Wood gasification ?

[gwpoky]

Just read a neat article is “Mother Earth News” on powering vehicles on wood gas, though I do not think its best use is transportation I think it could have a strong place on many farms for additional electrical generation as part of an affordable off grid system. Any thoughts would be great if anyone has looked into it or is using it. Hope everyone is enjoying this spring.

Here is the link http://www.driveonwood.com/

thanks

[Jim Ostergard]

I don’t know much about them. I got a contract to log and cut 15 cords a year on a property up the road. That was the estimated amount of wood the engineers figured for the new wood gasification boiler which is heating 2 100′ greenhouses as well as the main house. Seemed awful optimistic to me and sure enough the landowner asked me a few weeks into the contract if I could cut 40 cords. The thing eats two cords a week of seasoned split 4′ wood with temperatures in the teens at night and twenties during the day. I think one needs a good wood lot to keep one of these things going. Just my two pennies worth.
Jim O

[Roscoe]

I know a guy he is a knifemaker by trade, he makes the power for his shop with a self made wood gasification generator. He spends about 7 hour a week for cutting wood in 3″ chunks and for maintenance, mainly cleaning filters.

[Ethan Tapper]

This is a bit of a tangent (from what it sounds like the wood gasification that you guys are talking about is), but at UMaine they are working on a process to refine wood into gasoline (see link below)… I find it a little scary (more so than what you all are talking about).

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/18/us-cellulose-oil-idUSTRE79H6SL20111018

[mitchmaine]

ethan, that is pretty scary. the world consumption of oil is about 18 million barrels per day, and two barrels can be made from a cord of wood. nine million cord per day, is that the math? Maine might look a little different in a months time.
Wind, water and sunlight. we have alot of that, right? What’s the deal? i don’t get it.

[Donn Hewes]

Hi Mitch, Don’t tell the guy splitting the wood, but world consumption of oil is about 85 to 90 million barrels a day (depending on what you call oil, ethanol? Tar sands?, NGL’s). US consumption is about 18 or 18.5 per day. down from peak near 21 about 2006. I confess to a little obsession with oil. Talk to you soon, Donn

[gwpoky]

Yah, that’s a little crazier than what I have in mind. I still think for traction draft animals and trains are the best way to go. I am looking at this from an electrical generation standpoint, something to tie in with wind and solar. Being that the wood gas has to be cooled before injection maybe that “waste heat” could be put to a good use as well? We try to conserve are much as we can here but we still have to purchase power from the electric co. it would be nice to get out of that loop and not use fuel hauled in from Colorado or Canada to run our home. So that’s what I am thinking keep the ideas and thought coming.

Thanks

[Wamoo]

I’ve looked into wood gasification as well for electricity generation, mainly for cooling milk, running a vacuum pump, and other dairy related power needs.

It certainly is not new technology. During WWII, much of the UK’s agricultural production was done with wood gas due to the shortage of petroleum during the war.

Even FEMA has plans online (http://www.woodgas.net/files/FEMA_emergency_gassifer.pdf) on how to build an emergency wood gasifier in case of an oil shortage. I think it would (should?) only be used on farms that have a woodlot and then could be self-sustaining. Besides, every farm should have a woodlot! Our land had one big Douglas Fir when we bought it. We set a few acres aside for a woodlot, and we’ve just been planting trees every year.

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