned more i wanted to run internal combustion engines less and less, and started looking into other external combustion heat engines more and more, like Stirling engines, steam engines, and turbines, which is the longer lasting alternative from what I've read, and what's commonly used in practice.
If you are looking for using it for heat tho it's a far easier endeavor, and stuff like the tars won't matter. At the beginning of the industrial revolution before electricity all sorts of gas appliances were in vogue, and was powered with producer gas, natural gas was flared off at the wells because it was considered too costly to pipe all the way to the end consumer, obviously that changed dramatically as time went on. So when you're reading about gas lights and stuff, this is exactly what it was burning.
Producer gas and wood gas are the same thing btw, it's basically using heat to break down the longer hydrocarbons into hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and co2. Depending on the type of gasifer it's often hot enough to even crack the tars, and will even separate water into its elements. The feedstock can be anything carbon based that will burn, but in practice the fuel needs be be able to be fed evenly, some are prone to clumping and bridging, which can create hazardous situations and poor gas quality. I have several engineering books like this one that I'll post later when i have a bit more time to go through them a bit again, this one goes into depth on designing furnaces to run on producer gas for different industrial processes.
Producer Gas Fired Furnaces: Detailed Descriptions and Illustrations of Practical Producer Gas-fired Furnaces of the Chemical, Metal, Metallurgical, Iron, Steel, Lime, Cement, Glass, Brick and Ceramic Industries by Oskar Nagel - Books on Google Play
Producer Gas Fired Furnaces: Detailed Descriptions and Illustrations of Practical Producer Gas-fired Furnaces of the Chemical, Metal, Metallurgical, Iron, Steel, Lime, Cement, Glass, Brick and Ceramic Industries - Ebook written by Oskar Nagel. Read this book using Google Play Books app on your...
