Victory Gasworks- Gasifiers and Wood Gasification

ben

Summer Road Trip to Larry's

Yesterday Steve Unruh and I tripped on up to see Larry Dobson and talk gasifiers. It was a good time and a fun meeting of the minds as we each explored gasification from our own perspectives and did a show and tell.

Steve brought his high mass woodstove that he has been able to get 1 1/2 hour engine run times from with simple modification.

The russian style he calls it. Its brute force thermal mass and preheating. Aside from the challenge of shipping the thing I was inspired by the approach and thought it would be cool to take that concept and flatpack a bolt together steel form that you could cast in place your hearth with all of the heating lines in place and protected underneath the refractory. Imagine a 1 hour bolt together followed by a 2 hour mix and pour, then a slow cure. More hands on than most people are looking for but definitely a cool idea.
I brought my latest Off Gridder (under construction) in all stainless to represent the Imbert perspective.

The new stackable design modules allow me to integrate alot of different ideas into one unit. I shared my design and operation experience that has led to my current evolution. I think they liked it.
Larry showed us his many wonderful creations. Aside from being a sharp inventor he is one of the most youthful people I have ever met. Larry has great ideas in wind design and low speed water power.

We sat down over cad drawings and had a multi-perspective pow wow. Larry's slow speed, high residence time approach is so un-Imbert that I have a hard time wrapping my head around it, but I defer to his 30+ years experience and the fact that all his other ideas work. Everything at his place worked. So added to my mile long to-do list is to try some of these slow speed concepts in the future and see what happens.

Three heads are definitely better than one and it was an awesome life experience to share time with two very smart and thoughtful guys. I look forward to meeting more gasifier guys in the future. We may have another barbecue or a work party when I get the demo house under construction at the end of the summer.

Tags: dobson, larry

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Steve Unruh Comment by Steve Unruh on June 26, 2009 at 4:33pm
Hi All
Larry is serious about his offer. If you missed the earlier Blog on his work look here:
http://www.fundamentalform.com/html/energy_from_waste>htm look around then open up "Biomass Gasifier Breakthrough". His contact info is listed there. Just do be serious and respectful about his time. It would be good to see a group working on this in every geographical area. There are probably only 3000-4000 people in the whole world with an interest in human scale sized gasification - and fewer yet actually designing and building.
What the three of us tried to show with this "meeting of the minds" is that rather than labor alone, good as the Internet is, jump on any chance to get together with fellow gasifiers and exchange ideas and experiences. Not many of us to be keeping the lights of knowledge lit.
SteveU.
Larry Dobson Comment by Larry Dobson on June 25, 2009 at 8:52pm
I'll keep your offer in mind, Steve, since I have never met anyone else with an Amity woodstove from Czechoslovakia, much less who has turned it into a gasifier! I'm impressed with the wealth of experience and critical thinking you both bring to the project. Life is a gas when we can pool our resources.
Anyone else wanting to get seriously involved in building a low-and-slow gasifier, let me know.
LAD
Steve Unruh Comment by Steve Unruh on June 24, 2009 at 11:44am
Made the last hour home safe and sound. It was my pleasure to be with both you and Larry and see your Ideas made into real tangible metals. His monolithic lost foam one piece cast refectory furnace hearths were inspiring to me too.
The going away trip he gave us on his 30' x 15' rotating swing/flinger was ve-e-e-r-y interesting for a gets sea-sick fella' like me.
Remember Larry an open out standing cash offer for that 300 lb. cast iron gasifier hearth in the corner of your living room that you "think" is a woodstove. I'll even throw in a cute little light weight stove as a replacement.
Regards to both of you
SteveU.
ben Comment by ben on June 24, 2009 at 9:39am
Steve,
I forgot to thank you for driving. Thanks!!!

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