In view of the recent fuel price hikes......

In view of the recent fuel price hikes......

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dilbert

Original Poster:

7,741 posts

233 months

Monday 7th January 2008
quotequote all
I wondered if anyone here had actually tried to run their car on "Producer Gas". I've been reading about this, and the greenies are talking about it a lot, but I'm wondering if this is the answer for people who are just fed up with the cost of petrol....

http://freeweb.deltha.hu/zastava.in.hu/wood-gas.ht...

Pictures and/or details of engine conversions, comments, links and opinions, I'm sure, would be received with interest.

I'm looking at a cost saving of about 50% over "conventional" fuels, using coal.

Edited by dilbert on Monday 7th January 02:13

rev-erend

21,446 posts

286 months

Monday 7th January 2008
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Totally off subject (sorry) - I hear reports of 'rain forest' being cleared - so the can grow new eco fuels..


rev-erend

21,446 posts

286 months

Monday 7th January 2008
quotequote all
Sorry - didn't realist this was a spoof post..



Not the most practical solution..

dilbert

Original Poster:

7,741 posts

233 months

Monday 7th January 2008
quotequote all
No it wasn't a spoof. I did expect to get some jibe from the anti greens though. It does seem that this whole thing is being adopted by the greens, although I cant figure out why.

It doesnt seem as green as petrol to me, although I have to say that doesn't bother me! hehe

I can see that the anti greens might not like it from the perspective of the way it looks, but I see that as being the least of the potential problems. I don't think it's that impractical, and in fact it works better on a mobile platform than a startionary one, because the producer is being shaken all the time, and it prevents clinker!

It also seems pretty good for longevity. If you read the article on the site for that picture, a filling of that tub with logs gets you 90 miles range!!!
rofl

Not a spoof, but certainly a bit of a laugh. God knows what the MOT man would make of it!


VYT

585 posts

264 months

Monday 7th January 2008
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I think the gas produced is Carbon Monoxide.....

big welly

136 posts

208 months

Monday 7th January 2008
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I have a mate doing it. Crap octane, crap power output, heavy kit.

Basically a totally crap idea.

You get H2, CO, CH4, Phenols and "green oil" which is basically awful cloggy polymeric oxidisable filth.

I think it has a similar octane requirement to TVO (Tractor vapourising oil)- which was superceded by petrol or diesel for a simple reason. It combined the worst elements of both.

It takes about 15 minutes to warm up and is rather freaking megahot running. Try getting that gubbins past a policeman.

No amount of tree hugging is going to get around the fact that it is probably a better idea to ferment the tree and use the methanol in a HC engine.

dilbert

Original Poster:

7,741 posts

233 months

Tuesday 8th January 2008
quotequote all
big welly said:
I have a mate doing it. Crap octane, crap power output, heavy kit.

Basically a totally crap idea.

You get H2, CO, CH4, Phenols and "green oil" which is basically awful cloggy polymeric oxidisable filth.

I think it has a similar octane requirement to TVO (Tractor vapourising oil)- which was superceded by petrol or diesel for a simple reason. It combined the worst elements of both.

It takes about 15 minutes to warm up and is rather freaking megahot running. Try getting that gubbins past a policeman.

No amount of tree hugging is going to get around the fact that it is probably a better idea to ferment the tree and use the methanol in a HC engine.
Possibly, but I'm not a tree hugger, perhaps that's why I'm interested in this......

I've heard that the gas can be a bit tarry, but I'm thinking that the tars will condense out when the gas is cooled. That's what people are saying where I'm reading about this. I also wondered about the possibility of fuelling it on anthracite, if that would produce better quality gas (less tar, more energy).

I don't think the external temperature is that much of an issue. Most of the designs for producers I have seen, are insulated with fire cement. The weight doesn't have to be an issue. Perhaps one could use a solution like they had in that "dad's army" edition where they had a bag of gas on top of their bus!

Edited by dilbert on Tuesday 8th January 01:16