How to make charcoal work in a practical way and create CHP
As someone that makes charcoal I can say that its time consuming and requires some real effort. So much so that I would usually dismiss it as a fuel source because I know people are just too unmotivated to do it. And if nobody will do it, then whats the point.
That being said. Here is my idea on how to make a practical charcoal setup. First understand that 3/4 of your weight is being lost to heat and smoke. So for starters we need:
- A device that will make the charcoal
- A way to capture the escaping heat to heat a home or shop
- A way to remove the charcoal
- A way to gasify the charcoal to make energy
The device to make the charcoal should be a stratified gasifier. The open top is easy to load and they are good at making char. Its what I currently use. It uses less wood than the barrel method if you do it right.
Then you need to capture the heat by combusting the tarry escaping gas and getting that heat into your home. The heat exchanger could be the fireplace or you can use hot water. Vent smoke as normal.
When I make charcoal I have to wait for it to cool and then dig it out by hand. It sucks. To remove it effectively you need an auger in the pyrolysis zone. The char will be moved over to an updraft gasifier or to a catch bin to be used later.
The gasifier should be an updraft design that wont plug with char fines from the random biomass that will be put in the stratified initially.
A setup of this nature would allow you to get long run times for heat, use more varied biomass and deliver a high quality charcoal fuel with little waste. Biochar is also a product worth pursuing if you can make it in quantity.
The challenge is the blower motor used to create the suction and a tight sealing auger. But in my opinion this is a user friendly way to create charcoal and heat using the junky fuel most people assume will run effortlessly in an Imbert.
That being said. Here is my idea on how to make a practical charcoal setup. First understand that 3/4 of your weight is being lost to heat and smoke. So for starters we need:
- A device that will make the charcoal
- A way to capture the escaping heat to heat a home or shop
- A way to remove the charcoal
- A way to gasify the charcoal to make energy
The device to make the charcoal should be a stratified gasifier. The open top is easy to load and they are good at making char. Its what I currently use. It uses less wood than the barrel method if you do it right.
Then you need to capture the heat by combusting the tarry escaping gas and getting that heat into your home. The heat exchanger could be the fireplace or you can use hot water. Vent smoke as normal.
When I make charcoal I have to wait for it to cool and then dig it out by hand. It sucks. To remove it effectively you need an auger in the pyrolysis zone. The char will be moved over to an updraft gasifier or to a catch bin to be used later.
The gasifier should be an updraft design that wont plug with char fines from the random biomass that will be put in the stratified initially.
A setup of this nature would allow you to get long run times for heat, use more varied biomass and deliver a high quality charcoal fuel with little waste. Biochar is also a product worth pursuing if you can make it in quantity.
The challenge is the blower motor used to create the suction and a tight sealing auger. But in my opinion this is a user friendly way to create charcoal and heat using the junky fuel most people assume will run effortlessly in an Imbert.
Tags: biochar, charcoal gasifier
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by JSGolightly on -
instead of worrying with an air tight auger, one could install an airlock at the updraft gasifier end which the auger will push the charcoal through.
all and all though, that's a pretty good idea.
-
Permalink Reply by Steve Unruh on -
I like this concept.
Ben, we have now come back full circle. A year ago we both independently were trying to find a way to use rather than wastefully open burn our brushy biomass on our farms. Yet, an Imbert has proven to demand a more premium wood stock input.
Make the open topped big enough for tractor/Bobcat scoop loading of rough PTO chipped stock. Yes lose the moisture out out of the open top. With forced air in the combustor burner there will be no smoke lost hydrocarbons. The heat produced isn't wasted or lost if you DO something useable with it, like Fall/Winter space/water heating.
The charcoal produced will be dry and can be used immediately or bag stored for later use or sold for income.
For a small lot owner I see this as a post leaf-off/needle dropped cool weather Fall seasonal production. No different than maple/cane sugar boiling, corn shelling, beet and potato harvesting.
Regards
SteveU.
-
Permalink Reply by ben on -
I think this is a good concept too. It wont handle sawdust or dry grass clippings and may require a horizontal agitator (see why I did that when everyone else went vertical agitator)
If space isnt an issue waste heat can be used to predry the fuel because as you say it has to be expected to be wet. I think a cool idea would be to pipe the hot tarry gas into a custom made stove that sits in the house and gives off heat in a normal way.
For minimal fuel prep this is the best of all worlds. Will it meet EPA? I'll let you decide.
Steve Unruh said:I like this concept.
Ben, we have now come back full circle. A year ago we both independently were trying to find a way to use rather than wastefully open burn our brushy biomass on our farms. Yet, an Imbert has proven to demand a more premium wood stock input.
Make the open topped big enough for tractor/Bobcat scoop loading of rough PTO chipped stock. Yes lose the moisture out out of the open top. With forced air in the combustor burner there will be no smoke lost hydrocarbons. The heat produced isn't wasted or lost if you DO something useable with it, like Fall/Winter space/water heating.
The charcoal produced will be dry and can be used immediately or bag stored for later use or sold for income.
For a small lot owner I see this as a post leaf-off/needle dropped cool weather Fall seasonal production. No different than maple/cane sugar boiling, corn shelling, beet and potato harvesting.
Regards
SteveU.
-
Permalink Reply by JSGolightly on
-
ben said:Do you have a source on an airlock like that?
Here's an example manufactured out of India. I'm sure somebody could manufacture something similar to this, or (if i can get my scanner to work) you can check out an idea i just came up with.
I'll try posting it later on tonight
-
Permalink Reply by Scott Hunt on
-
Permalink Reply by Steve Unruh on
-
Hi ScottH.
Thanks for posting the video. Insiring.
Good info. Please keep posting your work.
I've gotten side tracked this winter on charcoaling with my wet/frozen wood burning/gasifing. Getting that down fine now but with only Douglas Fir softwood fuel to work with I am having to use up ALL of my produced charcoal in the combustion/oxidization zone to produce the heat to vaporize all of the excessive incoming fuel moisture. A local problem to me living in a rainforest.
So this Group needs the input from people with good coaling hardwood fuels.
Regards
SteveU.
-
Permalink Reply by Vernon Smith on
-
Steve, I live in the Solomon Islands where I make coconut oil and bio-fuel from the oil. Soap too. Coconut shell makes beautiful charcoal. I am researching small scale gassification plants to provide renewable bio-gas for household cooking. Have you any ideas who might be able to help with simple "appropriate technology" equipment that might help me? Let me know please.
-
Permalink Reply by Steve Unruh on
-
Welcome Vernon
There is a Chinese made gasification stove kit with gasifier, cooler/filter and a two burner stove being privately imported into the US and Canada.
You can view this by opening up the "LINKS" here on the home page and once opened click on to:
http://gasifiers.bioenergylists.org/
Look at the right hand topic lists section there and open up "Chinese Gasification Stove"
Owner feedback says this works fine for producing cooking fuel but not a clean enough gas fuel for motor fuels.
A member here at Victory named Kim Jessen has been working to gasify coconut shells in to a motor grade fuel. You can search him out and see his pictures in the "MEMBERS" section here on the home page and even try and talk to him about his success. He is in Denmark.
Coconut shell are reported to be an excellent gasification fuel due to there uniform density and low ash content. You can read this by opening up the "LINKS" section here on the home page. Then open up:
http://woodgas.net
on Jonathan Spreadboroughs site you can then open up his "DOWNLOADABLE FILES" an down load a copy of the World Bank Technical Paper #296.
The comparison of coconut shell, husks, rice hulls, woods, and charcoals as gasification fuels is in that paper.
I am envious of you with only a low density softwood fuel to work with here.
Regards
SteveU.
-
Permalink Reply by Steve Unruh on
-
My apologies VernonS.
My link sent you to the wrong Chinese manufactures stove article.
If you go directly to:
http://www.bioenergylists.org/
in the right hand "Reference Pages" side bar under Fuels and Stoves you will find a wealth of information specific to coconut and charcoal fueled cooking stoves.
Regards
SteveU.
-
Permalink Reply by Vernon Smith on
-
Thanks Steve, I will follow up on the website. BTW Where are you geographically?
-
Permalink Reply by Vernon Smith on
-
Steve,
I would like to check out the Chinese kit anyway. Please let me know how to get in touch with the maker. I want to offer a variety of solutions to firewood and this complete package deal looks promising. I have veg oil stoves in mind too.
Cheers,
Vernon Smith
Steve Unruh said:My apologies VernonS.
My link sent you to the wrong Chinese manufactures stove article.
If you go directly to:
http://www.bioenergylists.org/
in the right hand "Reference Pages" side bar under Fuels and Stoves you will find a wealth of information specific to coconut and charcoal fueled cooking stoves.
Regards
SteveU.
Welcome to
Victory Gasworks- Gasifiers and Wood Gasification
© 2010 Created by ben.
