# wood gas



## shdybrady (Aug 26, 2011)

The new issue of mother earth news has me wanting to indulge more in to the wood gas idea. Has anyone ever messed around with this concept? One question I have up front is, why would you have to have the wood burning in the back of your truck? Couldnt you burn it at your house and store it in a tank alot like propane is? It just seems like you coud do larger amounts quicker and you can have a supply waiting and ready for you.


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## SolarGary (Sep 8, 2005)

Hi,
These guys seem to be very active in the wood gas area:

Gasifier Experimenters Kit

It does seem like you should be able to collect the wood gas, compress it, and store it in a tank on the vehicle. Don't know what the energy density would be like? I think that Jean Pain had a car setup like that for methane generated from compost: Solar Sunspaces and Greenhouses

Gary


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## wy_white_wolf (Oct 14, 2004)

Wood gas doesn't store well. It quickly breaks down when pressurized to store.


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## shdybrady (Aug 26, 2011)

could you elaborate any on that? Does it break down in hours or in weaks? Also does anyone have plans? I would be interested in making a truck or tractor run off of it. But I think I am going to start with generator or an engine like a go kart.


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## shdybrady (Aug 26, 2011)

wow there isnt alot of building info on this subject out there. Everything I have seen is just why it does it job and not how. Also all the builds on youtube arent really in depth. They are just a slideshow with some music layed over it. Does anyone have a step by step on how to build one? I have the fema edition but that was released back in the 80's. I am assuming people have made improvemnts in the last 20 years lol


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## SolarGary (Sep 8, 2005)

shdybrady said:


> wow there isnt alot of building info on this subject out there. Everything I have seen is just why it does it job and not how. Also all the builds on youtube arent really in depth. They are just a slideshow with some music layed over it. Does anyone have a step by step on how to build one? I have the fema edition but that was released back in the 80's. I am assuming people have made improvemnts in the last 20 years lol


Hi,
There is some stuff here: Biofuels --Â  how to make them and how to use them
But, probably nothing you have not see already.


Gary


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## dirtman (Sep 15, 2011)

There are complete plans on Instructables - Make, How To, and DIY for a GEK gassifier. Mother Earth News has plans for a gassifier for $15. Yahoo groups has a wood gas group with about 6000 members.


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## ||Downhome|| (Jan 12, 2009)

I'm building one right now. 
I researched it pretty well and borrowed a few Ideas here and there.
little while out yet.

wood gas can be stored, you need to eliminate the nitrogen in the process.
that is you need to feed it oxygen and not just air which is mostly nitrogen and limits the compressibility. If you look at some of the ww2 builds they had a bag, I think that was more for instant start instead of waiting to "prime" the system.

one other option which I am also investigating is Fischer&#8211;Tropsch process. Basically you can convert hydrocarbons to synthetic fuel. depending on catalyst determines product. Seems Iron oxide will produce a liquid gas and cobalt a synthetic crude.

Though if you have the reactor vehicle mounted you should theoretically never run out of fuel vs stored fuel. Just pull over and collect what you need. 

Pickups are ideal for a wood Gassifier.

you can use more then wood also.

but I figure my old truck can carry almost 2 tons of actual weight. my gassifier should wiegh in around 350-400 lbs. so that leaves 1600 pounds for fuel. 20lbs of wood equal a gallon of gas so that means i would have a equivalent of 80 gallons capacity.
Now coal I figure is more like 6.6lbs to a gal equivalent. so 240 gallons capacity.

Of coarse I do not need to carry that much but could. 

have plans of playing with various compositions of pelleted fuels. wasted straw,hay,animal bedding,various manures, perhaps some coal dust mixed in,seen a few guys playing with used motor oil also.


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## shdybrady (Aug 26, 2011)

when you say coal. Do you mean charcoal or coal that is mined? Only reason i ask is because alot of bbq'ers make there own charcoal


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## shdybrady (Aug 26, 2011)

Downhome I sure do wish you would make a build on the internet on what you are doing. I know how to remove oxygen using nitrogen. And I get that you flush the storage container with oxygen to remove nitrogen. But how do you come about pure oxygen? It sure does seem it would be expensive to have to go and buy oxygen for it. But at the same time it is probably cheaper then gas lol


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## ||Downhome|| (Jan 12, 2009)

You can use charcoal or coal. Both are advantageous to production.
they refer to coal produced gas as syn-gas or town gas.

I won't be feeding the feed stock oxygen, just air. though I would assume a gas produced from a pure oxygen setup would be more energy dense.


there are a ton of gassifier builds on line, plus so many other resources. 
when I first got interested there where not many.
If you seen the fema plans and understand the way it works and types of gassifier. 
then you should be able to come up with your own plans. like I did.
Most folks are looking to make a buck any more off all things related.
can't say I blame them. 
as far as a full blown build walk through. Not disciplined enough to do that. 
though what i do post should be enough for someone to follow and build similar.

Brady, you can build a masonry one for stationary use. that was what they had to provide gas to towns and such.


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## shdybrady (Aug 26, 2011)

is flushing the chamber with just air going to be enough to stablize it for storage? Thats what I was meaning. also I got my wheels turning on reusing a job box I have laying around. Its about 4' tall and 5 foot wide. If not I may do what everyone else does and just use water heaters and propane tanks


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## ||Downhome|| (Jan 12, 2009)

shdybrady said:


> is flushing the chamber with just air going to be enough to stablize it for storage? Thats what I was meaning. also I got my wheels turning on reusing a job box I have laying around. Its about 4' tall and 5 foot wide. If not I may do what everyone else does and just use water heaters and propane tanks


Woodgas.net FAQ page

this guys playing around with compressing. send him a PM.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXEQTgZWoGA]Driving on Compressed Wood Gas - YouTube[/ame]


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