Re: GAS-L: Sweet Chestnut Gasification

["Graeme Williams" <graeme@powerlink.co.nz>]

Dear Paul,

Welcome to Gasification - a technology where nothing is as it seems!  I
guess  Stoves must be much the same, as to my knowledge they have been
'improving' for at least the last 20 years.

In answer to your question regarding chippers and chip size, it is unlikely
you will find much by way of recommended sizes for gasification processes.
Few, if any manufacturers have worked specifically to design a small chunker
for rural needs and the best manual design is still a sharp axe.

However, seeing as you are looking for ideas, my suggestion is to consider
making a double leverage guillotine which should work up to about 50mm.  The
wood should be fed through on an angle to reduce cutting forces.  Set up in
the middle of a village it would be available and useable  by everyone.

To reduce confusion, my son Graeme's computer is my link to the world as I
am computer illiterate and intend to remain that way!

Hope this helps.

Doug Williams
FLUIDYNE GASIFICATION


----- Original Message -----
From: "Paul S. Anderson" <psanders@ilstu.edu>
To: "Graeme Williams" <graeme@powerlink.co.nz>;
<rebecca.heaton@bronzeoak.com>
Cc: <gasification@crest.org>; <bioenergy@crest.org>; <stoves@crest.org>
Sent: Tuesday, June 18, 2002 6:06 AM
Subject: Re: GAS-L: Sweet Chestnut Gasification


> Dear Graeme and other "Gasifiers", (with copy to the Stoves list serve)
>
> I am new to this list serve, but have been active for a year on the Stoves
> List serve.  I am working with Tom Reed on a domestic gasifier stove for
> cooking with biomass.  My area of work is southern Africa, specifically in
> Mozambique and where it joins with Swaziland and South Africa.  I head to
> Africa on 4 July for 3 months.
>
> My question is about "chippers".  Graeme makes clear statements about drum
> chippers producing poor quality chips and screw-auger chippers producing
> good quality chips.
>
> Is there a good source of info about these chippers, especially regarding
> making fuel for gasifiers?  I am especially interested in the least
> expensive, and I hope manually powered, but all info will be useful.
>
> Paul
>
> Paul S. Anderson (full signature block info should be at the end of this
> message.)
>
> At 03:34 PM 6/14/02 +1200, Graeme Williams wrote:
> >Hello Rebecca,
> >
> >Sweet Chestnut should not cause any problems if used for down draught
> >gasifiers.  As with all woods used for gasification, the moisture content
> >should be as low as possible (15 - 20%) and you need to closely monitor
the
> >chip size.
> >
> >The big trap for most projects drawing wood from city forestry, is the
use
> >of drum chippers which make a lot of fines and is very poor gasifier
fuel. I
> >am pretty sure there was a lot of chestnut chipped at Rural Generations
> >Brook Hall Project in Londonderry following Winter gales a couple of
years
> >ago and there were no unusual problems, although it was mixed with other
> >hardwoods.
> >
> >Make sure you use a screw auger chipper with a medium size chip (50 x 25
x
> >5) and it should work fine.
> >
> >Problems with coppice willow gasification can be overcome with a
correctly
> >designed gasifier, and again the correct cutting size of the chip.  If
you
> >haven't done so, you can read about our work with the fuel on the
Fluidyne
> >Archive www.fluidynenz.250x.com
> >
> >Hope this helps
> >
> >Doug Williams
> >FLUIDYNE GASIFICATION
> >
> >
> >-
> >Gasification List Archives:
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> >
> >Gasification List Moderator:
> >Tom Reed, Biomass Energy Foundation,  Reedtb2@cs.com
> >www.webpan.com/BEF
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> >-
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> >http://www.crest.org/articles/static/1/1010424940_7.html Bioenergy
> >http://www.crest.org/articles/static/1/1011975339_7.html Gasification
> >http://www.crest.org/articles/static/1/1011975672_7.html Carbon
>
> Paul S. Anderson, Ph.D.,  Fulbright Prof. to Mozambique 8/99 - 7/00
> Dept of Geography - Geology (Box 4400), Illinois State University
> Normal, IL  61790-4400   Voice:  309-438-7360;  FAX:  309-438-5310
> E-mail: psanders@ilstu.edu - Internet items: www.ilstu.edu/~psanders


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http://www.crest.org/articles/static/1/1011975339_7.html Gasification
http://www.crest.org/articles/static/1/1011975672_7.html Carbon