1941 Charcoal Gasifier Operation / Maintenance and Gasifier History

[@Simplelittlelife]

Absolutely fantastic video! Thank you for sharing! These videos (your passion/information) are some of the last connections between practical technology and people my age and younger. Thank you for making this video. Please keep sharing this because it is important! Thank you so much! Cheers, Jeremy. 👍

[@FredMiller]

Thank you for the very kind comments. I attend old steam engine and gas engine shows around New York State and show this unit every year. I am always amazed how interested folks are about the history and the possibility of using new technology units for modern off grid enthusiasts. Fred

[@maxrunout2989]

Great video, Fred. The best explanation of the details of gasifier operation that I have ever read. I first heard of gasifiers in a novel, of all things. After a little research I became fascinated. It always impresses me how people react to shortages or other difficulties with innovation.

[@sandhollowhomestead6972]

I saw a vehicle in a video made during WWII in Hawaii that they were tossing pineapples into the top opening to make methane I suppose. It was a rugged built chain driven rig but it seemed to pull enough produce to provide a living. Your gasifier is a beautiful historical machine. Thanks for sharing it!

[@farnsmark]

Thanks for sharing, great video and excellent explanations. I have been researching so to build my own and I think the canvas is a brilliant idea! I also learned something regarding the butterfly being attached to each other makes the air mix better to calibrate 👏👏👏👏

[@johnkinnane547]

G'day Fred thanks for the great explanation of how it worked. I have seen them in books but it's great to see one that works, very ingenious in those dark days of the war. Thank one once again kind regards John

[@FredMiller]

I am pleased you enjoyed it. Thanks for the kind comments..

[@cyclexx1011]

Many thanks for sharing this video.what a great piece of kit..I love it.I am about to begin a build of my own gasifier and found this video very helpfull for ideas although I have watched many and bought the wood gasifiers builders bible.you explain it very well.Thankyou

[@pierresgarage2687]

New description of an old machine... Enjoyed!

[@CNCmachiningisfun]

Splendid video! It was very nicely presented, even if your camera man was somewhat distracted :) . I just wish we were taught about these when we were youngsters at school, as this knowledge remains useful, even in times of world peace. Sadly though, our 'education' system fails in this regard, so I am glad that we have the interwebs as a means of imparting this valuable knowledge to all who may elect to partake of it. Keep up the good work :) .

[@jonathanw4942]

I sure learned a lot!! Always found them interesting and wish I had time to attempt to build one!! Great video Fred!!

[@FredMiller]

Thanks Jonathan, My suggestion is don't build one until you have a LOT of time to read and research. I rushed into building my first one and spent more time making modifications than if i just took time to read the research. There are dozens of mistakes any one of them will give you a dirty or malfunctioning unit. Thanks again for the comment!

[@jonathanw4942]

I am good at attempting to re-invent the wheel, only to eventually end up with a wheel.

[@Xynudu]

Interesting video Fred. Thanks for posting.

[@theDriZzleRGasifier]

Dear Fred, Very nice find and well explained video. Maybe for completeness one could mention that appart from charcoal gasifiers also raw wood gasifiers where commenly in use during world war two. The latter more vulnarable to produce tar. But then again at that time people where not very touchy about theirs cars and did not mind to clean the car engine from tar every some thousend kilometers or so: The Germans had a hate relation with their gasifier; They even had a special curse when the gasifier again did not wanted to function and they stood still on the side of the road; It went like this "Oh Imbert mit dem Rütteldorn, dich schuf der Herr in seinem Zorn.“ Freely translated: "God must have been realy mad to create such thing as a grateshaken Imbert.", There where numerous other curses and hate poems about a woodgas-generated driven car. If I was not so busy building gasifiers One of this days I must find some time to search and collect this special literature; Luk

[@RobertSmith-gl5vs]

I would like to be able to buy a good mass produced gasifier for farm use, one for a tractor,one for home use. There is coming a time when gas and even electric sources will be unavailable or so high priced that they are unavailable. Just trying to survive the coming energy shortage…..

[@michaelmurray9154]

Interesting. I wasn't aware of the history of these. Good video Fred!

[@FredMiller]

Thanks for the comment Michael. I am amazed how this technology that was critical to these people is almost unknown today...

[@rosenrusev6522]

Great video.Thank you!

[@stealcian74]

I have a feeling these are going to come back into style soon.

[@mariusneumayer4419]

GREAT machine and explanation. I don't get one thing at 6:25 minutes how long is the pipe? Is it welded to the bottom? Does it touch the bottom? does it have any holes drilled in the pipe?

[@bdsoutherland]

Thank you so much for this helpful reply. I will make a video of my charcoal powered 1976 MGB after I get a little more road time under my belt.

[@FredMiller]

Bruce, Please do make a video. We all learn from each other here. Successes are as good as failures when learning something new. Best of luck and I will be waiting for your video. Cheers Fred

[@jimarnott9593]

Interesting , thanks for putting this video together Jim UK

[@FredMiller]

Thank you for the nice comment Jim.

[@Dollapfin]

A lot of people don’t understand combustion. Steps: Pyrolysis Volatiles are chemically released from biomass and nonvolatile carbon is left behind Gasification These volatiles and leftover carbon (charcoal in your case) are partially oxidized by oxygen or steam to produce hydrogen and carbon monoxide. Combustion Carbon monoxide and hydrogen combine with oxygen to form water and carbon dioxide

[@arnoekarts7114]

Hello from Latvia...yes we have charcoal......Nice,,Good Luck. p.s.Thank,s a lot for sharing.

[@FredMiller]

Hello Arno. Thank you for the nice comment. Fred

[@JebNY48]

Good to see you survived another steam show

[@FredMiller]

It was HOT all 4 days. It got up into the low 90s on 2 days. It was a good show with a lot of interest in the gasifier.

[@JebNY48]

At least no rain for a change?

[@NOBOX7]

im gonna have to spend some time on this channel , liking what i see

[@BundyBearsShed]

Interesting stuff. Thanks Fred.

[@sojournsojourntraveler1203]

nice Where did you find the cleaning brush? Why didn't you show your air intake system to the burner area ?

[@denverbevins4052]

That's a great, compact design.

[@freedomwoodgasandoffgridin8925]

Beautiful Gasifier! Would have liked to see it work Most gasifiers work with a blower that draws air in THROUGH the gasifiers air inlet, and out the gas outlet pipe to the cyclone filter and final filter. Then to the engine. Fuel grade charcoal in ground to a particular size. About 3/4" to 1/8th inch. Not lump charcoal. Lump charcoal is too big to strip off the oxygen molecules. You would not make good gas. But it is a pretty piece of Iron and Copper!

[@FredMiller]

Thank you for your comments. I am not sure of the size of fuel used. I measured the gap between the vertical members of the grate and is it 3/4" or 19mm. The fuel size would have to be a bit bigger to keep from it from falling through the grate.

[@rafaeluribegarcia6246]

Good afternoon ; do you have a video with the gasifiier working? thanks a lot

[@FredMiller]

Thank you Rafael for the comment. I have a short video of a gasifier running a small 10HP engine here. kzbin.info/www/bejne/gpaTgWqop9F0odk

[@rafaeluribegarcia6246]

Thanks Fred, very interesting your clean development, can I write to your mail or WhatsApp for interchange more detailed information? MI mail : [e-mail]

[@ushillbillies]

excellent explanation

[@vasilepop4369]

Very nice! Congratulations!

[@bdsoutherland]

What a great video! Any chance that you could give us a bit more info on the nozzle/tuyere. Does the air pass into the Charcoal through what appear to be three slots trisecting the grate? Does the air enter these slots at the center of the grate or at the perimeter of the grate?

[@FredMiller]

Hello Bruce, Thanks for the nice comment. The 3 air jets are located narrow point between the hopper and about 6" above grate. At some point I will take careful measurements and post them here. I know a number of fellow gasifier folks would be interested in them as well. As I remarked in a comment below I have a second gasifier exactly like the one I showed here and have run it. If you are interested out my other videos. More to come. Fred

[@philgwellington6036]

What camera are you using as it takes a good video, the audio quality especially. Thank you.

[@FredMiller]

The camera I use is a Canon Vixia HF R30 with no special mics or lenses. Thanks for the nice comment. Fred

[@pakistangeographicchannel529]

Very intelligent design

[@damonjenkins2185]

Do you have measurements of the two butterfly valves on the mixer? There’s obviously an ideal ratio they worked out back then. Seems like a far better mixer setup than most gasifier vehicles people build

[@archlich4489]

What would happen if you started the engine with the starter blower still on?

[@FredMiller]

Great question Arch... I actually had two of these units. The one featured was never used (New Old Stock,so to speak). The other one I had (I have videos of that too) I connected it to a single cylinder Wisconsin and a 4 cylinder Wisconsin. In the case of the 4 cylinder one it would pull more vacuum through the system than the blower could push for sure. Although I never had the electric blower running at the same time as the engine I am quite sure there would be no problem. Thanks for the interest... Fred

[@kazeem-mustapha]

Hi Fred, can this gasifier work with a diesel engine? If yes how will it be connected to the diesel engine?

[@FredMiller]

I just did a KZbin search on "gasifier and diesel engines" and there are many videos. I would look at some of these and see if any apply to you.. Thanks for watching and good luck with your searching.. Fred

[@NOBOX7]

very cool

[@Aukage]

VERY nice looking unit!!!

[@FredMiller]

I think so too!

[@cetate93]

This might be a tedious request, but could you show how you tie the canvas together with wire? I'm trying to replicate a Mako Gasifier like this one and want to increase the surface area of my bag filter.

[@stevengrotte2987]

Would the carburetor/mixer have to be different to run this to provide heat for a house, different from a propane carb?

[@FredMiller]

This unit is designed to power internal combustion engines. There are many wood/coal/pellet stoves that are modeled around this process. You might want to KZbin search woodstove gasification. Thanks for watching.

[@NickMoore]

Interesting, the gasifier process is very similar to the process used in a coke fired blast furnace. Coke heated by hot air until it partially combusts to CO gas. The CO gas is burned to heat the hot air that it used to heat the coke and keep the cycle going.

[@redportleft]

Thank you for posting this video. Do you plan to use the gasifier ? It would make a good follow up video.

[@FredMiller]

Tom, I actually have 2 of these gasifiers. This one is NOS and a show piece. It will not be used. I have fired and run a small (too small) 10hp engine. I have also run a 4 cylinder Wisconsin engine that runs a 10,000 watt generator. I have not made a video of that. I definitely would need a video helper to accomplish this one. Thanks for the comments. Check out my other gasifier videos too...

[@josehofmayr8838]

Hello, very nice video cute machine. I'm trying to make a gasifier to use as a feeder for an electric generator. Could you give me an idea of where to get the plans of a machine like this? thank you very much and cordial greetings.

[@FredMiller]

Jos'e Thank you for the comment. KZbin is a very rich source of information about building new era gasifiers. I would do a search on "building a gasifier" and go from their. Good luck with your build. Fred

[@mirage1500]

Thanks Fred, very informative, could you tell us why the fire box is so large ?

[@FredMiller]

Hi Paul, The black cylinder on top is actually charcoal hopper where the fuel is stored. The silver cylinder under it is the firebox/ash container. There is a large air ring that takes up most of the firebox. The actual grate is about 8" in diameter. This sized unit would support a large 4 cylinder engine. Thanks for watching. Fred

[@M3rVsT4H]

Hi Fred, thanks for the tour. I'm ever so curious. How does the system handle the fluctuations between idle and wide open throttle one might encounter with a road vehicle?

[@FredMiller]

Hi Merv, The "mixer" has 2 dampers, a woodgas and an air damper that are connected by a rod. They open and close together as a unit and are initially adjusted so that the woodgas/air ratio are correct for that size engine. Once set they never need to be adjusted again. At idle they are both almost closed and at full throttle they are both wide open. They are controlled bya cable to the vehicles gas peddle. Thanks for watching and the question. Best Regards, Fred

[@M3rVsT4H]

Thanks for the reply. I follow all of that, Just not sure what happens to the gasifier at idle.. does it just build pressure? Wouldn't it suffocate eventually if unable to vent?

[@FredMiller]

Merv There is no real pressure in the gasifier when it is in operation. The draw from the engine pulls the air into the gasifier and that air combusts with the charcoal. Think of a kind of like a steel can with a smoldering fire in it. If the vehicle shuts off for a while the coals will just smolder. If within a couple of hours the car is started again the fresh air entering the gasifier will start burning and the process is back producing gas. No pressure... Lemme know if that helps. Fred

[@M3rVsT4H]

Ahh so simple it's genius. That answers my questions and I appreciate it. As an avid tinkerer, I had a mind blown moment last night when I encountered these units for the first time, only to discover they've been around for ages and were once common knowledge.

[@FredMiller]

If you have not browsed my channel, please feel free to do so. I have other gasifier videos. I built a unit to power a 10K watt generator and it works great. The internet is packed with folks who are building and improving the designs.. Thanks for watching... Fred

[@Mackster30]

Fred is there anyone on KZbin that has working example of gasifier that doesn't require expensive machining equipment? I want to make one asap for very obvious reasons.

[@farnsmark]

Mr thessalonian he actually has a small pick up that he shows how he built it out of common scrap items

[@stevengrotte2987]

At least 25 years ago I saw pictures of them mounted on the back bumper of trucks, cars, and buses in Occupied France, (WW2)

[@stevengrotte2987]

I didn't know that they could be used to make hydrogen (can't spell)

[@FixItYerself]

nice

[@mauriceupton1474]

This is a gasafier like they used on Suction gas engines which powered most of Australia pre 1945 until they ran out of wood.

[@latvianwoodsman2309]

gasifiers also powerd some tanks

[@FredMiller]

Thank you for that information. I have almost a hundred photos of gasified trucks, cars, tractors and even motorcycles but no tanks. It makes perfect sense that tanks would also use them when gasoline was unavailable. Thanks you again for that info. I will look for some pictures of gasified tanks to add to my portfolio.

[@HomicideHenry]

My only concern is the amount of carbon monoxide, etc produced by these things--- if I was sure it was completely safe to put into a vehicle, I'd do it tomorrow.

[@FredMiller]

The carbon monoxide and hydrogen produced by the gasifier was piped directly to the engines intake manifold. It was burned completely and carbon dioxide and water were the engines output product. In California (a state with very strict emissions standards) a properly maintained Syn-Gas powered vehicles pass the required annual emissions test with flying colors.. Hope this helps.. Fred

[@HomicideHenry]

@@FredMiller Thank you very much for that information!

[@harmab2]

very cool