Box 81, Cape Canaveral, Florida 32920
Last year I got curious about the possibility of adapting the
old (1860) ‘gaso-gen’ device to use with stationary engines
because an example for such usage was demonstrated here by a team
from the University of Florida, except that their application was
the propulsion of an old Dodge truck. The device took up the entire
truck bed space, plus some cooling tubes festooned onto the front
end.
As have many of your readers, I had seen such adaptations in
Europe during and after World War II. Europeans and others used the
gaso-gen because most if not all their gasoline was expropriated by
the Nazis, and most gaso-gens burned charcoal.
The device itself was very simple. It was just a sort of wood
stove turned upside down with drafted air passing thru the
combustibles, cleaners, and cooling devices to a gas engine intake
manifold.
The automotive engines were usually started on a bit of gasoline
or benzine then switched to the wood-gas generated.
Several defects were inherent. First, there was approximately a
25 percent loss in engine power; second, there was a tendency to
dirty the engines making complete teardowns a must for cleaning out
carboniferous deposits. There were, and are other less difficult
problems, most of which can be solved.
Carbon monoxide composes about 50% of the wood (charcoal) gas
produced. That is sneaky stuff, so any device must either be
operated outside any buildings or equipped with fail-safe
ventilation devices.
The gaso-gen has had limited use on stationary engines, but the
greater portion of its application has been to mobile powered
contrivances. Rheingold used them on its New York trucks; in Sweden
many uses were made, and some use of the gaso-gen was made in
Australia during WW II. Wherein charcoal is burned, nitrogen,
carbon monoxide, hydrogen, carbon dioxide, methane and oxygen, are
released. Nitrogen composes 50% or more, and carbon monoxide about
30%. Carbon monoxide and hydrogen gases provide the basic explosive
components for the engines. Nitrogen reduces power.
However, to return to present projects; GEM is hardly a place
for technical intricacies easier found in authoriative sources
elsewhere. My goal is to build a gaso-gen, burn wood or charcoal in
it, and put the gases to work running my old stationary
engines.
Existing designs and specifications abound, so one may either
choose one or improvise on his own, I have designed such a device,
and it will be simply a prototype with which to perform the
necessary experiments in search of cleaner and more powerful
results. The present design is for use with a small Briggs &
Stratton, or similar gas engine. Larger engines will need larger
gas producers. The machine consists of a 40-gallon home water tank
with holes cut in it and a door. Flame brick line the lower fuel
burning area just over a common grate. Air is forced in one side of
the generator, flows DOWN through the flame bucket through the
grate, and out the opposite side of the generator. Hence the gases
flow into a centrifugal drum device provided with strainer paddles
rotating against the gas flow.
From the centrifugal cleaner, the gas will move down through two
common automobile radiators sealed up to permit water flow over the
core pipes. Now that the gas has been partly cleaned and cooled, it
moves into three larger diameter cooling passages. These will have
steel wool or other cleaning material stuffed into them, so as to
clean the gas further, but not to clog its passage. Just before
entering the engine intake chamber, the gas should bubble up
through a small vat of oil.
At the engine, a mixing valve and cutoff should be installed,
permitting starting on gasoline, then switchover to gaso-gen
fuel.
All this descriptive information and procedural explanation is
nothing at all new. It is indeed standard operational procedure
developed over the past two world wars.
The object of this project will be to produce cleaner gas, and
make modifications both in the device itself, and in any internal
combustion engine used to enhance compression ratios.
Over the historic period of gaso-gen use, one of the problems
has been that the gas works best in high compression engines. These
old stationary engines are rarely ‘high compression’, so
some modifications must be made either in the gas-fuel delivery to
the engine, or the engine itself, or both.
I am considering a ‘ramming device’ to force more gas
into the engine using a modification of the exhaust gas powered
injection method; also of spraying into the mixture at the
cylinder, some other chemical. Perhaps atomised alcohol, a little
water, propane, liquid natural gas, or whatever is discovered will
help keep a clean engine, and raise the power to fuel
ratio.
In the construction I will use the water tanks, two-inch iron or
copper tubing, auto radiators, and possibly auto air cleaners, one
or two ‘squirrel cage’ fans, some PVC piping, fittings,
valves, etc. A ‘grant’ from the government Energy
Department has been solicited to aid in these procedures. If
awarded, the project will be expedited. If not, it will take a
little longer.
In this connection I would be happy to hear from anyone also
interested in this sort of project, and hopefully I may hear from
gas engine men actually powering their engines in this manner. Once
stationary engines can be efficient when powered by the simple
burning of wood or charcoal, many farm operations and small local
power utilities and factories can produce their own electricity,
shop machine power, pumping, etc., like long before the electrical
age. And all this using little or no gasoline at all!!
