09-13-2013 Gasifier "How to construct" ...Video Two

[@bobbylong4443]

Awesome 👌 you explain it perfectly

[@flash001USA]

Thank you for your feedback. I tried to explain this in a way that anyone could hopefully grasp the concept.

[@a.joegevara3519]

Just bought a generator and now ready to build a gasifier. So glad I found your channel! I built a retort kiln last year. I get those clamp lid drums for free, as most of my metal!

[@flash001USA]

Be sure to go through the later build videos. There is a lot more information along with changes to the later build. I also have PDF files which can help with the build too and if you would like them, just reach out to me through the www.miniwoodgas.com website and use the contact web host tab and I'll email them to you and they won't cost you anything.

[@MrRasZee]

retort kiln 😁awesome . real nice

[@thehumbledabbler]

Alright flash.. I'm sold. Much respect. I don't brown nose at all, and when I saw a video of yours for the first time, i thought, well here's a guy who likes to hear himself talk. I'll admit that I often will snap to an assumption before giving it too much thought. But in my pursuit of concise information on these gasifiers. I found too many videos that were unclear, or silent, or just made no sense. I started watching these that you did and I saw that the reason I thought that, was because you were doing the very thing I was seeking. Explaining in clear, Concise language your build, anc more importantly, the reasons you've done it a certain way and problems to expect if u did it s different way. Bravo. I'm sold and I appreciate you're content more than you'll ever know. Please keep up the good work.

[@djfoxalaska]

You are one "out of the box" dude!. Thanks for your efforts.

[@flash001USA]

You're welcome. This is still a work in motion and as improvements or bugs are discovered we do new videos with any changes done. If this interest you check out www.miniwoodgas.com and join the blog.

[@flash001USA]

I forgot to reply to your acetylene remark. I just purchased a small gas setup so I can braze weld my new cooling radiator. I actually used a small flux core mig welder to build my gasifier and I am still learning to use that thing but I'm getting better. The mig was not a good choice for welding the nuts to the slip sleeve where brazing would have looked really good. Going and purchasing the oxy/acetylene was the right move because it has it's niche in certain welding jobs too!

[@flash001USA]

Hey thanks, I think people are going to like the new cooling system I am building. This will allow me to get rid of a lot of the tall pipe and compact the build down a bit. This has been an ongoing learning process for me too.

[@gasonthebrain3738]

Hi Flash. Further to our talk about nozzle sizes, I have done some mathematics to assist the wood gas community. I'm sure you would agree that the nozzle size and position is a very important aspect of the gasifier. Yours is practical experience, mine is only theoretical at this stage. You said that the single nozzle was 1/2" and the one with 3 nozzles had 1/4" nozzles, and this one had trouble breathing. I calculated the area of each of these openings. Continued.

[@CNCmachiningisfun]

Fantastic video, as always, my fellow woodgas addict :). I think you are among the best at presenting your ideas and work on KZbin. Thanks to your nicely made videos, a great many folks will surely be more inclined to begin creating their own gasifiers. Some folks keep their discoveries to themselves, but you have kindly shared yours with us all. As a result, you are helping to ensure that this technology can make a well deserved comeback :).

[@flash001USA]

Stephen I built a 3 nozzle along with the 5 nozzle build side by side both at the same time. I ran the 3 nozzle setup but I didn't like the feel of it. I had the correct number of nozzles with the correct diameter for my small 5Hp generator but the back pressure was an issue where as the single nozzle has a very low back resistance so the ember bed burns hot and stable. Cont:

[@flash001USA]

Oh boy, that is a good question. I originally built a FEMA and it used a 4 inch dia straight pipe for the burn zone without nozzles. The FEMA plans stated this was good for a 15 Hp engine and they stated that for a 5 Hp engine that you needed to weld a plate on the bottom of the fire tube and drill a reduction hole of 2 inches. Cont:

[@tuckerdave1]

Good job Flash , we can not ask for a better explanation , thanks AGAIN !! I can't wait to rebuild my FEMA .

[@genemcknight2407]

Have been closely following your videos. Really nice for a change to follow via video when someone else is building prototypes and making corrections. Been there, done that. My build will be for a twin cylinder 18 - 20 hp engine to run a 7200 watt generator. Will be watching for your video describing sizing for different engine horsepowers. Two ideas : The vibration of the motor = shaker motion via linkage and 12vdc charge from electric start engine = recharge battery for blower, lighting.

[@lukeFugate]

As always, excellent video, love the way you explain things. I will be re-building mine to your design, just waiting for layoff so I have the time this winter. Thank you for taking the time to make the videos.

[@flash001USA]

Thanks Stephen. Right after I replied back to you I figured out what you were doing in the first email. I originally went about it with a simple method that gave you a visual but it wasn't as accurate as doing the actual math. Hopefully others will see what you wrote in this blog and put it to use.

[@flash001USA]

I'm glad you got to try the filters out with good results. If I'm not mistaken, you are using a helper pump to offset the back pressure on the filters aren't you? That is the only thing that I don't like about the filters but the trade-off for a ultra clean gas is worth it.

[@flash001USA]

The charts are here but they will not be clear on engine sizes vs reduction zone sizes. I had a hard time so I used the FEMA reduction specs and then I went and found the same reduction zone size in the Imbert charts and once I found that, I used the nozzle chart that was related to that particular build. I really hope this helps you.

[@flash001USA]

Gene Once I finalize the build I planned on mounting the generator on a platform that will allow a bit of play maybe on very short stiff springs then link the platform to the gasifier for a vibrating action. For now I am just trying to finalize a few things but it sounds like you have been thinking on this too.

[@flash001USA]

I used the FEMA chart for this but with a twist. The FEMA chart calls for a straight fire tube for an engine of 15 Hp and for an engine of 5 Hp, they tell you to weld a bottom plate to your tube and cut out a 2 inch hole for the reduction. I went with a 3 inch hole so that I could at least go up to a 12.5 Hp briggs. Now here is where I changed things up. I went with a cone instead of a straight piece of pipe. I reduced down to 3 inches while my cone top was 6 inches. Cont:

[@flash001USA]

Thanks for that info. What I did was to draw a 1/2 inch circle and then I placed three 1/4 inch circles inside of it so I judged by area. I made two mistakes. My first mistake was that I should have used 5/16 inch inner diameter nozzles but the "biggie" was the copper tubing causing the drag. I used 5/8 diameter copper but it didn't stop the drag. I don't see the drag with the setup I have now because of the large air intake.

[@captain42979]

i have been waiting for this video since you were fine tuning it thank you so much I am gonna make one now may Yahushua bless you.

[@Angus_McGyver]

Thanks for the input. I too was confused by the imbert charts and tried correlating them to make sense. I guess you a just a bit ahead of me in the game. I've just finished my fema style and hope to have the first run today. I'm running a 14.5 hp lawn tractor as a test bed. Ultimately I want to size it up to run a vehicle.

[@64ghiaman]

I have been re watching your build because i am getting off my duff and going to actually finish one.I caught youre comment about clean even cuts and it made me think of a great and cheap grinder accessory i bought from harbor freight.Its an attachment that goes on a 4 " angle grinder that turns it into a mini circular saw,complete with shatter shield and it works fanastic on stuff like this. its item number 45921 and its under 10 dollars.Put a cheap depth stop on it like you use on a drill and sha zam perfectly straight and even cuts.

[@flash001USA]

Stephen the drag was caused from the from the copper tubing. I should have used large tubing to get rid of the back pressure. For a 5 Hp engine 1/2 to 3/4 inner diameters will work. The 1/2 inch nozzle is right at the very edge of being too small for a 5 Hp engine but it does work. I would like to know how you did your calculations. The Imbert charts give you a lot of info along with air velocity and you could use that along with the engine displacement to get a ball park estimate too.

[@flash001USA]

You mentioned something else important and that is the flow rate. That's why I made my restriction zone where I could unbolt it and change it up with smaller or larger diameters. That too was the key to me cleaning up my gas. I'm at 3 inches and I am getting ready to take it down to either 2 inches or 2-1/2 inches because it is only a small 5 Hp engine with a small flow rate. It just barely gets hot enough with a 3 inch restriction zone as long as I use very dry wood.

[@flash001USA]

Yeah, for a small ember bed a single nozzle with a slight angle works great. My bio char was always completely burned to a crisp and the big giveaway is my system only collects soot If you watch the video where I am running the generator from yard waste, you will see me empty the jar onto a paper towel and then rinse it clean with just water. I do the same thing with the water collected from the tank too. My gasifier isn't 100% perfect but I am cracking most of the tars so I can't complain.

[@CNCmachiningisfun]

Since virtually all of my runtime experience is during the winter months, I can't compare moisture collection rates, but I am sure you are right when you say that you get more water in summer. Once I finish the rebuild, I will try some summer running - to see how it affects performance. It will also be a good test for the electric fans I built into my system. Since mine was running poorly, the filter material got a bit tarry. When dried, the tar laden filter media is rather flammable!

[@flash001USA]

Yeah the cooler months do make it easy to cool and clean the gas up with. I noticed that during the hot months the filters struggled because here in the south the humidity is always high and yes, it pulls moisture from the air into the system. My filters would be full of water after a 4 hour run and the wood chips looked they were boiled in a pot of water. I would only see light honey thickness tar if I had a bad ignition or if I used damp wood as a fuel. The days of thick FEMA tare are no more.

[@flash001USA]

Tom I'm in the final stages of the "How to" videos and I hope to have one more uploaded tomorrow night. I am just wanting to cover as many details on this as I can for people that are wanting to try this for themselves.

[@flash001USA]

I also looked at the Imbert charts and they were not very clear on their engine displacement or Hp vs nozzles vs restriction zone but I managed to make some sense of it but then I came across a collage paper where they were having good results with a FEMA style that was producing clean gas by running a deeper ember/bio-char bed so I did my own spin-off from their design. They didn't reduce or use a cone and I did. I combined the FEMA stuff with the Imbert designs. Cont one last time:

[@thehumbledabbler]

These videos are really good

[@flash001USA]

If I run wood pellets I will produce thin light tars with the setup as it is with a 3 inch restriction and even then the filters capture all of the light tars. If I run dried wood at 1/2 or 3/4 inch diameters, I do crack the tars but it's right on the edge so I'm going to shrink the reduction zone a bit to see what happens. I have been in touch with All Power Labs and I was asking them about their Imbert chart because it is very hard to follow. Cont:

[@jbarr3551]

Great video Flash! What are your thoughts as far as pointing the air nozzle at an angle ( to swirl the in coming air in the burn zone?) Also do you see any bridging or jamming on material in the burn zone with your design? Not sure which way to go. Thx

[@flash001USA]

I haven't had to deal with too much bridging or jamming and as long as the gasifier gets a good start-up and the fuel is good it will over-all run pretty decent. The gasifier videos are peppered in the channel but I have made more changes since this video and it may be worth your time to thumb through some of the later videos so you can get an idea of the changes made. This was a learning process and I just shared the build as it sort of went along.

[@flash001USA]

Tom I am working on finding a good clear layman's explanation of the Imbert charts for sizing the engine to the gasifier and as soon as I do I will make a dedicated video covering this. You can get away with a simple single nozzle design with with a small gasifier but a big gasifier will probably need multi nozzles spread around the fire cone for a correct and even oxygen penetration into the ember bed.

[@flash001USA]

My 3 nozzle setup did work but I just didn't like the feel of it. I could have wrapped a steel sleeve around the outside of the nozzles and attached a big air intake pipe to it to remove the back pressure but I wouldn't be able to easily replace the nozzles once they burned up. Some people use pipe caps for their nozzle ends and once they burn out, they unscrew the bad end and replace it with a new end but in my eye's there's too much heat for that design and they can cause bridging in the cone.

[@TheWerdSmith]

The beauty of all of this is that it very very spec simple. I would like to build one for a one ton boom truck that was used by the phone company. It has a tool box bed for possibly hiding filters.

[@patrioticamerican3495]

Think I'm gonna use a 6" pipe,then I can cut a 4" piece I can slip inside to reduce it so I have a choice,I am also going to use 2 nozzle sizes,so 8 nozzles with 2 valves. Have almost everything. I am also going to utilize milk cans. I guess what I am wondering at this point is did you have to change your exhaust size,does one size work better for 6" than 4"? I too will be using pvc for filtering. Metal to pvc for transitioning it to cut away weight. I have ample pine,oak and walnut aswell as corn, chicken shit,pine cones and other fuels to experiment with. Gonna attempt to make both the intake and output adjustable ,in theory it would help to stabilize-rich/lean it like putting a tuned/matched intake,cam and headers on a V8.

[@CNCmachiningisfun]

Indeed! After I modified the jets and the restriction height, I noticed that the engine behaved even better, I got a lovely blue flare from the filters and also the fuel seemed to last longer under the steady 2HP gas load :) . I used to collect the tar, and use it for my horses. It's a popular choice as an antiseptic treatment for hoof problems. Perhaps if I have any left, I will sell it to the local lighthouse people for use during power cuts ;) .

[@flash001USA]

I am using a 1/2 inch pipe on the inside of the wood hopper to feed the nozzle with. You would probably want a 3/4 pipe so that the engine doesn't get choked down by any back resistance. Keep in mind that I'm still learning and winging this stuff too so you may want to experiment a bit.

[@CNCmachiningisfun]

I was going to add the helper pump, but have not got around to it yet. Initially, the filters were putting too much drag on the system, so I had to resort to packing them only lightly. After I made some changes to the gasser, I was able to pack the filters much more tightly - and still get an easy start and a good run from the engine. The gasser is in bits at the moment, as I am making some much needed upgrades to the design.

[@flash001USA]

I based my reduction zone on the FEMA as far as the reduction zone was concerned but I used a cone like a Imbert but then I took the cone and stretched it out to make a deep ember/bio-char setup. I followed that up with adding the air nozzle. I should Technically be using a 3/4 inch nozzle but with the small 5 Hp engine I felt that I would get hot enough to crack the tar so I compensated by using the 1/2 inch nozzle to move faster air flow into the ember bed to raise the temp.

[@flash001USA]

For me there are three guidelines for making good gas and that is use biochar for the start-up along with the right sized fuel chunks for the gasifier and be sure to have the correct reduction zone size for the engine you plan on running and last but not least cool the gas as much as possible before you filter it because like you said cool gas goes a long way towards a good run.

[@flash001USA]

Yeah, what you said. The Imbert charts are fuzzy on some of the info so I bounced between the Imbert and the FEMA stuff so I basically winged it but the results were good and that's what mattered to me. I have had others ask me to calculate what they needed for the Imbert stuff and I'm clear on everything but the engine displacement stuff. I am going to be asking some others if they understand the charts because I feel like I could take this to a different level with my design combined with it.

[@flash001USA]

Wow! I wonder how that will work once I mount my gasifier onto my trailer? I was thinking that the generator just might vibrate everything enough to help stop any bridging and to possibly help the grate stay clean too. I never thought of the filters.

[@flash001USA]

Welcome to my world. That's why my build is evolving. Go and watch my early videos and you will see how this project has evolved for me and there is still room for improvements.

[@flash001USA]

Once you start cracking the tar you will see a bit more power from the gas. It will be a bit more robust. I noticed that in my flares. You mentioned that the tar would burn. Yes it will! Try putting it onto a ball of newspaper! You could take it to the coastline and bring ships into safe harbor with the stuff. Look at it this way. If you crack tar, it now becomes a useable gas that will run the engine quite well. I purchased me a 1000 Watt pure sine wave inverter Cont:

[@CNCmachiningisfun]

Since I was running this gasser at too low of a rate, it eventually filled up with creosote. I ran a backburn, to burn it out, but this was not enough to clear the blockage that eventually strangled the system. My mods included raising the restriction port and reducing the nozzle ring diameter. This had a very positive effect on the gas quality, but it came too late to prevent the blockage mentioned above. The design is not the best, so I am currently fixing a number of weaknesses.

[@genemcknight2407]

Close look at new style generators reveals rubber "V" mounts. Allows lateral and other movement of running engine. Generator mounted on same. Lighting in earlier comment refers to ability to read gauges/meters at night. Plan also to capture engine heat via exhaust through rectangular shallow metal box then to muffler to heat water etc. Will also consider building hot plate on wood gas cooling circuit.Note that 1.95 Nm3h = 1 HP so 18 Hp = 35.1 Nm3h. Use for all HP ranges then interpolate charts

[@flash001USA]

I just purchased me a 1000 Watt pure sine wave inverter and my next project is to modify an old alternator and use a 12.5 Hp engine to spin it up to charge my deep cycle batteries. This way I do not have to worry about the RPM's dropping under load and causing issues with my sensitive electronics. From what I have been reading that's the way to go. I think that's what you are doing isn't it?

[@flash001USA]

Before I forget, the fan I'm using came out of something but there isn't a name on it. When I went hunting for tanks for my gasifier the fan was literally laying in a junk pile and I just got lucky with the find.

[@jj01a]

Great work flash, thank you so much for taking the time to put this together. Does the diameter of the feed tube matter much? I have a old water heater that I want to use for my build and I'm concerned the vent tube down the center isn't large enough, I'm guessing 3 1/2-4"? The difference is that the tube is long with a smaller diameter than your design. I'll be powering a 11hp and 6hp motor.

[@flash001USA]

Hey man as always, thanks. I have been very busy upgrading the gasifier and I just completed a new cooling radiator for the gasifier. and I'm still planning on constructing the new filter idea just to see if it is worth it or not. I'm getting ready to release a 3rd video covering the cooling system and I think people will appreciate the simplicity and the ease assembling and the dissembling of the new system. Speaking of, how is your setup working now? Did you try the filters out yet?

[@flash001USA]

I always loose pack my filters. What adds the drag with mine is the wood chips so I try to load the wood chips and then not move the filters so that they stay fluffy inside of the tube.

[@CNCmachiningisfun]

The 13HP engine that I use is bolted directly to the trolley frame in order to maximise the vibrological input to the system. This gets around the bridging problem that this gasser has, and it probably helps to shake bits of goop off the walls of the cyclone too :) . I don't think you'll have too much trouble with your filters due to vibration. Indeed, it may be helpful as it might help to separate moisture from the filter media and drain it down to the collection points at their bases.

[@flash001USA]

Hey no problem. I am working on a smaller refined cooling radiator to cool the gas so the next video will cover the cooling system.

[@Jose-yq1lk]

What size is your burner tube? it look big on your video. I am planning on building my own gasifier and I have a metal pipe of 6" for the burner but I am not sure how long the burner tube should be. I have seen many videos in search of my answer. I have seen some 4" pipes and they talk about the length being 18" . Thanks for the great videos

[@schizo008]

Hi Flash, why do you have to built a pipe into the nozzle point to get the gas out (video 10:50)? Can the gas not just come tru the nozzle and out tru the same hole. Great video, love it . Cheers

[@flash001USA]

I knew that I would have enough real estate (open area) for the ember bed to give me plenty of gas. I also went with a deep ember/bio-char bed because this deep bed aids in cleaning the gas up. I am trying to find someone that can explain to me a few things about the Imbert chart and as soon as they help me, I'll do a dedicated video just on the charts. The FEMA charts are useless on larger engines but they are good for the smaller stuff. I'll let you know what I find so be a little patient.

[@jimmiewatkins4864]

Flash, I have two questions, but first let me say how much I appreciate your efforts on our behalf. Your attitude is what I admire the most. You found ways to do the tasks on the cheap side and without expensive tools so that we could all see ourselves with a shot at making a gasifier. Your attention to detail and "making sure" reminded me of my aircraft mechanic days. We were forever mindful that a failure could be at 35,000 feet. First question; what size hole to cut in the hopper for attaching the burner? You explained it in the video but I'm still confused. I have a five inch diameter cone opening, built just like yours with the same tire rim. Is the hole cut to fit the cone or the outer diameter of the burner? Second, the FEMA design calls for hydraulic cement in the bottom of the drum, what are your thoughts on that and is the mix of sand and PofP meet those needs? You da man dude. [e-mail]. Newton, MS.

[@flash001USA]

Jimmy oversize the hole for the cone by 1/2 inch so that you have a 1/4 inch space all the way around the wood hopper. This will give you a little bit of play if you need to center things up a bit. If you trust that you have everything centered you can just cut the hole big enough for the top of the cone to fit through too. On the cement question you don't have to put anything on the bottom of the drum and if in doubt, just place you a piece of steel under the grate to give the drum some added protection and you a bit of piece of mind too. You don't even have to weld it either. Just lay it under the grate.

[@flash001USA]

I got lucky and found an old 110 volt squirrel cage fan but you may be able to use a 12 volt heater blower fan from an old car.

[@pkrickett]

Ah sweet part 2. So excited!

[@flash001USA]

You need to make a video showing the filtered blue flare.

[@TheWerdSmith]

That is really good to know I can do that. I was wondering about even burns

[@flash001USA]

I am trying to get someone to give me a clear explanation on this topic at which point I will make a dedicated video covering this! KZbin blocks links. Shoot me a personal message and I'll get the link to you.

[@gasonthebrain3738]

The area of the 1/2" hole is 0.1963 sq/ins. The area of the 1/4" hole is 0.0491 sq/ins. If you multiply the area of the 1/4" hole by 3 you get 0.1473 sq/ins. Now compare that back to the area of the 1/2" hole and you see that you are still smaller in total area. In fact, to equal the same total area as a 1/2" hole you would need to use 3 holes of a diameter of 0.289", which is larger than 1/4". I used the equation radius/squared x pi to get the numbers. Hope you find this interesting. Bye

[@markfloyd7042]

So the inside tube sleeves inside the top lid tube and welded together and sealed

[@teddydixon7930]

Hi Flash just a few questions getting all parts together to start my gasifier. 1st the cone 5 in. at the top 3 in at the bottom if I wanted to run a bigger engine would I need to go 6 x 4? 2nd 1\2 in nozzle will run a 5 to 7.5 hp, 3\4 will run a 7.5 to 15 hp will going to a 1 in fix that problem? 3rd The 3 in at the end of the burn tube you went to a 2 in will that 3 in there run more than a 15 hp or does that need to go to a 4 in? 4th On the cone Don't know if I can bend 1\8th stainless would 16 ga stainless be as good? And the end of the burn tube the 2 in would stainless be better there? My shaker plate is also going to be stainless. 5th The 2 white propane tanks are they just empty tanks no filler on the inside? What is the door on the little tank for? And do you need a door on the big tank? Didn't see one that's why I asked. 6th On the hopper I have a hot water heater tank 14in in diameter the same shape of the propane tank you have welded to the rim it looks like 16ga not as heavy gauge metal as most water heaters as I have seen that I have used in building rocket stoves with. Will it stand up to the heat or does it get to hot in that area? And how deep or does it matter? 7th On the nozzles would using stainless at the end 5in going into the fire would that be better? 8th On the 4in PC pipe filters and 5ft tall is there a reason or could you use 6in or would it help? 2in where the gas comes out of the gasifier 1 1\2 when you reduce on down coming out if you run anything bigger does that need to be bigger? Probably wont run nothing no bigger than a 7hp but I want to be able to run bigger than a 15 if I needed to with just changing the air nozzles and the end of the burn tube. My biggest reason for searching trying to do this was to make my own propane gas to store in tanks. Thanks for all of your info. I am working on an air engine to generate my own power to run my own generator. I will share that with you when I get that completed hard to get time to work on all these projects. Let you know how things go as I go along. I hope my questions make sense to you they do to me.lol and God Bless

[@dammannc]

Ok, I just read the other comments. I guess a lot of people have the same questions. Where do you get the Imbert charts and any other specs you need?

[@plasmaguy5]

More great stuff and I have a question Flash. How come your gasifier won't run a 6 cylinder motor or what would I have to do to make it run one? Because yours is as big or bigger than the ones like mr tesalonion built and better filters, sorry for the bother. Joe

[@flash001USA]

Joe no bother. I could have made the actual gasifier much smaller but I used the materials that were readily available and the 55 gallon drum was an easy find. I looked all over the place for a used intact 30 gallon drum with no luck and they wanted $70 for a new 30 gallon drum not including shipping. At this time I've only experimented with the small engine gasifiers so the larger setups are out of my knowledge base. Drive on wood would be the place to find the info for larger units that can handle larger engines.

[@flash001USA]

+Joe Eichholz Joe this was a design for running small engines but if you are interested in running a bigger engine check out Wayne Keith. Just google his name.

[@mazdalorean]

If you get a chance , can you send me the pdf for the drill template? I will be starting the fabrication of a stainless steel ash grate, 1/8 " thick. My son is going to hate drilling by the time he gets done with all these holes through stainless. Thanks again flash. At some point I'll have to email you some pics of the build. I'm going to change up a few things . I'm using a 200psi compressor tank instead of a barrel ( @ 55 gallon). I also picked up a large propane tank for the wood hopper.

[@gasonthebrain3738]

To calculate the area of a circle you use the equation pi x radius/squared. Pi is a value you can find on most calculators. Your computer will most likely have a calculator. Look in accessories. Pi is close enough to 3.1416. An example. Find the area of a 1" circle. Radius is half of the diameter so radius will equal 0.5". Radius/squared is 0.5 x 0.5 = 0.25. Now you just multiply that number by pi. So 0.25 x 3.1416 = 0.785 of a square inch. (I rounded that down to 3 decimal places). Easy peasy

[@Angus_McGyver]

Flash, thanks for sharing your design. One question remains in my mind. How do you determine the correct size of fire cone and nozzle to match the engine size? BTW, I'm glad to know I'm not the only person still welding with acetylene!

[@flash001USA]

My 3 nozzles inner diameter was 1/4 inch so I was technically running a total 3/4 inch of air flow combined compared to the 1/2 inch nozzle I have now. The copper tubing was adding back resistance and on a larger engine with more pull it would have been OK. Cont one last time:

[@markfloyd7042]

How long will one filled Hooper full last for a generator use or a modified old truck

[@dammannc]

Is there any kind of documentation that shows specs? Like the FEMA document that shows all the specs for whatever size engine you want to run.

[@plasmaguy5]

Ok flash sounds good, I'll let you know how it goes also.

[@flash001USA]

Ahhhh ha ha ha ha haaaa! I did just that minus the ceramic end! That was my original build!!!!!! The issue that I seen was the air flow was giving me the action of flushing a toilet and it was burning the center too hot and too fast and not properly burning the outer edges of the ember bed no matter what I tried. I even tried to close off the end of the nozzle and add sideways holes to the nozzle instead to compensate but the air still went straight down.

[@flash001USA]

They do give flow rates but I was telling the guy that unlike the FEMA charts it's damn well impossible to figure out the proper engine size for a given line of data. The FEMA charts are straight forward even though the FEMA sucks but I was asking him if there was ant simple layman's information to make the charts a bit more user friendly. He admitted that they were confusing and he said they were probably going to simplify them. When I don't know. People ask me about them all of the time.

[@owenaero]

can you go in to more detail on them copper pipes in the gasifier

[@mazdalorean]

I know you were using sticks in your testing , but can this be run with wood pellets? I'm just wondering what mods you would recomend to save the prep time for fuel. My son and I are really enjoying the build so far . I just figured I'd ask before we get to the plaster/sand phase. Any advice would be greatly appreciated as always.

[@flash001USA]

Since I changed my reduction zone down to a 2 inch opening I should be able to run wood pellets. The main thing is to keep a hot enough reaction zone to hopefully crack as much of the tars as possible. As long as you have a good nozzle ratio to reduction zone ratio you should be OK.

[@kashyabguruvar5065]

Is there anyway to make the system run on continuous wood chip supply?

[@frankhaydon658]

thanks for your video

[@flash001USA]

You're welcome.

[@TheWerdSmith]

More thought needs to go into it first though. Great videos dude!

[@gasonthebrain3738]

Hi. Do we get to learn your first name. It doesn't feel right calling you flash. Question, can you compare the performance of the 5 nozzle model to the single nozzle model for us. And can you restate what the internal diameter of the nozzles are for each model. I'm curious as to what instrument you play too. Thanks.

[@bern4679]

I'm in Australia. What is rpv cement?

[@rickking5343]

Flash 2 questions how long is your fuel hopper--- from top of fire cone weld to top lid How much above the 55 gal lid Thanks

[@flash001USA]

As soon as the bad weather clears I'll go out and make the measurements for you.

[@michaelhorne9672]

WHAT ARE THE COPPER TUBES THAT LEAD INTO THE BURN UNIT

[@muhammadarshad-jd8vh]

Well done

[@brucesanderson9602]

Hey. Flash. I have watched some of your videos. I am interested in this. Have built a couple models that didn't work well. Looking for a mentor that might steer me a little.

[@flash001USA]

There are a handful of us here that have taken this design and continued to tweak on it for a better mousetrap. If you want to ask any of us questions, go to our website www.miniwoodgas.com and join the blog. There are a lot of us that can pitch in and help. Before I forget, the blog is free.

[@krewlworks4911]

Amazing

[@markpeters4491]

How did ya seal of the the air intake. And does it have to be sealed where the shaker handle enters the barrel

[@flash001USA]

The air intake is only choked down during shutdown but as far as how I sealed it to the barrel l cut a tight hole that allowed me to screw it into place which gave me a decent seal but I also ran the red flexible hi temperature RTV cement around the threads to make sure it stayed sealed. On the grate shaker, I packed cotton into it than packed each end cap with a bit of red hi temperature RTV cement to seal it there too. Keep in mind that unlike an air tank the gasifier is a low pressure device so you aren't dealing with a lot of critical sealing issues. Do you want it air tight? Yeah but not to the point of overkill with the exception that you want your biochar clean out port to seal tight and you want the top lid to be sealed too. The top lid on my barrel came with a hard rubber ring that worked with no melting issues and I also added a bit of the red hi temperature RTV cement to just to make sure the seal was tight. I hope this helps you. Keep in mind that this is an on going project for all of us in the gasifier community so as we come up with better ideas or if we find flaws, we share the information so we can continue to have a better mousetrap. Have you been to www.miniwoodgas.com? There is info there along with a blog to post questions. Hope this helps.

[@plasmaguy5]

Thanks Flash I will.

[@jj01a]

also, what type of fan are you using?

[@tommy63985]

FLASH!! make a video if it on the trailer I love the vids!!!!!!!!

[@oriben-shir6742]

for the shaker grate what is the exterior part that you put the shaker grate into. where do I find something like that?

[@flash001USA]

The grate itself is a fireplace stovepipe cap. Everything else is just threaded rod along with a few pieces of steel strips. I used a small steel plumbing water pipe coupler along with end caps screwed on each side with holes drilled in their centers as a way to couple the external grate handle to the grate to be able to shake it.

[@oriben-shir6742]

flash001USA hi, i don’t think I quite understand. My question is referring to the nipple that is on the outside of the gasifier which holds the handle for the shaker. Is that a cap that you drill a hole into? How do you keep it airtight? Do you put washers on the inside and the outside? I hope im making myself clear. Thanks for the reply

[@flash001USA]

That's a small 1/2 or 3/4 threaded coupler with end caps on both ends that has a hole drilled in it for the rod to pass through. The way it's sealed can be done a couple of ways. Once the handle coupling rod is through the coupler you unscrew the outer end cap and pack the coupler with either cotton or high temperature RTV cement or a mixture of both which is what I did. once it's packed you replace the outer end cap and you have a seal. Remember something... This is a very low pressure or low vacuum system so it's not hard to get a good seal with gasifiers as long as you're careful building it.

[@oriben-shir6742]

@@flash001USA Hi this made a lot of sense thank you for your time. over the summer I am going to build a Gasifier mostly for glassblowing applications and will tag you. Thanks again

[@buttondeity3933]

hi flash does the shaker handle have to be air tight?

[@flash001USA]

Chris in reality you will never get the handle completely air tight. This is why people use a short piece of threaded pipe and drill through the end caps then fill the tube with either high temperature liquid gasket material or pack it with cotton. I used cotton. All you do is once you drill the holes in the end caps and run the threaded rod that will couple to the handle and the inner shaker you simply take off the outer end cap where the handle is and fill the pipe with filler then screw the cap back on. This will give you plenty of seal for the gasifier.

[@buttondeity3933]

Awesome thank you very much! My friend and I are both making flashifiers :) we are just collecting parts right now. Dont be surprised if i message again :) i think the wood hopper will be the hardest to find, we have the rims.

[@nb117]

I think it is much better if you can using a DC generator to charge your battery bank rather than trying to run a genset at 60HZ 24/7. DC Genny doesn't care if the engine slows down or speeds up. Charge controller takes care of all that..

[@flash001USA]

Thanks for the reply. I'm already on it. I already have four 6 volt deep cycle batteries along with a 1 Kw pure sine wave inverter for sensitive electronics and a 1.6 Kw modified sine wave inverter for power tool usage. I'm building up a 12 volt DC charger using an alternator combined with a 6.5 Hp or possibly a 12.5 Hp engine so that the RPM's will be a non-issue like you pointed out plus I already have eight 90 watt solar panels along with a good MPPT solar controller for my emergency setup. The 110 volt generator will still be good for running a washing machine and even some power tools too plus I could also use it to charge batteries since I have a 35 amp battery charger sitting down in the garage.

[@nb117]

I'm sorry Flash that was for another comment on your page. Glad to see you agree though. I had my share of messing with my gassifier to run a steady 30 HP gender for any length of time. You can do it but it goes through some wood and if gender quits while running it makes a whole mess of problems. That's why I switched to DC gender and outback inverters.

[@nb117]

Genset NOT gender. Silly auto correct.:-)

[@flash001USA]

***** Yeah, I totally agree with you. This gasifier turned out to be really stable as long as I stick to strict fuel guidelines and that's the trick for this setup. I had already seen others that were discussing the same point that you made so I decided to take their advise. The generator I have is a small 2 Kw generator but on woodgas it's only good for 1 Kw and some of that has to do with my filtering. I run enough filtering to scrub the woodgas to the point that it's smokeless on the output side as a safeguard so it does add a bit of a back resistance onto the engine at the cost of some power but I filter the gas that hard because It's hard to keep high enough temperatures in the gasifier to keep the tars down to a safe level with a small air displacement using a 5 Hp engine so I'm playing it safe.

[@flash001USA]

***** Ahhh ha hah haaa If I had a nickle for every snafu I typed in replies I would be a rich man.

[@scottearney6960]

do you have a detailed material list

[@flash001USA]

Unfortunately not because I was modifying parts as I went along so I felt the best way was to do a video while explaining what I used and how I did it. I tried to cover the parts in this video as best I could but if you have any questions on how I did some of the mods feel free to pick my brain.

[@albrault8910]

Are you still using your gasifier

[@flash001USA]

It is on the stand-by ready to go and ready to use if I need it

[@albrault8910]

@@flash001USA I'm working on a different type. It's screw driven give a larger surface area for the reduction zone. The whole unit will be no more than 100 lbs loaded. But your video was helpful thanks

[@flash001USA]

@@albrault8910 You will have to upload and share a video with those of us in the woodgas community once you get it up and running. This video here is very old and the gasifier has went through some changes since this was uploaded complete with automation. If you thumb some of the later videos, you will see the automation for the gasifier.

[@larrymarkham7166]

I went to your website and to the download page but I couldn't find one download that said the flashafire or your screen name is it under a different name if so what is it ?

[@flash001USA]

Larry contact me through the email link on the miniwoodgas.com site and I'll send you the build. Click on the "Contact the webhost" link. Thanks, Flash

[@larrymarkham7166]

flash001USA i did i wrote the site host or something like that not sure were at on the site is were i write you .

[@flash001USA]

Larry contact me at [e-mail] and I'll get you the drawings. Put "Gasifier build" into the header so I know that it isn't spam. Thanks.

[@catfish500mark9]

☆☆☆☆☆