Re: GAS-L: can't get my gas to light!

[Arnt Karlsen <arnt@c2i.net>]

Joacim Persson wrote:
> 
> On Fri, 16 Feb 2001, Arnt Karlsen wrote:
> 
> > Joel Florian wrote:
> >
> > > diagnose my problem.  I notice that most pictures I see 
> > > of gasifiers have
> > > insulation wrapped around parts of it.  Is that to keep
> > > the temperature high
> > > in the secondary combustion zone?
> >
> > ..yes!  I use "cone ash".  WWII litterature speak of
> > "V-hearth".
> 
> I think he meant the gas flame (`secondary combustion zone')?

..my experience has thaught there are _many_veird_ meanings 
of `secondary combustion zone', the symptoms Joel described, 
suggested to me (at the very least) he meant the reduction 
zone.  But, what do I know... ;-)
 
> >
> > >                        Does the gas need to be hot to
> >
> > ..nope.  For engines, it _should_ be cooled.

> 
> I've had trouble getting the flame burn properly at low 
> temperatures (abt -20°C) when the gasifier and whole system 
> had stood (outdoors) overnight.
> The flame simply wouldn't stick to the pipe. But after 
> having bought myself a handy butane burner (with pizoelectric 
> igntion -- works for producer gas too) for lighting the 
> gasifier hearth with (and thawing frozen stuck gas mixer 
> valves etc), I noticed I could get the flame to stick to 
> one side of the pipe if I heated the edge and a couple of 
> dm down. I suspect flame speed increases with temperature. 
> Warming up the cooler with the butane burner also improved. 
> 
> I've taken the habit now of bypassing the heat exchanger 
> (leading primary air in by the ignition hatch until I got 
> the motor running) when fanning up the gasifier when it's 

..you use an heat exchanger to heat up primary air going 
into the gasifiers combustion zone?  (The right thing to do.)

> cold, and it seems to help it up quite a bit.  This both 
> increases the flow of air in (colder, denser air, plus 
> less pressure drop) too, so it may be more factors than 
> gas temperature only.
> 
> My fan is too weak though. That's the real problem in my case.

..I used stripped down vacuum cleaner motor fans, sealing 
all leaks, they lift water about 2 meters up.  Most are 
rated to about 100°C, so, you will want to either cool 
your gas or drive your fan some other way.  
I have observed life spans from 2 to 20 hours on 
200°C dry gas, and within 5 minutes on waterbubbled 
tarry gas, rather spectacular deaths.  ;-)

> 
> Joacim


-- 
..med vennlig hilsen = with Kind Regards from Arnt... ;-)

  Scenarios always come in sets of three: 
  best case, worst case, and just in case.