Wood Gas for stationary engines.

**wagoo** · 3rd January 2011, 09:45 AM

I live on a 45 acre mostly forested block away from the electricity grid.
My present 18hp 6kva petrol powered generator set is ok and economical enough when throttled down for charging the bank of deep cycle batteries for household use, but gets a bit thirsty when I require 240 volts for vehicle fabrication work running welder, grinders, chop saw etc. i want to buy a lathe and possibly a milling machine in the future to pursue my hobby, and obviously running these will require more electric power. Being a pensioner I have to count my pennies re ongoing running costs, and have considered making use of what is on my block a wasted resource.Trees fall down all the time over here, and they grow just as quickly.Producer gas from wood is an old technology that at times such as world war 2 has been employed to power vehicles when petrol and deisel supplies have been severely rationed.
Initial internet research indicates that engine performance is reduced somewhat, and the gas producer takes up quite abit of space, so running my swb LandRover on this gas might not be too practical unless I was somehow able to compress it into portable CNG type storage containers.
However, for a stationary power unit where space is not an issue this may be a practical alternative solution to my energy needs.
Does anyone here have any hands on experience with producer gas regards gas producer/engine maintenance, wood consumption/ labor intensity,Availability of commercially manufactured units, fire hazard (I live in a bushfire zone) etc ? Any useful input would be appreciated.
Wagoo.

**Tank** · 3rd January 2011, 11:41 AM

You have your location as Melbourne, how far from the grid could you be in Melbourne. Wood will become a valuable resource as a producer of Ethanol which would be much more viable than Wood Gas, grow some more trees and become an Ethanol producer in the future, Regards Frank.

**Mick_Marsh** · 3rd January 2011, 12:19 PM

Bill,
I remember seeing on telly not that long ago a wood chip powered electricity generator. It was about the size of a hot water service.
I think the program might have been Landline.
I think the generator was designed and being built in Australia for third world countries.
regards
Mick

**wagoo** · 3rd January 2011, 12:22 PM

Originally Posted by Tank

You have your location as Melbourne, how far from the grid could you be in Melbourne. Wood will become a valuable resource as a producer of Ethanol which would be much more viable than Wood Gas, grow some more trees and become an Ethanol producer in the future, Regards Frank.

How far away from the grid am I? In my area of the Toolangi region I'mabout $50,000 away.
As far as future is concerned, I might be lucky and have 10 good years before pushing up daiseys or moving into a retirement home.

Mick, I downloaded some plans to make my own old style producer, but have since read(this morning) that modern units are much more refined regards maintenance, efficiency and gas quality.
Wagoo.

**Mick_Marsh** · 3rd January 2011, 12:57 PM

$50,000
What, two or three poles from the grid? So close and yet so far. I'll be in a similar situation soon (I hope).
With so much wood available I would have thought efficiency would not have been a concern. Perhaps steam power generation would be worth considering. You could perhaps couple an old tech steam stationary engine with a relatively recent generator.
Working in a power related industry, I'd be very interested in seing what you do.

**wagoo** · 3rd January 2011, 01:11 PM

Mick, poles are no longer permitted here due to bush fire concerns. (black saturday gutted the whole region)
Wood consumption is only a concern regards labor for cutting/chipping and cleaning/replacing filters ,tar scrubbers etc.
Re commercial ethanol production. My land is not zoned to allow for any commercial enterprise.
Wagoo.

**justinc** · 3rd January 2011, 01:16 PM

What kinds of timber are available? IE calorific values? IIRC some types of timber even semi dry have way higher values than others, possibly something to do with their oils/ sap contents. This I guess could have a bearing on the type and size of machinery required at end stage.
I too would be interested to hear how it pans out.

I like your thinking

JC

**wagoo** · 3rd January 2011, 08:23 PM

Justin, I have a mix of stringy bark, peppermint gums, and black wattle, plus far too much Mallaluca Ti tree that I would love to be rid of, although its one saving grace is that it seems to be impervious to fire when alive.
I had a thought earlier. There is a saw mill about 5km from me, and if they don't have a market for their saw dust, collecting that could further reduce costs of chainsaw fuel and maintenance plus time and labor in cutting and chipping my own wood, because I've become a bit of a lazy bugger in recent times.

Wagoo.

**bee utey** · 3rd January 2011, 08:46 PM

Have you considered steam? Try this mob:

STEAM ENGINE MANUFACTURERS

I have heard good things about this mob.

**Bigbjorn** · 3rd January 2011, 08:55 PM

Don't you have to turn the wood into charcoal first, before you can use it in a gas producer?

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