Char-Gas Has Greater Value Than for Cooking: Example of C2P Char-Gasifiers

Transcription

1 Char-Gas Has Greater Value Than for Cooking: Example of C2P Char-Gasifiers A Presentation at the 2017 ETHOS Conference in Seattle-Kirkland, WA, USA January 2017 Gary Gilmore Forester in Pennsylvania Paul S. Anderson PhD, aka Dr TLUD (Tee-lud ) psanders@ilstu.edu

2 Charcoal burns cleanly because the messy tars, etc. were removed from the biomass when the charcoal was being made. Charcoal cookstoves are quite clean when referring to avoiding soot and tars onto the pots. Charcoal burning is associated with CO (carbon monoxide) as a dangerous gas. Traditional charcoal making is HIGHLY wasteful of about 2/3rds of the energy in wood. Char-gas is essentially combustible CO. It has many uses.

3 Energy yield from Charcoal 1 kg of char can result in approx. 1 kwh. In Deganga, India, 12,000 households produce 10,000 kg/day of char while cooking on the pyrolytic gases from TLUD stoves. 10,000 kg of charcoal could yield 10 MWh of electricity.

4 C2P Char to Power Charcoal Gasifier By Gilmore and Anderson

5 Char-gasifier powering a small tractor. By Bruce Southerland, NH

6 Ideal for a conversion to char-gas power

7 Components of a C2P char-gasifier system

8 C2P Char-gasifier

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10 Operating time is extended with greater capacity for charcoal in the fuel chamber.

11 TLUD gasifier stoves create good quality charcoal as a co-product appropriate for use in char-gasifiers to produce engine-quality gases.

12 Additional documentation is available from Gilmore and Anderson. Charcoal gasifier Air inlet assembly: 4 by 4 plate steel 16 gauge 1 3/8 hole in center (4) 3/16 inch holes ½ from the edge. Curve the plate to a 7 radius. 1 npt merchant nipple (4) #10 x32 X1/2 screws Gas outlet assembly: 4 by 4 plate steel 16 gauge 1 3/8 hole in center (4) 3/16 inch holes ½ from the edge. Curve the plate to a 7 radius. 1 npt merchant nipple (4) #10 x32 X1/2 screws 1 black iron pipe, 6 long and threaded on both ends 1 black iron elbow 16 to 18 gauge sheet metal disk 8 to 13 in diameter with one inch hole in center (diffuser plate) Lid assembly: Lid with gasket that fits gasifier top with 5/16 hole drilled in the center.x 1 8 to 12 diameter steel plate 1/8 thick with 5/16 diameter hole drilled in the center 5/16 bolt 4 long. 1 X 1 light weight tubing 16 long. Drill a 5/16 hole in the center then two ¼ holes 7 1//2 away from the center hole. Char 2 Power

13 Air inlet pipe This is a short section of 1 iron pipe that is located inside the reactor and screwed into the air inlet coupling. This pipe should extend between 1/3 to 2/5 of the way into the reactor. I To increase the longevity of this nozzle, you can use a stainless steel pipe or wrap the end of the iron pipe with a tube made from stainless steel sheet metal. For the more ambitious, the nozzle can Gas exit This fixture is a plate with a short 1 pipe welded or threaded in. It is attached to the top of the reactor to allow charcoal gas to exit. It is screwed on and sealed with RTV silicone gas Gas Filter This unit is must trap any charcoal dust that comes from the reactor. It must be air tight and contain a filter material that can catch fine dust. I have had good success using open cell foam rubber. It Engine gas intake The IC engine must have an adapter made to attach the gas hose to the air intake. This is usually done by removing the air filter and fabricating a plate to bolt on. The gas hose from the filter is atta Engine exhaust return The IC engine must have an adapter made to take some of the exhaust gas to the air inlet. This will require removal of the muffler and making an adapter to fit a 1 pipe. A T is also installed and f Exhaust return line This return line takes the exhaust gas from the engine to the air inlet. The exhaust gas is hot so metal pipe is used to move it to the air inlet. 1 ½ flexible automotive exhaust pipe works well for this Exhaust control valve This valve is attached to a 1 NPT T on the air inlet and controls the amount of exhaust gas going into the reactor. It is best to use a ball or gate valve. The exhaust return line is attached to the o Operational procedure The Simple-Fire has no start up fan to bring it up to working temperature. Therefore the engine must be started on gasoline to create the movement of air into the air inlet so the charcoal can be lit a Fill the reactor with charcoal, fasten the lid on the reactor and attach all hoses. THIS NEXT STEP IS DANGEROUS IF YOU DO IT WRONG. THERE WILL BE AN EXPLOSION IF YOU PUT THE G Open the air mixture valve about half-way. Using a small squeeze bottle squirt about a teaspoon of gasoline into the valve opening. NOTE: THIS VALVE CONTROLS THE AIR/CHARCOAL GAS M UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES PLACE ANY FLAMMABLE LIQUIDS IN THE REACTOR OR THE INLET INTO THE REACTOR. IF YOU DO, THE POSSIBILITY OF AN EXPLOSION IS NEARLY Open the engine throttle and pull start the engine and until it runs. As the gasoline in the pipe is used up, the engine will start to die and you will need to give it another squirt of gasoline to keep runn Once the engine is running on charcoal gas, you will need to adjust the air mixture valve by listening to the engine as you open and close the valve. The setting where the engine runs best is what y Exhaust gas regulation Once the engine is running on charcoal gas, it is time to open the valve that allows engine exhaust gas to enter the oxidation zone. While watching the glow of charcoal through the air inlet, open th This is caused by the carbon dioxide and water vapor in the engine exhaust absorbing heat as they get broken down into carbon monoxide and hydrogen. How much should this valve be opened w Running the Simple-Fire With the charcoal gas/air mixture valve set, you mostly leave it alone. I find myself checking it from time to time, but rarely make much of an adjustment. If you idle the engine down, you may need The reactor is refilled after the engine is turned off. Remove the lid to the reactor and dump in more charcoal. There is a slight possibility of the charcoal gas in the reactor igniting. If it does, do not Shutting down the Simple-Fire Charcoal is noted for its ability to retain fire for hours, if not days. The only way to shut down the Simple-Fire is to exclude all the oxygen. This is done by screwing a plug into the air inlet T and clo Problems It is not a perfect world and here are a few detractors to using the Simple-Fire. Charcoal is black and dusty. It is not a neat, clean fuel. You will get dirty with charcoal. This unit has no bells or whistles. This is a bare bones charcoal gasifier. A starting fan would be nice and if anyone is making a reasonably priced hand operated suction fan, let us know. Charcoal gas contains moisture and therefore will cause rust inside any steel parts. The reactor and filter canister are expendables. When they develop holes, move the reusable components to a n You cannot go down to your local store and get the type of charcoal you need for this reactor. Some how you will have to get it and my hope is you make it. Run time on charcoal will depend on the size of engine you run, the amount of charcoal located above the reduction zone and the density of the charcoal. My little Honda 5.5hp will run the log splitte