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Gas Wood Generator
It's
not a gas wood generator... it's fuel from water!
Introduction
How
to build a gas wood generator is one in a series of emergency
technology assessments sponsored by the United States, Federal
Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA). The purpose of the report was to develop
detailed,
illustrated instructions for the fabrication, installation, and
operation of a
biomass gasifier unit (i.e. a "producer gas" generator, also called a
"wood gas" generator) which is capable of providing fuel for vehicles,
such as tractors, cars and trucks, should normal petroleum sources be
severely
disrupted for an extended period of time. The instructions to build a
gas wood generator have been prepared
as a manual for use by any mechanically minded person who is reasonably
proficient in metal fabrication or engine repair.
Background
 Fuel
gas, produced by the reduction of coal and peat, was used for
heating as early as 1840 in Europe and by 1884 had been adapted to fuel
engines
in England. Prior to 1940, gas generator units were a familiar, but not
extensively utilized, technology. However, petroleum shortages during
World War
II led to widespread gas generator applications in the transportation
industries of Western Europe. (Charcoal burning taxis, a related
application,
were still common in Korea as late as 1970.) The United States, never
faced
with such prolonged or severe oil shortages, has lagged far behind
Europe and
the Orient in familiarity with and application of this technology.
However, a
catastrophic event could disrupt the supply of petroleum so severely
that this
technology might be critical in meeting the energy needs of some
essential economic
activities, such as the production and distribution of food.
You
might also be interested in the historical pages Electricity
from Garbage (1905) and the History
of Lighting (from an 1888 publication titled Municipal Lighting).
WARNING - the
Pdf file is large, about 9.8 megabytes. Before
downloading the Gas
Wood Generator Manual, you can view the contents below:
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INTRODUCTION
CONTENTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
S.1. PRINCIPLES OF SOLID FUEL GASIFICATION
S.2. THE STRATIFIED, DOWNDRAIFT GASIFIER
CONVERSION FACTORS FOR SI UNITS
LIST OF FIGURES
LIST OF TABLES
ABSTRACT
1. WHAT 15 A WOOD GAS GENERATOR AND HOW DOES IT WORK?
1.1.INTRODUCTION
1.2.PRINCIPLES OF SOLID FUEL GASIFICATION
1.3.BACKGROUND INFORMATION
1.3.1.The World War II, Imbert Gasifier
1.3.2.The Stratified, Downdraft Gasifier
2. BUILDING YOUR OWN WOOD GAS GENERATOR
2.1. BUILDING THE GAS GENERATOR UNIT AND THE FUEL HOPPER
2.2. BUILDING THE PRIMARY FILTER UNIT.
2.3. BUILDING THE CARBURETING UNIT WITH THE AIR AND THROTTLE CONTROLS
3. OPERATING AND MAINTAINING YOUR WOOD GAS GENERATOR
3.1. USING WOOD AS A FUEL
3.2. SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS AND ENGINE MODIFICATIONS
3.3. INITIAL START-UP PROCEDURE
3.4. ROUTINE START-UP PROCEDURE
3.5. DRIVING AND NORMAL OPERATION
3.6. SHUTTING DOWN THE GASIFIER UNIT
3.7. ROUTINE MAINTENANCE
3.7.1 Daily Maintenance
3.7.2 Weekly Maintenance (or every 15 hours of operation)
3.7.3 Biweekly Maintenance (or every 30 hours of operation)
3.8. OPERATING PROBLEMS AND TROUBLE-SHOOTING
3.9. HAZARDS ASSOCIATED WITH GASIFIER OPERATION
3.9.1. Toxic Hazards
3.9.2. Technieal Aspects of "Generator Gas, Poisoning"
3.9.3. Fire Hazard
BIBLIOGRAPHY |
Other Resources
Over the two Great Wars more than a million gasifiers were in use around the world. There were many gas wood generators used in Sweden during World WarII to run Sweden's transport vehicles. Here is a link to a document from 1942 outlining the
Källe-gasifier
(translated from Swedish and notice the front mounted gasifier). You might also be interested in the Roche (French)
wood fuel gas producer
that is now over 100 years old.
Fluidyne Gasification
is a New Zealand based company with many years experience in gasification.
Handbook of Downdraft Biomass Gasifier Engine Systems
by T. Reed and A. Das (size 9.7MB). The handbook was prepared by the Solar Energy Research unit of the US Department of Energy as an aid to farmers and mechanics who wanted to build a "home gasifier" to power generators, pumps, tractors and mills. Chapters in the book include: Principles of Gasification; Gasifier Designs; Gasifier Fabrication & Manufacture; Gasifier Fuels; Instrumentation and Control; Gas Testing; Engine Adaptation and Operation; Gasifier Systems; Safety and Environmental Factors; and Decision Making.
In
Wood Gas as Engine Fuel
the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations presents a summary of modern wood gasification technology and the economics of its application to internal combustion engines (729KB).
Biomass Gasfication
[theory and advantages] by Anil K. Rajvanshi Director, Nimbkar Agricultural Research Institute, (439KB).
go from Gas Wood Generator back to Biomass
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