WOOD-GAS UPDATE

(Page 4 of 4)

September/October 1981
By the Mother Earth News editors 
Article Tools
Print
Comments
RSS
Bookmark and Share

PERFORMANCE IS IMPROVED

RELATED CONTENT

To this point, the design changes we've made have worked well on both our stationary generator and our pickup truck. Probably most noticeable is the fact that we're getting consistently good-quality gas and producing about a tenth of our former unit's amount of filter-clogging waste in the process (thereby reducing maintenance chores substantially). Furthermore, we've discovered that excessively moist fuel is a definite detriment despite our design changes, and so have limited our use of wood to that which contains a maximum of 25% water . . a practice which discourages the burning of "green" fuel. (Of course, it would be possible to dry out wet scraps, using heat from the generator, if seasoned waste should become difficult to find.) As far as we can tell, the work-per-pound figure can vary widely and depends a lot on, again, the fuel's moisture content. Our Chevrolet truck will go anywhere from 80 to 110 miles-at 55 MPH-on its 110pound allotment of scraps, and the generating plant burns about 30 pounds per hour when running at its rated speed and producing 10,000 watts of AC power.

In short, we've come some distance since our last report and hope to have even more wood-gas-related information in these pages as time goes on. Meanwhile, we have enough confidence present system to declare A,> that we plan to enter the California—New York Future Fuels Challenge Rally (announced on page 1.50 of MOTHER NO. 69) ... and of course we'll be covering that momentous event every foot of the way!

Page: << Previous 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
Bookmark and Share
RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print

Comments

  • stephen wylie 4/5/2009 6:03:16 PM

    Stephen Ireland . i have just built a wood chip burner . what my problem is i am getting a lot of black oil type like heavy old oil . what is this an is this of any use . or how best to handle this .

  • David Ponsonby 2/4/2008 7:56:09 PM

    I have to say as an old retired engineer, what a pleasure it was
    to read an article such as I did just then, after I finish
    re-building 3 water pumping wind mills over here in Tasmania, Aus,
    I hope to restore an old war time Charcoal using gas producer, I
    thank you for putting out a very interesting an informative
    article... Thanks, David Ponsonby...

  • Gary 12/27/2007 4:00:24 PM

    WHEN ME NEWS WAS BUILDING THEIR FIRSE LARGE STATIONARY SYSTEM WITH
    THE TWO LARGE ROASTERS , i ALSO BUILT A SYSTEM. mY PRESENT SYSTEM
    USES A SIMPLE SPECTRIOMITER TI SENSE WATER VAPOR AND AN OSMOSIS
    SENSOR TO SENSE HYDROGEN. tHE SENSORS ARE HOOKES TO A SIMPLE SENSOR
    DRIVER FOARD THAT OPERATES A EREMOTE CONTROL SERVO. tHE SERVO
    CONTROLS THE AIR MIXTRUE. tHE ELECTRONIC SENSOR KEEPS THE CARB
    RUNING WELL. When the roaster runs out of fues, the carb switshes
    to propane and the system keeps runing. The mas oxygen seneor
    actually operates on propane almost as well as the H from the wood
    gas.

Add Your Comment

Please note that there is currently a problem with the comments function and your comment may or may not post successfully. We are working to correct the problem and thank you for your patience. 

You can use this comment form to enter your personal experiences or additional information and resources that you'd like to share with Mother Earth News readers. Your helpful advice will be posted on this page.  E-mail addresses are never displayed on comments, but they are required to confirm your comments.

Line breaks and paragraphs are automatically converted — no need to use <p> or <br> tags.

New to Mother Earth News?
Sign up to share comments.
Asterisks(*) indicate required fields.
Name*
Your name appears next to your comment.

E-mail Address*
This will be your login ID.

City State Zip Code

Password*


Confirm Password*

Comments
1500 character limit (Offensive materials and/or spam will be removed, no HTML allowed)
Please Note: Your sign-up must be verified via e-mail before your comment is published.
FEATURED ARTICLES
MOST POPULAR


Subscribe Today - Pay Now & Save 66% Off the Cover Price

First Name: *
 Last Name: *
Address: *
 City: *
State/Province: *
 Zip/Postal Code:*
Country:
 Email:*
(* indicates a required item)
Canadian subs: 1 year, (includes postage & GST). Foreign subs: 1 year, . U.S. funds.
Canadian Subscribers - Click Here
Non US and Canadian Subscribers - Click Here

Lighten the Strain on the Earth and Your Budget

Mother Earth News is the guide to living — as one reader stated — “with little money and abundant happiness.” Every issue is an invaluable guide to leading a more sustainable life, covering ideas from fighting rising energy costs and protecting the environment to avoiding unnecessary spending on processed food. You’ll find tips for slashing heating bills; growing fresh, natural produce at home; and more. Mother Earth News helps you cut costs without sacrificing modern luxuries.

At Mother Earth News, we are dedicated to conserving our planet’s natural resources while helping you conserve your financial resources. That’s why we want you to save money and trees by subscribing through our Earth-Friendly automatic renewal savings plan. By paying with a credit card, you save an additional $4.95 and get 6 issues of Mother Earth News for only $10.00 (USA only).

You may also use the Bill Me option and pay $14.95 for 6 issues.