Great persons in gasification - Gus Johansson

["Paul S. Anderson" <psanders@ilstu.edu>]

Stovers and Gasifiers,

I have had the immense pleasure of knowing Mr. Gus Johansson, and I want to 
make some comments to you, who can appreciate this man.

Gus is in his 80's and is not on either of the Stoves or Gasification list 
serves.  He lives on the edge of Johannesburg, South Africa, but is 
originally from Sweden.

Put that information together, and you have a person who was in his 20's in 
Sweden during World War II.  AND he was working on gasification things 
then, and has continued to work on gasification still to today.

To have breakfast with Gus is an educational experience.  He has first-hand 
stories about motor vehicles in Europe running on gasification during World 
War II.  For example, because of tars, etc, in the gases, the internal 
combustion engines could only run for about 500 hours before needing a 
complete overhaul, if not actual rebuilding of key parts.  That helped me 
understand why gasification vehicles did not become a success after that war.

So when he talks about building 6 kwh gasifiers, and 15 kwh and 100 kwh (he 
has one in his far backyard that he will light for you) and on up to 300 
kwh units, he speaks with authority.

He has several publications about the Johansson System that he freely 
shares.   Not that I can appreciate all of the top technical info, but I am 
impressed.  He also claims (and I totally believe him) to have solved the 
problem of tars in the producer gas, but that is a trade secret that is 
closely guarded.

**************
Tom Miles provided the following information:
The System Johansson Gasproducer is apparently also being developed by Eskom
Enterprises, a South African utlity
http://www.eskomenterprises.co.za/main/Casestudies/TSIcases/systemjohansson.htm

I [Tom Miles] understand that Gus has about a dozen systems operating. A 
firm in the US is in the process of licensing the Johansson designs 
suitable for 100 kWe CHP at a pilot
facility to be installed somewhere in the east.
************

On my several visits to his home I showed him my tiny Juntos gasifiers 
(actually pyrolysis off-gas units or POGs as I am now calling them).  He 
taught me a lot about what is actually happening in those units, and his 
comments were solidly founded in theory and practice.

We also discussed and lamented the lack of governmental and other support 
for renewable biomass energy sources.  Gus spoke of the decades of changes 
in South Africa that supported and now does not support the planting of trees.

I met Gus via Tom Reed, who knows Gus much better than I do.  And I decided 
to write this tribute about one of the "great persons in gasification."  I 
hope you all have a chance to know him and appreciate his work.

Paul

Paul S. Anderson, Ph.D.,  Fulbright Prof. to Mozambique 8/99 - 7/00
Rotary University Teacher Grantee to Mozambique >10 mo of 2001-2003
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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