Wet Wood

Due to all the predicted rain after the pole shift, dry wood will be a problem. I am thinking we will need a drying process. My initial thoughts are to provide an extra oven for drying the wood to less than 20% before using it in the main oven. A second approach would be to vent off all water on a new batch as it gets hot. Meanwhile no wood gas is available for powering the vehicle. This would all depend on how it is
designed.

Offered by Mike.

The Finnish generators in 1940's used water bubbling cooler/filter, the one I have used uses woven glass fabric filter and air-to-air cooler. There was recently an article in one Finnish newspaper of a newly designed megawatt scale wood gas power plant. It used a two-way process which produced pure gas for engine use from the other end and not-so-pure gas to be burned separately from the another. They could use basically any burning substance as fuel. The percentage of which type of gas was produced depended on the "wetness" of the fuel. I guess the main problem using wood gas in an engine is the tar in the gas. It makes the inlet valves stuck. If the "wetness" of the wood is more than 20%, tar is produced.

I know from practice that at least pre-drying the wood works and it is not difficult to arrange if anything burning substance is available. The generator that I have used is equipped with a system that collects the water which condenses in the fuel reservoir. The wood in the reservoir dries very effectively. The outer surface of the generator is quite hot and if built as a stationary device I guess that this heat could be used to dry the fuel. In a generator installed on a car this is more difficult. In a wood gas generator + internal combustion engine system extra heat is produced in:

- the generator
- engine cooling system
- engine exhaust gasses

If all this heat is effectively used to dry the fuel (wood) it should be quite dry.

Offered by Olli.