Biomass Gasification for Fueling Internal Combustion Engines

[sparebulb]

Every time I see this thread I think of Rush Limbaugh.

Limp Windbag, alone, could propel this thing across the pacific on his strategic fat reserve.


Biodiesel Powered Boat Makes World Record Attempt Using Human Fat As Fuel
Save

earthrace

This isn’t the first attempt  at the world record for global circumnavigation by Pete Bethune’s EARTHRACE; a futuristic looking watercraft heralded as the fastest eco boat on the planet. According to this article in The Daily Mail

Bethune and his wife mortgaged their house and sold everything they own to help make the project happen, while continuing to seek support from sponsors.

Demonstrating further commitment to the cause, Bethune underwent liposuction and donated enough to produce 100ml of biofuel, while two other, larger volunteers also had the procedure, making a total of 10 liters of human fat.

This in turn produced seven liters of biofuel, which could help the boat travel about 15km.

Which I think is probably a first for…well…anyone or anything.



The first attempt at setting a world record started in Barbados on March 10, 2007 but it ended in tragedy as the boat collided with a fishing boat near Guatemala killing one of the boats crew. The Earthrace and crew were held for 10 days while awaiting a judge’s decision on the accident. All were eventually cleared but by that time they had failed in their attempt. Then the second attempt was launched; this time leaving from San Diego on April 3rd, 2007 but had to be aborted when a crack was discovered in the hull.

But people who are willing to liposuction fat out of their bodies for fuel are not the type to give up at something like a cracked hull. In March of 2008 the Earthrace will again set out from Spain in an attempt to set the world record for global circumnavigation; all the while contributing zero carbon to the atmosphere. Let’s hope that the third time’s the charm.

[buenijo]

Good video illustrating the basic principles of biomass gasification: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ukKHTgiNsE. Imagine how much energy is wasted in a typical camp fire or even fire place.

[buenijo]

Listen to these interviews of Steven Harris.

This man has genuine knowledge, experience, and common sense about alternative energy:

http://www.thesurvivalpodcast.com/tag/steven-harris

[buenijo]

I just became aware of a new small wood gasifier available for purchase. The price point on this unit is far lower than most others. I can't say anything about the quality of this unit. However, if anyone has considered purchasing a unit, then a low cost unit like this seems a good candidate. Anyway, check it out here at www.vulcangasifier.com.

Here are some interviews of the individual who builds the units:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eu7ToGp0FlA (interview starts at 46:15).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnDwUXQKLlQ

Vulcan powering a 4000 watt genset at 1500 watt load:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-uLwejWSVc

[buenijo]

Good video series on building a FEMA gasifier. He demonstrates its operation by powering a very small generator rated at only 750 watts. He is using wood pellets:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhMyc...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0atat...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xJqz...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXi_-...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPUlY...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-Noc...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oxrc6d08sbk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1nC0...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKVRj...eature=related

A few more points I've uncovered about wood gasification. Using the engine exhaust to dry the fuel can also drive off all the water and some of the volatiles that are responsible for forming tar. Using a dry fuel should result in higher temperatures that would crack whatever tars remain. I have yet to see direct confirmation of the following, but I suspect that a simple FEMA gasifier could power a reliable wood gas engine system if small wood chips are processed in this manner.

Here is another important point. Admitting tar into the engine does not necessarily destroy the engine. Rather, what tends to happen is a tarry glaze or varnish forms in the cylinder head that leads to sticking valves (although, bending an intake valve push rod is likely. NOTE: In small engines, the intake valve push rod is often made of aluminum while the exhaust valve push rod is made of steel. I haven't verified, but it may be possible to replace the aluminum rod with a steel rod). This can be cleaned off fairly easily with a solvent. Hence, in a remote off grid setting it's important to select an engine that is easy to disassemble. It's also a good idea to have two identical engines for redundancy. Using a FEMA type gasifier for fueling engines will require a regular maintenance schedule to keep the engines operating reliably. This might be worth the trouble since a FEMA gasifier is simpler to build, and it is less likely to bridge when small wood chips are used as fuel.

[buenijo]

Video featuring Wayne Keith: http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=...ture=endscreen.

[buenijo]

I've been looking into wood gasification a lot more lately. It's just too damn easy to build a gasifier to not consider this a primary means for an individual to achieve energy independence. Sure, I love steam engines. However, I say this option should not be considered unless a good steam engine becomes commercially available.

I am 100% certain that anyone can build a FEMA or an Imbert gasifier using the information available here http://www.woodgas.net/files/FEMA_em...y_gassifer.pdf and here http://alternativefuels1.tpub.com/0276/index.htm, and the parts available at www.mcmaster.com and/or the local hardware store. I encourage anyone who is interested to take the leap if you have suitable fuel readily available. At the very least you should come to understand the process so that you can put the technology to use in the future should conventional fuels become prohibitively expensive.

As far as the off grid setting goes, there is enormous benefit to using wood for fueling a work horse pickup truck. Personally, I would dual-fuel such a vehicle with gasoline to allow for a smaller gasifier system. This same gasifier could be used for battery charging an off grid solar system at the homestead should be need arise. Also, I've already mentioned a biomass powered a/c, space heater, and water heater that takes advantage of biomass sources not suitable for an engine system.

Basically, I'm more bullish on wood gas engine systems now than ever before, and I highly recommend everyone look into it.

[buenijo]

I've been looking into an idea to use solar thermal energy from concentrators to boost the production of fuel gases from a biomass gasifier. Basically, the idea involves using solar heat to drive pyrolysis rather than combusting part of the fuel mass to provide this heat. The main benefit is not increased efficiency, but a fuel gas undiluted by nitrogen in the air. Here is one article I came across that discusses the basics of this process http://biomassmagazine.com/articles/...-gasification/. There is also mention of using the gas generated to synthesize liquid hydrocarbons through Fischer-Tropsch (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fischer...ropsch_process). Also, there is mention of using algae as a biomass feed stock for the process which is an idea I find very appealing. Most research into using algae for biomass fuel are focusing on very specific strains of algae for their high oil production. There is often deleterious side effects with selecting organisms for specific traits. You might get the desirable trait expressed, but it generally comes at the expense of the general viability of the organism. Using gasification might allow for culturing and harvesting a more hardy (and natural) strain. Interesting.

[buenijo]

Just sharing some thoughts on converting an automobile to be dual-fueled with a wood gasifier (just trying to get people thinking on the topic). The advantage of "dual-fueling" is the ability to use a much smaller gasifier system than would be required to convert a vehicle to 100% wood gas. Since a vehicle engine normally operates at a small percentage of its rated power, a very small gasifier could reduce the consumption of liquid fuels a great deal. So, the gasifier would provide the bulk of the fuel while at low power like idling and maintaining speeds on level ground, but liquid fuels are retained for a power boost when required for acceleration and hill climbing. There are technical problems that I've considered, but I don't consider them too daunting. It seems this approach would be a simpler conversion than going for 100% wood gas.

[buenijo]

THOUGHTS ON AIR CONDITIONING IN THE OFF GRID SETTING

I've come to the conclusion that the most practical way to provide a/c for an off grid home is to power a conventional vapor compression a/c unit from a wood gas engine system (either 100% wood gas, or dual-fueling a Diesel genset). A good system such as the one produced by All Power Labs would consume about 3.3 lbs of air dry wood (or about 5 pounds of green wood) for every refrigeration ton of cooling. Note that a thermal mass of some form makes sense in an off grid home to stabilize the cooling effect and minimize generator run time. A large thermal mass will also allow for operating the genset at a high output where the efficiency is optimal. As always, in the off grid setting you should put the waste heat to use. So, the engine exhaust should be used to heat and/or process water and dry biomass fuel. Also, it makes sense to charge your battery system while the generator is on line.

The resources I've found on the topic suggest that converting a Diesel to wood gas is not a simple process. However, by all accounts, if the engine is designed to operate at a constant load, then things get a lot simpler. Keep this in mind: a Diesel engine does not throttle the intake air. Therefore, there is no vacuum on the intake manifold. Because of this, the engine cannot draw gases through a gasifier unit. The solution is to connect the gasifier line to the manifold, then provide all air to the manifold via a throttle valve. Carefully throttling the valve will find the proper air mixture, and the engine will draw both air and wood gas as needed. Getting an 1800 rpm Diesel converted to wood gas seems like a good option if it can be made to work well because such Diesel gensets are so durable.

ADDENDUM: I am now more optimistic about using a small biomass furnace to power a simple absorption chiller at a low and constant rate while also harvesting the waste heat from the system for useful purposes such as water heating and/or water processing.