Author Topic: Wood Gasifer Kit Now Offered  (Read 100345 times)

mkdutchman

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Re: Wood Gasifer Kit Now Offered
« Reply #30 on: December 03, 2008, 12:38:30 PM »
SteveU,
Thanks for that information, very interesting indeed.

SteveU.

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Re: Wood Gasifer Kit Now Offered
« Reply #31 on: December 19, 2008, 09:52:39 PM »
Hello All

Jim Mason has just released assembly intructions for his GEK gasifier design at:

http://gekgasifier.pbwiki.com

Marcus could you view and comment on this please.

Reguards
SteveU.
« Last Edit: June 04, 2009, 06:27:54 PM by SteveU. »
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mbryner

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Re: Wood Gasifer Kit Now Offered
« Reply #32 on: December 20, 2008, 07:42:01 AM »
Hi SteveU. and everyone else,

Those instructions are great!  I already see missteps when I put it together: need more weatherstripping in places I didn't know needed it.   Hmm, guess I'll have to take apart what I started last month and recheck.   Unfortunately, Jim and gang have not posted the first-run startup instructions yet.   And the wiki pages are for a GEK 2.0, which has a few new designs compared to my 1.0 version.   When you get the parts, it will all make perfect sense.   Have you asked Jim Mason recently about the status of your kit?  Maybe they got the new version started and wanted to do a run of GEK 2.0's instead of the old version.

My new plan for the GEK will be using it for all day runs of well pumping via the Listeroid. 

Marcus
JKson/Powersolutions 6/1, 7.5 kw ST head, propane canister muffler, future off-gridder

"Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." Benjamin Franklin, 1775

oliver90owner

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Re: Wood Gasifer Kit Now Offered
« Reply #33 on: December 20, 2008, 09:07:15 AM »
SteveU.

was recently at least 30% covered by forests. It can be again.

I like your optimism, but I am afraid it is ungrounded.  Like - where are you going to put the extra ten billion people when our energy supply is overground rather than underground?  The tropical rainforests have been depleted for agriculture for food (among other reasons).  Where are you proposing growing enough food for all these extra mouths (and their animals)?

Until mankind realises the need to stop raping te Earth, for the 'benefit' of mankind, and reduces the population to a manageable level your ideals and aspirations will count for nothing.

That is my simple opinion of the subject.  Sooner or later mankind will exterminate the species, as we know it, from the planet Earth.  Or some other unforeseen(?) calamity will befall the Earth and cull the population to a sensible level.  As I see it future populations will look on our part of history as the era when mankind spoiled the Earth and destroyed/exterminated such a large part of the rest of the Animalia and Plantae kingdoms.

Regards, RAB

SteveU.

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Re: Wood Gasifer Kit Now Offered
« Reply #34 on: December 20, 2008, 07:20:53 PM »
Good Morning

Hi Marcus. Good to hear.

RAB when the human population crashes, as it will, the forests and grass lands will self generate. This is evident in parts of the world now, eg: New England farm land and the and the Chernobel (sp) abandoned lands. Humans as a species are  in with the wolves, coyotes, deer, canines and cats, ect. We are all supremely adaptable.  It is the specialized fragile species that die out. Read your natural history for the last 50-100,000 years; no matter what natural or man made catastrophes all of these wide spread adaptable smart species have survived and then thrived when conditions favored.
My comment was directed to a group of people here on the forum who as individuals have taken it upon themselves to take responsibility NOW for their own destinies and prepare  for a sustainable future.
My wife and I have no blood children. We are in this for the species.
Those who try and claim doom and gloom for the human race are manipulators and thieves and should be ignored for your own peace of mind and self-worth. They are no different then any of the priests and shamans of the past working you for their own self-gain.

All my own opinions
SteveU.
« Last Edit: June 04, 2009, 06:30:25 PM by SteveU. »
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mbryner

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Re: Wood Gasifer Kit Now Offered
« Reply #35 on: January 11, 2009, 11:07:28 PM »
hey SteveU,

I got an e-mail from Jim Mason a day or 2 ago saying he was up in Northern Oregon/Southern Washington visiting family.   Did he bring you your GEK?  He asked if I wanted help setting mine up and said he would be coming through here this weekend.   I wrote him back but he hasn't written back yet. 

Marcus
JKson/Powersolutions 6/1, 7.5 kw ST head, propane canister muffler, future off-gridder

"Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." Benjamin Franklin, 1775

SteveU.

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Re: Wood Gasifer Kit Now Offered
« Reply #36 on: January 12, 2009, 03:06:14 AM »
Hey back Marcus

If you are able I think you should try and work with him on set up and first smoke. Then you can be the "local" expert.
 I would probably be able to day trip to your location for a handshake and congratulations if possible.

Best to the expanded family. Five more and you can refinance your own Social Security.
SteveU.
« Last Edit: June 04, 2009, 06:32:41 PM by SteveU. »
Use it up. Wear it out. Make Do, or Do Without.
 Electrodyne 12vdc. AC MeccAlte 8.5kw
John Deere 950 w/Yammar 3cyl IDI; Peterson 21" sawmill w/20hp Kohler v-twin; four Stilh chainsaws,  Stilh weedeaters; various Kohler, Onan, Honda, Briggs, Tecumseh singles.

SteveU.

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Re: Wood Gasifer Kit Now Offered
« Reply #37 on: January 12, 2009, 09:05:55 PM »
Hello all

Here is a tid bit the was posted by Benjamin Domingo and expanded on by a GF on the "Sabatier Process" in the Gasification Lists forum.
Paul Sabatier was a French chemist 1854-1941 who won the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1912 for his work in "The Method of Direct Hydrogenation by Catalysis"
In his Nobel Society lecture at

http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/1912/sabatier-lecture.html

he descibes how when certain organic hydrocarbons were exposed to a nickel catalyst under relatively low pressures and temperatures he was able to produce liquids that resembled "Pennsylvanium petroleum", "Baku petoleum", and "Rumanium petroleum" along with high calorific gasses.
His paper is long but well worth a careful reading.
In section II. paragraph (5) . . .hydrogenation action exerted by nickel on CARBON MONOXIDE/DIOXIDE can be used. . . for the production of Methane. . .
Unfortunately my high school chemistry doesn't allow me to fully appreciate his work.

Hey "Nickel City" Doug, is this what sparked you interest in chemistry?

Regards to All
SteveU.
« Last Edit: January 12, 2009, 09:09:36 PM by SteveU. »
Use it up. Wear it out. Make Do, or Do Without.
 Electrodyne 12vdc. AC MeccAlte 8.5kw
John Deere 950 w/Yammar 3cyl IDI; Peterson 21" sawmill w/20hp Kohler v-twin; four Stilh chainsaws,  Stilh weedeaters; various Kohler, Onan, Honda, Briggs, Tecumseh singles.

Doug

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Re: Wood Gasifer Kit Now Offered
« Reply #38 on: January 16, 2009, 11:35:14 PM »
No but it was a movie from 1980 called the Formula.

You want nickel plenty of it in my blood and bones  WML ( weak meloncholic laugh )

There is a product out of Finland right now being imported to Canada called Aspen 2t and 4t.
These are synthetic 2 and 4 cycle gasoline replacements fuels made from natural gas using FT.
They also have a diesel fuel made the same way....

Doug
It's a Good Life, If You Don't Weaken

mbryner

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Re: Wood Gasifer Kit Now Offered
« Reply #39 on: February 23, 2009, 06:37:23 AM »
OK, SteveU. and I collaborated today and attempted to create woodgas from my GEK system.   We succeeded, sortof.   It made woodgas, but we need more operator training it would seem.   The flame was not very pure, more orange-red than we wanted, instead of blue.  But, it works!!!   We resisted the urge to stick in smoke in the air input stream of my 6/1.   See pics:




« Last Edit: February 23, 2009, 06:39:01 AM by mbryner »
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SteveU.

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Re: Wood Gasifer Kit Now Offered
« Reply #40 on: February 25, 2009, 06:17:37 AM »
OK all. To clarify the pictures Marcus posted: he's the young vigorous fellow holding the blue gas supply hose and I'm the tired looking old white haired man with the bucket of chunked oak pallet wood.
We got burnable gas production ten minutes after light off and the smoky red yellow flames did turn into a clean motor grade blue hydrogen blue flame that lasted for another twelve minutes then we lost flammability. We inspected and found we had consumed the majority of the initial 2 liter/1kg fuel charge.
We recharged with wood block fuel and the same sequence occurred but with a shorter time duration. This time the problem proved to be bridging of the fuel blocks creating a burnt out hollow space. Knocked that down with a poker and reloaded with another 2 liter/1kg fuel charge. This time when the burnable gas stopped Marcus was able to reestablish it by rotating and shaking the burner/ash grate. We kept up this trial and error operator training discovery process for two hours and consumed the 18 liters of prepared wood.
Lessons learned:
Marcus is right:  we needed to install the 20 gallon/90 liter fuel hopper so we could have a continuous fuel supply.
Marcus  wants to add a fuel stirring device;  I want to try engine shaking to settle the fuel - it  WILL need something.
It WILL also need some type or motor works to rotate the grate timed intermittently or rotated slowly.
A full hopper load should last about 5 hours.

Later
SteveU.

« Last Edit: June 04, 2009, 06:36:20 PM by SteveU. »
Use it up. Wear it out. Make Do, or Do Without.
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SteveU.

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Re: Wood Gasifer Kit Now Offered
« Reply #41 on: February 28, 2009, 03:58:56 PM »
Second thoughts

Now having fired up Marcus's GEK I can see this gasifier or any gasifier is still going to be very operator dependant. There are still many variables in fuel type, size and moister stacked onto the engine variables of single/multiple cylinders, RPM, and load that have to be accounted for. Any gasifier will have to be specific purpose adapted. And then still need in useage adjustements.
Biodiesel making will force you to be a chemist/pipefitter. Looking at steam engine operators in the past few years shows me they really need to be a machinists and an equipment operator. Gasification is going to require a mechanics and equipment operators outlook. Fits me.

Just like here;  some of the wood gasification guys are using a very math, science, engineering approach, and others like me, need to baseline learn by look/seeing, hearing, touching/feeling, smelling and even occasionally tasting everything ( but, only when DOCTOR Marcus isn't watching - a little matter of PAHs and HEs ).

I know you guys; after the engine hype and found India sand, you aren't going to believe anything less than a 500 hour engine running experience. This is good. This should be a minimum.


In the meantime, here is the very best short explanation about gasification I've read yet.
Oh yeah, those pesky PAHs and HEs are explained in here.

http://www.distributeddesign.net/tiki-index.php?page=Gasification

Enjoy
SteveU.
« Last Edit: June 04, 2009, 06:44:55 PM by SteveU. »
Use it up. Wear it out. Make Do, or Do Without.
 Electrodyne 12vdc. AC MeccAlte 8.5kw
John Deere 950 w/Yammar 3cyl IDI; Peterson 21" sawmill w/20hp Kohler v-twin; four Stilh chainsaws,  Stilh weedeaters; various Kohler, Onan, Honda, Briggs, Tecumseh singles.

SteveU.

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Re: Wood Gasifer Kit Now Offered
« Reply #42 on: April 02, 2009, 04:49:28 PM »
A GEK owner named Bruce Chovnick in Florida USA posted a YouTube vidio of his system successfully running a 5kw genset:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?V=LwJF_hQJcTY        or search out the    PlanetGreenSolutions GEK    vidio
He's had his since December and has been in operator training and system development to run his pine shavings/horse manure fuel. Shows the importance of operator experience and having a truely dry fuel. What Marcus and I used later measured out as 17-22% moister.
Enjoy
SteveU.

June 2009 Edit: turns out the good gas results achieved were with dry ice in his supplementary coolers. Not something a fella' is likely to have on the Day After or if off grid.
S. U.
« Last Edit: June 04, 2009, 06:49:31 PM by SteveU. »
Use it up. Wear it out. Make Do, or Do Without.
 Electrodyne 12vdc. AC MeccAlte 8.5kw
John Deere 950 w/Yammar 3cyl IDI; Peterson 21" sawmill w/20hp Kohler v-twin; four Stilh chainsaws,  Stilh weedeaters; various Kohler, Onan, Honda, Briggs, Tecumseh singles.

mobile_bob

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Re: Wood Gasifer Kit Now Offered
« Reply #43 on: April 02, 2009, 05:09:11 PM »
hmmm horsecrap?

well if it will run on horse, it should work on bullcrap!

get yours hookedup and drag it over here,, there is lots of bullcrap in and around this place

:)

thanks for the link steve
pretty cool unit he has there.

bob g
otherpower.com, microcogen.info, practicalmachinist.com
(useful forums), utterpower.com for all sorts of diy info

SteveU.

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Re: Wood Gasifer Kit Now Offered
« Reply #44 on: April 08, 2009, 09:12:00 PM »
Ha!Ha! I can appreciate the sentiment Mobile Bob. Problem is here on the wet side of the Cascades bull/cow, pig shits are all too wet and soupy to burn. If you have enough of it much better to build a digester and make methane, which unlike woodgas; CAN BE bagged or compressed and stored.

Regards
SteveU.
« Last Edit: June 04, 2009, 06:51:56 PM by SteveU. »
Use it up. Wear it out. Make Do, or Do Without.
 Electrodyne 12vdc. AC MeccAlte 8.5kw
John Deere 950 w/Yammar 3cyl IDI; Peterson 21" sawmill w/20hp Kohler v-twin; four Stilh chainsaws,  Stilh weedeaters; various Kohler, Onan, Honda, Briggs, Tecumseh singles.