Using Wood to Fuel a Generator! (How to Build a Wood Gasifier w/Demonstration)
Summary
TLDRThis video script details the construction and operation of a homemade wood gasifier, an innovative device for converting organic biomass into combustible gas. The creator explains the gasification process, emphasizing its efficiency and potential for energy generation. The script covers the design, including a burn bowl, fire tube, and cyclone filter, and demonstrates the setup's ability to power a generator using wood pellets. The video also highlights safety precautions and the importance of using dry fuel, showcasing the gasifier's practicality and sustainability.
Takeaways
- 🔧 The video describes a homemade wood gasifier, an improved version 2, designed to efficiently decompose organic material into syngas.
- 🌲 The gasifier uses various types of organic, carbonaceous biomass such as wood pellets, paper, coal, and dried leaves for gas production.
- 🔥 Gasification is a process of controlled pyrolysis, which breaks down material through heating in an oxygen-deprived environment to produce syngas.
- 🌪️ Syngas is composed mainly of hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen, with trace amounts of methane, and is produced from the leftover gases after pyrolysis.
- 🔨 The 'burn bowl' or 'shaker grate' is a crucial component of the gasifier, made from a stainless steel bowl with ventilation holes for efficient gas production.
- 📏 The diameter and length of the fire tube are essential for calculating gas production and determining the size of the engine that can be powered.
- 🔄 The gasifier includes a cyclone filter and a radiator for cooling, which helps remove water vapor, tar, and particulates from the syngas.
- 💨 A blower is necessary to pull the gas through the system and to start the gasification process, which can be powered by a 12-volt motor for convenience.
- 🔄 The gasifier must be airtight to prevent dangerous fuel-to-air mixtures that could lead to explosions, emphasizing the importance of careful construction.
- ♻️ The gasifier is designed to be self-cleaning, with the motion of the shaker grate helping to remove ash and maintain air flow.
- 🔋 The end product of the gasifier is a clean-burning syngas that can be used to power an internal combustion engine or for other applications like lighting and cooking.
Q & A
What is a wood gasifier?
-A wood gasifier is a device that uses gasification, a process of controlled pyrolysis, to break down organic carbonaceous material like wood chips into a gas that can be used for various purposes such as powering engines or for heat.
What is the main purpose of the burn bowl or shaker grate in a gasifier?
-The burn bowl or shaker grate is where the actual gasification process takes place. It holds the material for it to burn and be exposed to air, allowing for a more efficient gas production.
What type of material can be used in a wood gasifier?
-Various types of dry organic materials can be used in a wood gasifier, including wood chips, wood pellets, paper, coal, dried leaves, and dried horse manure.
What is the composition of the gas produced by a wood gasifier on average?
-The gas produced by a wood gasifier is typically composed of about 20% hydrogen, 20% carbon monoxide, and between 50 to 60% nitrogen, with a small amount of methane.
How does a wood gasifier increase the energy utilization compared to burning wood directly?
-A wood gasifier allows for the capture and utilization of flammable gases that would otherwise be lost when burning wood directly, thus increasing the energy utilization from about one-third to a higher percentage.
What is the importance of the fire tube in a gasifier?
-The fire tube is crucial as it determines the amount of gas that can be produced. Its diameter and length are important factors in calculating the engine size that can be powered by the gasifier.
Why is it necessary to have an airtight system in a gasifier?
-An airtight system is essential in a gasifier to prevent the escape of gases into the environment and to avoid dangerous stoichiometric mixtures of fuel and air that could lead to an explosion.
What is the function of the cyclone filter in the gasifier's exhaust system?
-The cyclone filter helps to remove water, tar, and particulate matter from the gas. It operates by causing the gas to spin along the side walls, which helps to condense and trap contaminants before they exit the filter.
What is the role of the blower in a gasifier system?
-The blower is vital for starting the gasifier and maintaining the flow of gas through the system. It creates a vacuum that pulls air through the gasifier, aiding in the gasification process and delivering the gas to the engine or other uses.
How does the gasifier's radiator help in the gas cleaning process?
-The radiator in the gasifier system helps to cool the gas, which is important for condensing and removing as much water as possible before the gas reaches the engine, thus improving the quality of the gas.
What safety considerations should be taken when operating a wood gasifier?
-Safety considerations include ensuring the fuel is completely dry to prevent mushy buildup, maintaining an airtight system to avoid explosive mixtures, and being cautious during the startup process to prevent accidents.
Outlines
🛠️ Building a Wood Gasifier
The script introduces a homemade wood gasifier, an improved version 2 of the builder's first design. The gasifier is explained as a type of pyrolysis that breaks down organic material through heating without complete combustion. The builder uses wood pellets for convenience but mentions that any dry organic material can be used. The gas produced, called syngas, is a mixture of hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen. The process is described as more efficient than burning wood directly, capturing gases that would otherwise be lost. The 'burn bowl' or shaker grate is highlighted as a key component for efficient gas production. The builder also discusses the importance of the fire tube's dimensions and the need for an airtight system to prevent dangerous fuel-to-air mixtures.
🔧 Constructing the Gasifier Components
This section details the construction of the gasifier's main components using freon cans and sheet metal. The reactor, where gasification occurs, is described along with its airtight seal using a fiberglass wood stove gasket. A cyclone filter made from a freon can is introduced as the first stage of gas cleaning, which spins gas to separate contaminants. A radiator is used for further cooling and condensation of the gas. The blower, made from HVAC duct and a salvaged 12-volt fan, is explained as essential for pulling gas through the system until the engine creates its own vacuum. The builder emphasizes the importance of using dry fuel and the blower's role in the initial startup process.
🔥 Starting the Gasification Process
The script outlines the process of starting the gasifier using newspaper as an ignition source, leveraging leftover carbon from previous burns. The importance of the blower in drawing air and flame into the carbon is highlighted. The builder demonstrates the gasification process, showing the production of smoke and the heating of the reactor. A filter system is shown in action, with the top part remaining cool to the touch despite the heat below, illustrating the effectiveness of the gas cleaning process. The builder also advises on the importance of having a completely dry fuel source to avoid issues with the gasifier's operation.
🌳 Utilizing the Gasifier for Power Generation
The final section describes the successful startup of the gasifier and the generation of flammable gas. The builder attempts to power a generator using the gas produced by the wood gasifier. The video concludes with the generator running on wood gas, demonstrating the efficiency and potential of the gasifier. The builder reflects on the historical use of gasification in the 1800s and expresses a desire to raise awareness of this technology for its potential in preparedness and sustainability. The video ends with a call to action for viewers to like, subscribe, and ask questions for further engagement.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Wood Gasifier
💡Gasification
💡Carbonaceous Biomass
💡Syngas
💡Burn Bowl
💡Fire Tube
💡Cyclone Filter
💡Radiator
💡Blower
💡Stoichiometry
💡Pyrolysis
Highlights
Introduction to a homemade wood gasifier, an improved second version with most bugs resolved.
Explanation of gasification as a centrally controlled pyrolysis process.
Use of various organic carbonaceous biomass materials for gasification, including wood pellets for convenience.
Description of syngas composition, including hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen.
Efficiency comparison with traditional wood burning, highlighting energy waste and gasification benefits.
Introduction to the 'burn bowl' or shaker grate, a key component for efficient gas production.
Importance of the fire tube diameter and length for calculating gas production capacity.
Design of the fuel storage and gravity-fed system to supply the gasifier.
Safety considerations for airtight systems in gasifiers to prevent dangerous fuel-air mixtures.
Ignition port function and the process of starting the gasification.
Discussion on stationary vs. mobile gasifiers and the need for ash agitation in stationary setups.
Construction details using freon cans and sheet metal for the reactor.
Filtering process using cyclone and radiator filters to clean and cool the syngas.
Blower function and construction for pulling gas through the system.
Demonstration of starting the gasifier using newspaper and a blowtorch.
Filter demonstration showing the temperature gradient and efficiency.
Importance of using completely dry fuel to prevent mushy residue.
Final setup for gas production and generator testing.
Successful demonstration of the wood gasifier running a generator.
Historical context of gasification technology dating back to the 1800s.
Potential applications of gasification for preparedness and energy self-sufficiency.
Call to action for viewers to like, subscribe, and provide feedback for future content.
Transcripts
[Music]
this is a wood gasifier that I built a
couple of years ago it's actually an
improvement on a first design so this is
the version 2 or I think I have most of
the bugs worked out I was thinking that
there might be some interest in seeing
how I built it and how they work and if
you're not familiar with the gasifier
this is in fact your first time hearing
the word and don't worry I'll go into
that gasification is a centrally
controlled pyrolysis and what Casas
means is the expediate decomposition low
material through heating so the way that
this works in our case is we have a
material for example wood chips but you
can use any sort of organic carbonaceous
biomass using wood pellets because
they're convenient they'll already go
and dry and I don't have to do any work
in preparing them but you can also use
anything any sort of dry organic
materials so what is obviously go to
options because it's readily available
and also energy dense but you can also
use paper you can use coal you can use
dried leaves you can use dried horse
manure really any dry organic flammable
mass will work just fine for producing
or send gas so what does send gas and
gas is it is the product of what's left
over after we paralyze our medium down
here and on average it's composed of
about 20 percent hydrogen 20 percent
cover monoxide and between 50 to 60
percent nitrogen which is a little bit
of methane in there by weight and of
course all that we're left over with
down here is almost pure carbon and you
burn a pile of wood on the ground for
example you're only using up about one
third of the potential energy of that
firewood and that remaining two-thirds
goes up in the air and the form of
flammable gases that haven't flashed off
yet and so essentially the principle for
this is allowing that to happen in an
oxygen-deprived environment and then
taking those leftover gases filtering
them cooling them getting all the
contaminants out and most of the water
and then we can use that gas leftover to
power an internal combustion engine or
just to burn for lighting cooking or a
number of other things so this piece is
really where all the magic happens this
is called the burn bowl or shaker great
depending on who you're
- and in my case it's just a stainless
steel bowl with holes drilled through
the bottom for ventilation so these wood
pellets under here not just the surface
pellets are reacting so we're getting
more gas into more efficient process so
all this is is something to hold our
material for it to burn in where it can
also be exposed to air this is called
the fire tube and the diameter of this
and the length of this is important in
calculating how much gas we'll be able
to produce and thus how big of an engine
you'll be able to run in my case with
this being I think it's around a four
and three-quarter inch fire tube I'll be
able to run that about a twenty to
twenty five horsepower engine which
should more than power most generators
out there for home use
so after were through it the flame tube
all we have left to do is store fuel
that can be fed by gravity into the
shaker grid eventually and so I've got
this half a freon can you can see with
some sheet metal just to seal it all up
and then reduces it down to this size
and then I needed more storage so I
simply welded this five gallon propane
tank on top added a simple lid of course
it's important with the lid since you'll
be drawing air through the system via
this fan which I'll get to later you
have to have a place for air to enter so
make sure you don't see what I've
completely obviously this isn't a
complete setup because if I were to burn
anything this the gases would simply
escape out into the environment now get
absolutely no you set them so as an ash
catch and a containment vessel I'm using
this other freon can at least have the
top cut off of that as you can see has
these lashes which form up on these here
and a gas get running along the inside
of this to seal up against this surface
so we have an airtight system which is
also another thing and need to mention
because it's very important to have a
completely airtight system and gasifier
because what can happen is that can lead
to a dangerous stoichiometry or the
mixture of fuel to air that could result
in an explosion so be very very careful
if you were to replicate this and I
would encourage you to do lots and lots
of research before attempting to so
you've got the fire tube you've got to
burn great and we also have an ignition
port this is where you'll start the
gasification process by igniting the
carbon from a previous burn the first
start off of gasifier is always the most
difficult because you have to ignite the
material you don't have the assistance
from the leftover carbon so so after the
first burn you're left at this nice
combustible base we can simply ignite
there's one other component that you
should have on a stationary gasifier I
say stationary because aside from
running home generators you can also
make them large enough to power a
full-sized vehicle and in a moving
vehicle you don't
need this shaker great to move because
the motion of the vehicle is enough to
sit down they already spent ash and such
the carbon that's no longer useful and
inhibiting air flow will be agitated by
the motion of the vehicle and just fall
out into your cash flow case in my case
this so in a stationary gasifier you
have to have a way to agitate this every
so often they'll notice it's suspended
by chains one link welded here and then
just bolted here as you probably notice
this does not have a way to externally
agitate this and I found that it isn't
entirely necessary I can run this for a
very long time and it seems to do a well
enough job of cleaning itself out
without my input so as far as actual
construction goes it's mostly made of
freon cans so I've got this one here as
I said this B's sheet metal reducing it
out of this size and then this taper so
this tube goes all the way down to here
and does not stop this is just a collar
over it made of the removed top of a
freon can with a hole the same size is
the external diameter of this tube and
another can lid turned over and welded
to make sort of the patty shape right
underneath of here and then I took a
piece of flat bar and you can see the
difference in the seam you can see the
seam between the two halves as the freon
can and is seen between the flat bar
that I welded on the purpose for this
flat bar is to offer a surface to
support the sides of this container and
because I had the nice taper at the
inside of that freon can it guides it
right into this channel between the two
which I have inserted a piece of which
I've inserted a piece of fiberglass wood
stove gasket into to give it a nice
airtight seal you can now you can see
I've got that cover back on I've got the
great clothes and the only purpose for
this is just to keep hands away from the
burn tube because it does get fairly
warm and I don't want anything flammable
coming into contact with it and of
course I don't want somebody to touch it
with their bare hand and it's just being
held closed with this spring that have
been to a nice shape that made it
somewhat ergonomic as you can see these
draw lashes hold this in place and also
press it firmly against the gasket
lining the inside and I've never once to
notice a leak around this seam so I
think that covers most of this part
which is technically called the reactor
which is really where all the important
stuff happens but we can't use the gas
produced by this yet because it's too
dirty too full of water vapor and it
will reduce the life of our engine so
what we're doing is we're filtering it
with these two filters out here here's
our outlet from the reactor it's just
one and a quarter inch steel pipe and
you want the place where
gasps straw is relatively high in your
reaction chamber because given to
contaminants which are generally heavier
to stay down and the lighter elements
like the hydrogen will flow up and into
here and of course will still be drawing
up a lot of ash a lot of carbon a lot of
other things but we'll filter those out
a little bit later starting with this
which is a simple cyclone filter emitted
of another freon can so I have this
going in at an angle so what happens is
the gas goes there and then it spins
along the side walls all the way down
until it gets drawn out by this the draw
to which sits just a couple of inches
from the bottom and the cool side wells
with a cyclone filter condense out a lot
of the water and tar that you would find
in your fuel especially using something
like wood it's not completely dry and
there will be quite a bit of tar
produced as well and this will hopefully
some of that out and as the sides get
wet and from the water and sticky from
the tar they also trapped a lot of the
particulate material simply despite
heejun and of course as those liquids
and the tars build up gravity will pull
them down and then they'll follow this
taper into our collection jars you can
see I well that stuck and you can see I
have this ring that's quite a bit
there's just a little bit of that
nastiness down there in the bottom but
because I'm using wood pellets that are
just pressed together there's really not
a lot of garbage in there that needs to
be filtered out so very little
production other that in my filter isn't
work okay next up after that it's drawn
up from down below and the cyclone
filter goes up it goes into here which
is where hopefully a lot more the
cooling is going to take place because
we really want to get all of the water
that we can out of our gas before it
gets to our engine so this is just a
simple radiator made out of two inch
rectangular tubing and then one inch
pipe so obviously the operating
principles are quite simple gas just
goes up cools on the way up and of
course a lot of those heavier gases we
want mostly hydrogen in this and
hydrogen of course is the lightest
element so having this be as tall as
possible can actually be beneficial to
our gas production process that's really
all there is to it next we move on to
the blower which is a very vital part or
setup because one you get a gas fire
running the vacuum of the engine pulling
on the intake stroke of the piston where
it goes down and draws in fuel a vacuum
is created and then it pulls air through
our desfire system so there is no
external power needed for this to
function once the engine is running but
in order to get it to that state we have
to have a way to pull the gas through
and of course it's quite a complicated
system with lots of turn
lots of restrictions so we're gonna need
quite a powerful air pump to do so so
this one I just made myself have some
HVAC duct so it's quite thin but it's
more than good enough it's just pop
riveted together obviously I came up
with a pattern for them paper tray sell
me the metal cut it out with the nibbler
cutter leaving tabs bent them over and
then pop rivet it together
of course that's not gonna be quiet
airtight so I added some wood stove
sealing tape nothing it turned out quite
nice as far as the blower itself this is
salvaged from a 1992 Dodge Dakota this
was just a temperature control blower at
push air around your cab to keep it cool
or warm another nice part about this is
it's a 12-volt fan so you can run it off
of a battery so in the event of a power
outage you're not gonna have 120 volts
to start this thing up that would be
kind of counterintuitive so make sure if
you replicate this think about these
things and go with the 12 volt motor and
of course it's just drawing to a system
pushing out this tube which I am going
to this piece of one-inch pipe here
that's just being held in place with
this hose clamp and of course the reason
for this is I can like this on fire and
the metal won't burn like the tubing
will this is just a clear braided hose
that have picked up at my local hardware
store I was worried about how corrosive
the gases were that were being produced
by this and whether or not this should
hold up but in a couple of years that
I've had it I've run it quite a few
times and I've had no issues it doesn't
feel brittle it's still soft it is quite
cold out so it's not as soft as it could
be but once it warms up you'll see this
is just a barb the size of the hose that
I threaded into the sheet metal here now
we're gonna start it up I'll walk you
through that process and we're gonna see
if we can run that generator so those
cages on a hinge on that side so you can
see I can just remove the spring swing
it right open and have access to my
ignition port there ok so there's sort
of a universal starting sequence to most
gas fires out there it's a pretty
complicated high-tech process but I
think you can bear with me newspaper
good old newspaper so he's gonna roll it
up hook it down miss you tube and that
is all set remember I've got leftover
carbon from previous burns so this
should take right off as soon as I get
the motor going and ignite the end of
this okay
the newspaper is in place next step is
to turn that fan on so we can start
pulling air through with any luck since
this has less resistance than pulling
air through all of this material you
should draw Aaron through here and pull
that flame down into our carbon ok
batteries connected they enter a fan you
can hear it's running currently just
ball rolling you see my flame being
drawn in with a section of the blower
here we go you see you've already got
smoke being produced at the end over
there
and we're going as if things look like
down inside of our shaker great right
now okay so now we're gonna go ahead and
cap this back off and we're gonna close
our safety great here fascinates our
spring and we're all set to go
it's been about three minutes we're
getting close but we're not quite there
yet I could do a quick demonstration to
show you guys just how well this filter
setup works down here you can see that's
quite hot the water is beating out
falling off evaporating steaming you can
see it up here same deal quite hot you
go to the top of this however
no reaction it's matter-of-fact I can
touch this with my bare hand no issue
it's amazing what can happen in that
short distance there one more very
important thing that I forgot to mention
it just occurred to me as I was sitting
here waiting for this to start producing
gas for about 20 minutes
make sure your fuel is completely
completely dry and I thought I was in
the clear
but there was some old fuel in the fire
tube left over from the last time I use
this that was soaked you can see it just
turns into this complete mush so I
cleaned it out restarted it nothing's
changed you're starting to produce gas
now and while we're here why don't we
just keep the shot hey see that that is
fire fire good so as this heats up a
little bit more eventually we'll have a
sustaining flame here that won't need
the assistance of it blowtorch or a
lighter see that okay so obviously the
gas coming out is still quite thick
that's because to get every bit of
contaminant out of this we're going to
need a lot more of a complicated system
than what I have as you can see all it
needs is this to be clean enough to burn
I'm gonna truth and we've got sustaining
flame you can see the volume this
produces is quite substantial and one
thing I forgot to mention is that the
tube running from your blower down to
your engine or whatever you have running
off of this is also going to act like a
condenser so you will have some liquid
buildup in there so be mindful of that
if you were using this for a home
installation you actually had a unit I
was installed there and already hooked
up to a generator that's just one thing
that you need to be aware of the longer
of a run you have from your gasifier to
your generator the better off you'll be
and the more fluid that you'll be able
to condense out of your guest okay we've
got flammable gas now it's the moment
you've all been waiting for we're gonna
try to start this generator here and the
way I'm going to do that is simply by
blowing the gas into the intake of the
carburetor move that tell the seconds
they can actually see ordinarily you'd
have this piped straight into the
carburetor with a tee and another valve
coming off to the side so you would
adjust the gas and the airflow from the
outside to get a perfect stoichiometric
to get your engine to run the best it
can off this gas so it's so it's sort of
like a okay primary carburetor if you
will but for now we're just gonna do
that and that works
[Music]
so we are officially using wood
throughout this contraption the
amplifier
okay I think that's just about it in
this video I covered how I built it in
her gasification works and end product
you can see how much flame is being
produced here substantial amount for the
small amount of wood that'll be consumed
to generate that so I hope you found
this video interesting at the very least
or maybe I piqued your curiosity and
you'll either build one for yourself or
do a little more research into the
technology because this stuff has been
around for hundreds of years in 1800s
gasification was used mostly with coal
as a fuel source to produce town gas for
cooking and lighting so this has been
around for a very long time I don't know
why more people don't know about it I
think this is an awesome technology and
I'm trying to bring it to the attention
of more people because I think it can be
utilized specifically from a
preparedness standpoint because as you
can see I'm surrounded by fuel so no
matter what I will always have something
to generate electricity while having
this around and that's a really
comforting thought you could show your
support by liking and subscribing that
would be awesome
I'm trying to give this whole YouTube
thing a try and I'm hopefully gonna be
putting out videos once a week of weird
little stuff like this and please let me
know if you enjoyed this video I like
hearing feedback from you guys and if
you have any more questions on this and
please just ask and I'll be more than
happy to try to answer them for you so
anyway I really hope you enjoyed this
video and if you didn't enjoy it then at
least I hope it was entertaining Thanks
see you later
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