Re: carbonisation

[Carefreeland@aol.com]

Mr. Karve, 
    This is VERY interesting. Great information. Very innovative. Do you dry 
the leaves well before carbonization?  What is the caloric value of the 
leaves before this process, as in if you were to dry and burn them cleanly?  
Compare to wood and so on? 
    Are you loosing a lot of heat warming up the kiln/firebox?  With this 
being a one time through batch operation, there must be much waste heat 
warming/cooling the stove down again. Clay and earth hold a lot of heat, 
especially in mass quantities.  Maybe that would account for your lost heat. 
You can measure the heat lost by averaging the outside stove temp and 
figuring heat transfer.  Add the flue gas heat. 
    Maybe a large reflective hood would put some lost heat back?  The earth 
will insulate somewhat if you can run continuous. Maybe close the grate 
except where the barrels are+ an inch or so for the flame. 
    I suggest that you find a way to remove the retorts (barrels) one at a 
time while still burning hot, and quickly replace them with fresh full 
barrels.  Maybe a big beam and pivot type crane with a counterbalance could 
be constructed.  Weld or bolt eyelet's and chains to the barrels for hooks.  
Bee careful with the hot barrels!  Or try a pivot system for dumping, and a 
shoot or funnel for reloading. 
    This operation change would conserve the heat built up in the walls, 
floor and grate of the stove. By alternating the barrels one would help heat 
the other. The productivity will multiply with the continuous operation as 
well.  This an is an alteration of the principal of the design I will attempt 
to construct soon. 
    My devise will use two or three 100lb propane cylinders in an oblong 275 
gal home heating oil tank. My devise will be built to pivot allowing dumping 
of the finished char into a quenching can.  I am hoping that by insulating 
the stove and making a good efficient burner, I can get the devise self 
sustaining on woodgas. 
    You are on the right path allowing the gas to burn off where it is 
hottest.  Dr. Reed would tell you that allows for cracking of the tars, but I 
imagine you already knew that.  Maybe do some experimentation with a pipe and 
burner system from the barrels. Just by internally venting off the top of the 
cooking biomass, down through an internal pipe to a burner on the bottom, 
would speed up the operation by more evenly cooking the char.  The excess tar 
would deposit in the uncooked char adding carbon and spreading the heat.  
That is my plan, copy away and tell me how it works in your system. 
    Oh well, so much for patenting my innovations, oops!  Just kidding. I 
wish the whole world knew how to cleanly make, clean char.  Then we would 
have to find something other than oil to fight over.  I'll patent the 
charcoal burners! 
    Your process validates my plans.  The cad design center in my forebrain 
only goes so far.  Thanks a million, and hope I can help you with your quest 
for the perfect charcoal retort process.  I do believe that retort systems 
can be better than pyrolisis if perfected.  The heat loss is the problem.  
Let me know if any of these Ideas help, and I'll do the same when I get this 
far. 
    How about ash? Can you compare to any traditional char made with the same 
feedstock?  It may have less ash since no burning takes place in the biomass. 
    Now you are making me look bad for being so far behind on my experiments. 
On the other hand the internal venting system popped in mind only recently, 
so innovation is still taking place on the mental drawing board. I'm 
concerned about clogging and subsequent explosion. I'll probably make 
pressure release latches on the retort doors.  I need to mow some grass and 
think about what you have taught me, that usually works.  
    Oh yea, If your barrels corrode through, try hot oil coating them on the 
first run.  Get them to a dull red heat and pour or sprinkle, used motor oil 
on the steel to quench it.  Be careful of spontaneous combustion and 
excessive smoke. The oil penetrates the steel, keeping the acidic products of 
combustion from reacting with the bare metal at high temps. I'm hoping the 
higher carbon of the propane cylinders will help in my system. Is the process 
exposed to rain? Keep the barrels dry between use, under a tarp maybe? Oil 
them after use?  Keep working at it,  Go,GO,  
                                                 Daniel Dimiduk
                                Shangri-La Research and Development 
                                                 Dayton, Ohio, USA  

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