Charcoal + Heat

["Tom Reed" <tombreed@attbi.com>]

Title:

Dear All: 

 

Tom Miles says...

 

>Charcoal might seem like a convenient byproduct but I think most of the experience has taught us to treat charcoal and electricity production as separate processes.

 

Agreed, and in our CPC gasifiers we try to keep char/ash production below 5%. 

 

HOWEVER, production of characoal and heat are not so incompatible.  In some of our stoves, after the volatiles have been gasified, a change of air fuel ratio permits continuing operation to give a good CO gas flame.  OR you can keep the charcoal. 

 

TOM REED          BEF STOVEWORKS    GASWORKS

----- Original Message -----

From: Tom Miles

To: Ron Larson ; Ray Wijewardene ; P.G. Joseph ; Thomas B Reed ; adkarve@pn2.vsnl.net.in

Sent: Sunday, November 10, 2002 9:23 AM

Subject: Re: Gasification; bioenergy etc.

Ron,

 

A comment on your enthusiasm for charcoal.

 

A gasifier that is optimized to make fuel gas for electricity will make very little charcoal. An efficient stove or boiler will not make any charcoal. A gasifying stove like the turbostove or a staged combustor like the primenergy gasifier can make charcoal since it's primarily burning the volatiles. A pyrolyser that is optimized to make charcoal will make a gas that must be reprocessed (reformed) to make a gas clean enough to run reliably in an engine.Charcoal might seem like a convenient byproduct but I think most of the experience has taught us to treat charcoal and electricity production as separate processes.

 

Tom Miles