Wood Gas

[lailr]

I saw this the other night on the colony..............is it for real?

[pathfinder3081]

yeah it for real. Skowl's wife posted the plans and specs on it a few months ago. I think that it is a little more complicated than that used on the show, but it can be done. Look for Skowl's wife post or I think that she listed again on the "colony" thread.

[Diesel]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wood_gas_generator

With rising oil prices, wood gas generators are generating a renewed interest. The US Federal Emergency Management Administration published a book, Construction of a Simplified Wood Gas Generator for Fueling Internal Combustion Engines in a Petroleum Emergency,[2] in March 1989, describing a different design called the "stratified downdraft gasifier". It solves several drawbacks of earlier types.

The FEMA wood gas generator is (by definition of the FEMA manual) an emergency gasifier. It is designed to be rapidly assembled in a true fuel crisis. While this simplified design and departure from the standard European design does have some distinct benefits (ease of refueling and construction), it also has a host of new problems.



Advantages

* They can be used to run internal-combustion engines (or even gas turbines, for maximal efficiency) using wood, a renewable resource, and in the absence of petroleum or natural gas, for example, during a fuel shortage.
* They have a closed carbon cycle, do not contribute to global warming, and are sustainable in nature.
* They can be relatively easily fabricated in a crisis using materials on hand.
* They are far cleaner burning than, say, a wood fire or even a gasoline-powered engine is (without emissions controls), producing little if any soot.
* When used in a stationary design, they reach their true potential, as they are feasible to use in small combined heat and power scenarios (with heat recovery from the wood gas producer, and possibly the engine/generator, for example, to heat water for hydronic heating), even in industrialized countries, even during good economic times, provided that a sufficient supply of wood is attainable. Larger-scale installations can reap even better efficiencies, and are useful for district heating as well.

[edit] Disadvantages

The disadvantages of wood gas generators are their large size, relatively slow starting speed, and batch burning operation, that some designs feature. Also, one of the primary combustible fuel-gasses produced during gasification is Carbon monoxide: it is an intentional fuel-product, and is subsequently burned to safe carbon dioxide in the engine (or other application) along with the other fuel-gases; however, continuous exposure to carbon-monoxide can be fatal to humans even in small to moderate concentrations.

[edit] Safety

When not carefully designed and used, there exists considerable potential for injury or death due to wood gas containing a large percentage of poisonous carbon monoxide (CO) gas. Wood gasifiers of proven design and thoroughly tested construction are considered safe to use outdoors, or in a partially enclosed space, for example, under a shelter open to the air on two sides; they may also be considered relatively safe to use in an extremely well-ventilated (e.g. negative pressure) indoor area not connected to any indoor area used for sleeping, equipped with redundant (more than 1), completely independent, battery-powered, regularly-tested carbon-monoxide detectors. However, prudence must dictate that any sort of experimental wood gasifier design or new construction be thoroughly tested outdoors, and only outdoors, with a "buddy" at all times, and with constant vigilance for any sign of headache, drowsiness, or nausea, as these are the first symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning.

In addition, mixtures of excessive quantities of air and gas should be avoided as this could lead to the deflagration (explosion) of the gas in question if a combustion source is present. Long-term storage of wood-gas, except through the use of a gasholder-type water-displacement apparatus, should not be attempted, due to the volatile elements present in the gas, which, if allowed to excessively precipitate, will condense in the storage vessel. Under no circumstances should wood-gas ever be compressed to more than 15 psi above ambient, as this may induce condensation of volatiles, as well as lead to the likelihood of severe injury or death due to carbon monoxide or deflagration if the vessel leaks or fails.

[Skyowl's Wife]

yeah it for real. Skowl's wife posted the plans and specs on it a few months ago. I think that it is a little more complicated than that used on the show, but it can be done. Look for Skowl's wife post or I think that she listed again on the "colony" thread.

http://xcolony.com/x/showthread.php?t=2577

:)