Charcoal Gasifier: Difference between revisions

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(Added some more information)
(Added some more information)
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*[[Intermittent Fillet Welds]] were used
*[[Intermittent Fillet Welds]] were used
*A Truncated U Shape is made over the [[Ash Grate]] to confine the reaction to a narrower space (presumably to follow the zone interacting with the air, almost the inverse of the "Dead Man" in [[Blast Furnaces]] )
*A Truncated U Shape is made over the [[Ash Grate]] to confine the reaction to a narrower space (presumably to follow the zone interacting with the air, almost the inverse of the "Dead Man" in [[Blast Furnaces]] )
*Oversized Inlet and Outlet Pipes (No exact dimensions mentioned)
*Only a linear  (foreward and backward) [[Ash Shaker]] ,  will be interesting to see if that will clog up or not
**Largely depends on the [[Ash Content]] of the [[Charcoal]] ,  and the Hardness of the Shaker Grate? (ie can it grind up + "eat" the [[Bottom Ash]] / [[Clinker]] )
***In terms of [[Design for Cleaning]] ,  making that part easily accessible may be worthwhile)


=Internal Links=
=Internal Links=

Revision as of 21:19, 12 October 2025

Basics

  • There are some advantages with using charcoal (rather than wood) for gasification (section taken from: Troy Martz Gasifier). These may include:
    • Sufficiently drying wood/biomass to an appropriate water content % takes days. Charcoal can be made and used in mere hours.
    • The byproduct of charcoal sizing (anything under 1/16th of an inch) just happens to be perfectly sized for biochar...what a great byproduct to have
    • We don’t have to worry about tar! Thus, filtration in the down line is relegated to ash and dust…easily done.
    • Pure carbon is a perfect catalyst for the reduction process… You never really get 100% there with biomass.
    • We eliminated “pyrolysis” from the problem we’re trying to solve, so the gasifier design becomes infinitely more flexible than the “Imbert” design
    • We can scale gas production with the same system by merely swapping out a single nozzle size – we can go from 2kW to 50kW with the same machine!
    • Yes, charcoal has less BTU’s, but we can also utilize those BTU’s by capturing and using that heat with a smart charcoal retort design
    • Charcoal gasifiers have the potential to produce far more powerful gas flow than biomass gasifiers... Cracking steam is the key.
Troy Martz Gasifier - gasifies charcoal

Videos

Existing DIY/OS Designs

Greenhill Forge (YouTube Channel) 's Design

Design Overview

  • It is a Crossdraft Gasifier
  • Made largely of welded together steel
  • Uninsulated (Unlike the current OSE Design which uses a Fire Brick Hearth)
  • It was made using a CNC Plasma Cutter , thus Files exist somewhere
  • Intermittent Fillet Welds were used
  • A Truncated U Shape is made over the Ash Grate to confine the reaction to a narrower space (presumably to follow the zone interacting with the air, almost the inverse of the "Dead Man" in Blast Furnaces )
  • Oversized Inlet and Outlet Pipes (No exact dimensions mentioned)
  • Only a linear (foreward and backward) Ash Shaker , will be interesting to see if that will clog up or not

Internal Links

External Links