Re: GAS-L: History of very small true gasifier units

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

Dear Paul, Andrew and All:

Glad to hear of the "sausage" cooker.  But I don't agree that there weren't
holes in the bottom.  Without the holes only a cm or two would burn because
air can't enter from the top while gas is exiting.  Try our stove with
bottom air completely cut off (Hard to do - very little air required).

We have also proposed (at the Ethos meeting last year) "straw ropes"
requiring very tight winding.

Straw "knots" are described by Laura Engels Wilder (Little House on the
Prairie etc.) in the book "The Long Winter".  When the wood ran out early,
she and her father spent hours twisting straw knots for heat.

Your pal,                                     TOM REED


----- Original Message -----
From: "Paul S. Anderson" <psanders@ilstu.edu>
To: <andrew.heggie@dtn.ntl.com>; "Stoves" <stoves@crest.org>;
<gasification@crest.org>
Sent: Friday, October 18, 2002 8:09 AM
Subject: GAS-L: History of very small true gasifier units


> Hi,
>
> I have become interested in the history of the development of very small
> true gasifier combustion units.
>
> But I question every claim for "gasifiers" because the definitions are so
> weak.  For example, I give below the recent messages from Crispin and AJH.
>
> >On Mon, 14 Oct 2002 20:13:47 +0200, "Crispin" <crispin@newdawn.sz>
> >wrote:
> >
> > >Dear Andrew
> > >
> > >I heard anecdotal evidence of a very low cost string bound straw
'sausage'
> > >'briquette' being used to cook in Kampala restaurants.  It was placed
into a
> > >fairly tight fitting metal can and top lit.  The diameter was on the
order
> > >of 5 inches.  It apparenetly burned very cleanly and was the cheapest
fuel
> > >around..
>
> At 12:08 AM 10/18/02 +0100, AJH wrote in reply:
>
> >Nice one! Just shows most things have been thought of. I wonder if it
> >predates the Reed-Larson idd stove? Does it burn out the char?
> >
> >AJH
>
> My comment and question:  Just because it is top-lit does not make it a
> gasifier.  There would need to be air intentionally entering at the
bottom,
> to come up through the biomass (straw), and create gases specifically to
be
> flared later (milli-seconds or longer) when secondary air is intentionally
> introduced.
>
> I suspect that the "can with straw" did NOT have air entering at the
> bottom, but because the straw is so much like loose paper, the air from
the
> top that could reach the burning zone was providing sufficient primary air
> AND simultaneously providing the secondary air needed to get the flame.
>
> Anyone with further (and first hand) information about the "can with
straw"
> combustion unit, please send it to me (via Stoves List is best so that all
> can comment.)  (I am sending this also to the "Gasification List Serve"
for
> comments from that perspective.)
>
> Meanwhile, I would like to hear from anyone about OTHER very small
> gasifiers, including when where who what etc.  I am sure that some of you
> experimented with the likes of Tom Reed's IDD gasifier.  I will post my
> 1-page "Short introduction to the Juntos Gasifier Stove" very soon,
> probably today, without pictures so it will transmit easily.
>
> Also, I refer to my previous posting of 3 days ago about "Theory and
> terminology questions about combustion".  Not a single comment from anyone
yet.
>
> 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
>
>
> Gasification List Moderator:
> Tom Reed, Biomass Energy Foundation,  tombreed@attbi.com Biomass =
> Energy Foundation, www.woodgas.com
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>
> >
>
>



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>