Department of energy under contract deac0500or22725. The process begins by burning a small amount of fuel very intensely and with insufficient oxygen to complete combustion. Ill provide an estimate on fuel consumption for a good wood gas engine system, assuming it operates at an optimal rate for good efficiency. There are two eu directives on emissions related to these two fuel types, one regarding large boilers burning solid, liquid and gaseous fuels, thus including. Operation and maintenance manual southeastern equipment. Formulation a is a low cost, zonecoated gasoline engine catalyst used in some propane applications formulation b is a natural gas engine catalyst with platinum, that is reported to improve sulfur tolerance the two formulations represent relative extremes in emissions control demand gasoline easier, natural gas more difficult. Wood gas consists roughly of 50 percent nitrogen, 20 percent carbon monoxide, 18 percent hydrogen, 8 percent carbon dioxide and 4 percent methane.
Fuel system overview below is an overview of fuel system operation the fuel system overview the purpose of the fuel system is to provide a mixture of fuel and air to the engine of the car. Gasification running engines on wood northern self. Turn wood into free motor fuel with a wood gasifier reader contribution by ben peterson, reinvent the world. Secure your homestead with the ability to make fuel on demand in minutes. Fuel gas, produced by the reduction of coal and peat, was used for heating as early as. I want to know, or make sure if it is possible, for me to make a generator from an old carbureted engine 1971 model year that can run on wood gas from various sources of biofuel and then also run it normally with gasoline. The hot carbon dioxide then flows through a charcoal bed and is reduced to carbon monoxide, a flammable gas. Wood gas for mobile applications available updated gasifier manual, which describes the latest innovations in wood gas technology for english speaking wood gas enthusiasts. For pictures and details about select projects including links to find references and more information see the. Wood gas for heat and electricity energy forum at permies. A chart identifiying the different types of fuel systems used by engine model can be found in the back of this manual. Wood gas is a syngas fuel which can be used as a fuel for furnaces, stoves and vehicles in place of petrol, diesel or other fuels. Motorists could slash that figure by lowing the compression ratio, and they could also offset the power loss by fitting a shorter rear gear.
Gas cleaning in flue gas from combustion of biomass. The manual points out that wood gaspowered cars were bestsuited. However, gasifiers used to collect and condense wood gas for immediate use may prove valuable as a future alternative fuel source. Wood gas and propane are both delivered to the carbureator as a gas, instead of as a liquid as is gasoline, so this phase of the conversion is focused on getting the engine modified to where it can run off either a liquid fuel or some kind of gaseous fuel such as propane, hydrogen or woodgas. Though i refuse to grow a beard or get a body piercing. From gasoline to gasification, or why we dont power. The wood gas can then be filtered for tars and sootash particles, cooled and directed to an engine or fuel cell. The efforts to find a sustainable replacement for gasoline precede the term emobility that currently d. Reciprocating engine or gas turbine with heat recovery. Wood gas contains a high level of impurities including carbon dioxide and nitrogen. Department of energy industrial technologies program prepared by oak ridge national laboratory oak ridge, tennessee 37831 managed by utbattelle, llc for the u. I dont what the setup would entail that would allow me to run both fuels, and how quickly i could change the fuel source.
When building a wood gas carburetor special care should be taken to prevent water from condensing as soon as cool ambient air is introduced to wood gas that has steam at the dew point, ready to condense. In an updraft gasifier, wood enters the gasification chamber from above, falls onto a grate and forms a fuel pile. The diesel and gas engine power stations also suit regional power. Wood gas as engine fuel food and agriculture organization of the. Chapter 2 small wood and charcoal gasifiers for operation of internal combustion engines. The process of biomass gasification with a downstream gas engine targets especially. Diy gasoline and diesel from wood and trash musings from. Read on for tips and links to learn how to make your own woodpowered pickup truck, with videos of the woodpowered pickup truck in action and a. Run an engine with the gek how to do wood gas conversions for gasoline, diesel, and propanenatural gas engines with the gek gasifier.
W hat is a fuel used for fuels are mostly used as convenient energy stores because of their high specific energy release when burnt with omnipresent ambient air or other specific oxidiser. The purpose of the report was to develop detailed, illustrated instructions for the fabrication, installation, and operation of a biomass gasifier unit i. This was adapted by the gas engine industry from petroleum reciprocating engine technology and compared unknown gaseous fuels with liquid reference fuels. Click here for an 86k jpg image of a wood gas generator equipped kubelwagen and type 60 beetle fuel shortages during wwii prompted searches for alternative fuels in england, germany, scandinavia and many other countries. Quadsyear hope this manual will help the reader to put this. Liquefied petroleum gas lpg combustion boilers use processes similar to those of natural gas combustion. Liquid petroleum gas consists of propane, propylene, butane, and butylenes. A gas engine is an internal combustion engine that runs on a gaseous fuel, such as coal gas, producer gas, biogas, landfill gas or natural gas. The composition of wood gas and the necessary fueltoair combustion ratio make storing wood gas uneconomical. Engine running on wood gas from home made wood gasifier. After the energy crisis of the late 1970s, mother earth news revisited wood gas as a homegrown fuel option.
During the production process biomass or other carboncontaining materials are gasified within the oxygenlimited environment of a wood. As the engine creates a vacuum in the generator, air and superheated steam are drawn into the hearth ring through a 2 coupling welded to the side of the hearth. The syngas, also known as producer gas in biomass circles, exits the top of the chamber. Fuels and combustion bureau of energy efficiency 1 syllabus introduction to fuels, properties of fuel oil, coal and gas, storage, handling and preparation of fuels, principles of combustion, combustion of oil, coal, and gas this chapter is a prelude to boilers and furnaces 1. Gasification is the process of taking dry biomass or coal and turning it into a flammable gaseous fuel. D08 state of the art description european commission. Development and test of a new concept for biomass producer gas. Turn wood branches into a free fuel called wood gas and power electric generators, even during grid downshtf. The purpose of this report is to develop detailed, illustrated instructions for the fabrication, installation, and operation of a biomass gasifier unit that is, a producer gas generator, also called a wood gas generator which is capable of providing emergency fuel for vehicles, such as tractors and trucks, in the event that normal. For fueling internal combustion engines in a petroleum emergency lafontaine, h, zimmerman, f p, federal emergency management agency on. Furthermore, the use of wood gas limits the output of the combustion engine, which means that the speed and acceleration of the converted car are cut. The book includes detailed drawings of most recent wood gas powered cars and necessary information for engine tuneup including supercharging. Air enters from below the grate and flows up through the fuel pile.
Biomass combined heat and power catalog of technologies u. Wood gas works well as an alternative fuel source if used immediately rather than stored in tanks. He has driven more than 110,000 km on wood gas over the past 15 years, and has encouraged many drivers in finland to build their own wood gas fuel systems. Beyond this concentration, the material may be considered as a fuel. The jet engine fuel system usually includes an emergency system to supply fuel to the engine in case of main system failure. Wood gas wizard green transportation mother earth news. When a gasifier is sized to the correct engine, using the charts in the book, then this isnt a problem.
The airfuel mixture must be in proportion to the speed and load placed on the engine. Texts on different aspects of wood gasification, prepared by specialists, are the basis of this publication. For a new stove to be accepted it must fit the fuel supply, cooking practices, construction methods and commercial infrastructure of each country. Have you fired up the flare and adjusted the results until you get a clean gas. Heres a very simple method to make your first woodgas carburetor. Vesa mikkonen is chairman of the association of ecological motorists in finland. Simply bolting a wood gas generator onto the back of a car reduced the engine s output by up to 40 percent.
How to save fuel costs with a woodpowered pickup truck. The gasification of coal and carbon containing fuels and the use of the gas as fuel in internal combustion engines is a technology which has been utilized for more than a century. Survey of modern power plants driven by diesel and gas engines. Therefore, it must be possible to make a variety of stoves and requires understanding of the basic mechanisms of gasification and combustion of. In a bottoming cycle chp system, also referred to as waste heat to power, fuel is first used. When running on wood gas, the engine draws the fuel gas, a mixture of h2, co and inert n2 from the generator, into the intake manifold, and from there, into the engine. For fueling internal combustion engines in a petroleum emergency. Swedish energy agency report small scale gasification. The gasification of biomass with downstream gas engine conversion of the producer gas into power and heat offers a technical possibility for the provision of combined heat and power chp from renewable energy sources in the sense of cogeneration plants. Construction of a simplified wood gas generator for fueling. United states environmental protection agency general air. We had heard from several readers whod built their own wood gasifiers. Biomass combined heat and power catalog of technologies. The three grades of lpg used as heating fuels are commercialgrade propane, engine fuelgrade propane also known as hd5 propane, and commercialgrade butane.
Table of conversion factors and symbols used in this manual. From gasoline to gasification, or why we dont power cars with wood today ronan glon on jan 22nd, 2017 at 8. In wood gas as engine fuel fao presents a summary of modern wood gasification technology and the economics of its application to internal combustion engines. Guide to combined heat and power systems for boiler. The most complete wood gasification course on earth. Have you welded and painted and properly assembled the gek gasifier. As a new user it is recommended you use an old engine to practice with while you learn the art of being a wood gas operator.
More elaborate methods are always possible, but this will get you started quick and easy. So, much or most of the wood fuel consumed can be used for a traditional furnace, and this means wood splits. Combined heat and power technology fact sheet series. Most of these engines have strict purity requirements of the wood gas, so the gas often has to pass through extensive gas cleaning in order to remove or convert, i. Pdf effect of woodgas composition on performance and. Wood gas as engine fuel, mechanical wood products branch, forest. Gum inhibitors used in military gas turbine fuels are the same as those used for military aviation.
Construction of a simplified wood gas generator for fueling internal combustion engines in a petroleum emergency by. During the production process biomass or other carboncontaining materials are gasified within the oxygenlimited environment of a wood gas generator to produce hydrogen and carbon monoxide. Wood gas is a syngas fuel which can be used as a fuel for furnaces, stoves and vehicles in place of gasoline, diesel or other fuels. To learn more about biochar, intentional charcoal in soil, and participate in the main discussion on the biochar terra preta yahoo group. Handbook of biomass downdraft gasifier engine systems nrel. A wood gas generator is a gasification unit which converts timber or charcoal into wood gas, a syngas consisting of atmospheric nitrogen, carbon monoxide, hydrogen, traces of methane, and other gases, which after cooling and filtering can then be used to power. Pdf this paper reports experimental and developmental studies on wood gas generators meant for running 5 hp diesel engines in irrigation. Tar occurs when wood oils arent completely turned into wood gas and end up in the engine valve stems as creosote. Chp can increase operational efficiency and decrease energy costs, while reducing the. Construction of a simplified wood gas generator for. Wood gas generator for fuelinginternal combustion engines in a petroleu,i emergency ch. Caution to reduce the chance of personal injury andor property damage, the following instructions must be carefully observed. Fema gasifier plans 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. In the united states, due to the widespread use of gas as an abbreviation for gasoline petrol, such an engine might also be called a gaseousfueled engine or natural gas engine or spark ignited.