Jaybird's wood gas thread

Wood gasification is a fairly simple way to convert biomass into working fuel (very similair to natural gas). We are farmers of 6 generations and my grandfather collects antique tractors. As I came to be older I asked him what was hanging off the front of several old tractors and he described it to me. Thus the wood gas journey began. We held a workshop here last year and some very famous people in the woodgas world attended (wayne keith, Mike larossa) and learned ALOT. They all use what's called a "Imbert downdraft" gasifier. Mike makes his stuff out of duct tape and bailing wire while wayne's is professional and easy on the eyes. He drove here on zero fuel from alabama and is the current holder of the world speed record for woodgas powered vehicles. Today's fuel injected engines provide automatic adjustment of timing and fuel mixture so Woodgas has came back into the spot light. Generally speaking on a small engine you simply advance your timing 15 degrees and attach the output of the reaction unit on the carb (or take the carb off entirely and use a valve to adjust fresh air mixture. I can go into a great deal of detail on construction and operation, but it would be simpler if you did a little research on the matter. Victory gas works makes a nice prebuilt unit that's pretty straight forward. The "Gek" or gasification experimenters kit is also a good one. But if your any at all handy with a welder and have alot of scrap junk laying around it's much easier (and cheaper) to build your own.

For a small engine, an air bomb, some brake rotors from a 3/4 ton chevy, a metal 35 gallon drum, 5" steel pipe, Metal conduit and pvc pipe, Some pipe fittings and furnace cement can provide you with a way to make fuel to run any small engine 20hp or lower. The engine provides vacuum to create a fire that burns at 2000 degrees F or hotter. In essence boiling the wood above instead of burning it. All the gas is then forced to go through the pyrolisis zone and breaks down tars. A simple grate(preferably stainless) provides a shaker grate for ashes which fall down into the bottom (must clean out) Once the gas is cooled and filtered down to around 130 degrees or lower you can safely put it in a gas engine. The trick is to have a hot enough zone to take out all of the tars. You will derate your engine 25% and not expect to run at high rpms.

Join the woodgas group on yahoo if you desire to learn more than I can ever teach you. I have a firm handle on it but am always tweaking things trying to determine the best restriction size and nozzle configuration and sizing. Once you've got one that don't make tar your in business. my next project will be a 66 ford f 250 to gasify.

Youtube and google woodgas. Wayne Keith is considered the king and is on youtube. He's got some footage at my house too.

If you want to get your feet wet without trashing an engine build a coal gasifier first. hint hint...