Wood gas

you already have the lowest cost system, why change? a 1500 HP unit set up to burn wood gas would have to be twice as large, I'd guess the new engine would cost about $5,000,000 and the woog gas unit another $2,000,000.

I intend to expand the system ( maybe with a smaller wood gas reciprocating engine) because in my country (Romania) the price of the natural gas increase to much. In the factory area, are many other factory who processes the wodd and I will found the raw material for the wood gasifier. So if you are so kind and of course, if you know some producers for wood gasifier especially from Europe i will appreciate.

Thank you

Florian

Does the EPA have jurisdiction in Romania?

No silly, AL Gore does.

Really, I though Bush did !

Anyway good detailing.

Wood gas being methane would seem to refute your claim

Another name for wood gas is "producer gas" if you want to search the internet.

Wood gas is composed of the following by weight: 20% hydrogen (H2), 20% carbon monoxide (CO), small amounts of methane, all of which are combustible, plus 50 to 60% Nitrogen (N2). As wood gas is burned the product of combustion is carbon dioxide (CO2) and water vapor (H2O). The major problem with wood gas generation is the production of carbon monoxide, a poisonous gas that is very lethal.

You can generate wood gas very easily using a stratified, downdraft gasifier. For the horsepower you are needing it would be very large or would have to have several smaller units. I know you can run a 160 hp engine in stationary mode off of a 14 inch by 32 inch gasification unit made out of 2 - 55 gallon barrels.

I have found that 20 pounds of dry (less than 20% moisture) wood will produce an equivalent amount of gas to equal 1 gallon of gasoline (87 octane).

This is using chips or blocks of wood. If you want there is a description of a stratified gasifier in a publication from FEMA for emergency operation of IC engines in a petroleum emergency.

Will supply link if you need it.

Your original question was about, if someone was still making them. I don't know, but, during the war (WWII) GM, Ford and Mercedes-Benz build them on the "Imbert" model. I think that there are several countries that are still using them. Korea still was running charcoal taxies in the 60's up to the early 70's. Checking in this area may give better results.

Ric

I'd love that link, thanks! Have you got one in operation?

http://www.global-greenhouse-warming.com/support-files/wood_gas_generator.pdf

This unit works. Simple and easy to manufacture. Ran a 242 CID off it last winter and as long as I kept the gas under 100 degrees f it was fine. Seemed to loose power with the temp going over 120 degrees.

Disassembled the unit and am now modifying the parts to mount on a platform built to fit the back of a jeep wrangler to test the unit on the highway. Having a little difficulty with the pmc. Keep thinking that the old mail jeep might get the project as it was not computer controlled. Trying to manufacture a mixing carb to do away with the manual valves we have used to mix the gas to air at 1:1. This works with a steady load but under the varying loads of the highway driving I would like to make it foolproof.

Will have more information as I complete the project for highway use.

20 pounds of wood on the average will have about 125,000 BTU's. But, it would make at best 30,000 BTU's worth of wood gas. That means you'd feed the gasifier 2 tons/hr of wood to run the gasifier.

The most efficient thing wood be to put a wood burning boiler in p[lace. Then when you run out of wood, you'd switch to more plentiful coal.

I have literally tons and tons of 4x4's in 48 inch lengths that are well cured. I just block them into 4x4x4 blocks and feed them into the hopper. I was using about 100 lbs per hour with the 242 CID old jeep engine running with a steady hydraulic pump load. Once it was adjusted it seemed to run just fine. The ash was reduced to a very minimum in the process. One thing you have to have is a good filter system. I used a 30 gallon drum and also a water filter unit. Then filtered the gas on mixing through an filter air box from a 2001 jeep. Worked well, the filters collect the dust that is carried out of the gasification unit. Most is stopped by the chip filter and what gets past there is stopped by the water filter. Very little makes it to the air filter boxes.

he will be running a 8000-9000 CID engine

I'd love that FEMA link if you wouldn't mind posting it, maybe FEMA's good for something after all. Thanks,

Soak softwood wood chips in water about 180 days, add water and chips to a large steel tank with inspection hatch a top. Place tank in depression about 2/3's of tank will be below surface. Depression should be about 4-5 times larger than tank. Layer in moist wood chips and other biodegradable materials around tank in depression and to a height about 8' over tank and 20' x20'. allow heat from decomposition to enable rapid production of methane from inside tank, pipe gas to compressor or directly to engine.

Can wrap tank with tubing and input cold water while outputting 160° hot water continuously about 12 months.

there are some large woodgas units for sale in the us and other countries,large,industrial scale. if they are employed with an adaption known as a monorator,they can burn high moisturegreen fresh cut wood and chips very well. i am sorry i couldnt find the links today. i may post some suppliers later if i get to look them up soon.

Thank you!

I'll waite.