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Webbed by Markus Almroth |
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Executive summaryThis report is one in a series of emergency technology assessments sponsored by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The purpose of this report is to develeop detailed, illustrated instrucions for the fabrication, installation, and operation of a biomass gasifier unit (i.e. a "producer gas" generator, also called a "wood gas" generator) which is capable of providing emergency fuel for vehicles, such as tractors and trucks, should normal petroleum sources be severely disrupted for an extended period of time. These instructions have been prepared as a manual for use by any mechanic who is reasonably proficient in metal fabrication or engine repair.Fuel gas, produced by the reduction of coal and peat, was used for heating as early as 1840 in Europe and by 1884 had been adapted to fuel engines in England. Prior to 1940, gas generator units were a familiar, but not extensively utilized, technology. However, petroleum shortages during World War II led to widespread gas generator applications in the transportation industries of Western Europe. (Charcoal burning taxis, a related application, were still common in Korea as late as 1970.) The United States, never faced with such prolonged or severe oil shortages, has lagged far behind Europe and the Orient in familiarity with and application of this technology. However, a catastrophic event could disrupt the supply of petroleum in this country so severely that this technology might be critical in meeting the energy needs of some essential economic activities, such as the production and distribution of food. In occupied Denmark during World War II, 95% of all mobile farm machinery, tractors, trucks, stationary engines, and fishing and ferry boats were powered by wood gas generator units. Even in neutral Sweden, 40% of all motor traffic operated on gas derived from wood or charcoal. All over Europe, Asia, and Australia, millions of gas generators were in operation between 1940f and 1946. Because of the wood gasifier's health risks from toxic fumes, most of such units were abandoned when il again became available in 1945. Except for the technology of producing alternate fuels, such as methane or alcohol, the only solution for operating existing internal combustion engines, when oil and petroleum products are not available, has been theese simple, inexpensive gasifiers units. This report attempts to preserve the knowledge about wood gasification that was put into practical use during World War II. In this report, detailed step-by-step procedures are presented for constructing a simplified version of the WWII wood gas generator; this simple, stratified, downdraft gasifier unit (shown schematically in Fig. S-1) can be constructed from materials which would be widely available in the United States in a prolonged petroleum crisis. For example, the body of the unit consists of a galvanized metal garbage can atop a small metal drum; common plumbing fittings are used throughout; and a large, stainless steel mixing bowl is used for the grate. A prototype gasifier unit was fabricated from these instructions (see Fig. S-2); this unit was then mounted onto the front of a farm tractor and successfully field tested, using wood chips as the only fuel (see Fig. S-3). Photographic documentation of the actual assembly of the unit, as well as its operational field test, is included in the body of this report.
The use wood gas generators need not be limited to transportation applications.
Stationary engines can also be fueled by wood gasifiers to run electric
generators, pumps, and industrial equipment. In fact, the use of wood gas
as a fuel is not even restricted to gasoline engines; if a small amount of
diesel fuel is used for ignition, a properly adjusted diesel engine
can be operated primarily on wood gas introduced through the intake manifold.
In a sense, gasification is a form of incomplete combustion-heat from the burning solid fuel creates gases which are unable to burn cornpletely because of the insufficient amounts of oxygen from the available supply of air. Thee same chemical laws which govern combustion processes also apply to gasification. There are many solid biomass fuels suitable for gasification - from wood and paper to peat, lignite, and coal, including coke derived from coal. All of these solid fuels are composed primarily of carbon with varying amounts of hydrogen, oxygen, and impurities, such as sulphur, ash, and moisture. Thus, the aim of gasification is the almost complete transformation of these constituents into gaseous form so that only the ashes and inert materials remain. In creating wood gas for fueling internal combustion engines, it is important that the gas not only be properly produced, but also preserved and not consumed until it is introduced into the engine where it may be appropriately burned. Gasification is a physiochemical process in which chemical transformations occur along with the conversion of energy. The chemical reactions and thermochemical conversions which occur inside a wood gas generator are too long and too complicated to be covered here; however, such knowledge is not necessary for constructing and operating a wood gasifier. By weight, gas (wood gas) produced in a gasifier unit contains approximately 20% hydrogen (H2), 20% carbon monoxide (CO), and small amounts of methane, all of which are combustible, plus 50 to 60% nitrogen (N2). The nitrogen is not combustible; however, it does occupy volume and dilutes the wood gas as it enters and burns in an engine. As the wood gas burns, the products of combustion are carbon dioxide (CO2) and water vapor (H20).
One of the by-products of wood gasification is carbon monoxide, a
poisonous gas. The toxic hazards associated with breathing
this gas should be avoided during refueling operations or prolonged idling,
particularly in inadequately ventilated areas.
Except for the obvious fire hazard resulting from the combustion processes
inside the unit, carbon monoxide poisoning is the
major potential hazard during normal operation of these simplicied
gasifier units.
Over the last few years, a new gasifier design has been developed through cooperative efforts among rescarchers at the Solar Energy Research Institute in Colorado, the University of California in Davis, the Open University in London, the Buck Rogers Company in Kansas, and the Biomass Energy Foundation, Ine., in Florida. This simplified design employs a balanced, negative-pressure concept in which the old type of sealed fuel hopper is no longer necessary. A closure is only used to preserve the fuel when the engine is stopped. This new technology has several popular names, including "stratified, downdraft gasification" and "open top gasification." Several years of laboratory and field testing have indicated that such simple, inexpensive gasifiers can be built from existing hardware and will perform very well as emergeney units. A schematic diagram of the stratified, downdraft gasifier is shown in Fig. S-l. During operation of this gasifier, air passes uniformly downward through four zones, hence the name stratified:
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