# Alright, time to discuss woodgas



## jacobsk (Jan 19, 2010)

So I stumbled upon a youtube video about using woodgas to power a generator... what is woodgas? from what I understand it's heating wood chips to the point that they do not combust, but turn to charcoal and give off hydrogen gas... which is then sucked into the intake of an old engine without a carb, powering the unit.

Appearantly by running an engine near 1800 rpm people are able to generate close to 60hz and generate power.

I say power a bandmill!?





 
feasable?


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## SteveEl (Sep 7, 2010)

In a college chem course we heated popsicle sticks in a sealed testtube and from the vapors that went up the pipe we distilled some form of alcohol. Ethanol, I suppose but I don't remember.

Apparently during fuel rationing in WWII many people powered autos with the stuff. I remember seeing a photo of a truck in Sweden that had a large wood alcohol distillery right on its flatbed.

Here's more imagery to get you going
http://www.google.com/images?q=WWII...&source=og&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi&biw=1280&bih=915


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## TexasTimbers (Oct 17, 2006)

I know a guy on another forum that built a wood fired truck. He built the gasifier from scratch. It was very impressive. Here's a cool video of a factory-built one from looks like 1928 on a 1947 truck. One of the comments said "Sounds like a P-47 starting up" and it does! Sounds like an big R 2800 radial (at 3:00 minute mark) cranking up. 







How high fuel prices may reach could spur a lot of last-minute fabrication by guys like me who have most or all of the stuff necessary to build one, provided we still have internet access and I can watch enough videos to build the contraption.. They are not easy to build from scratch and get working just right. 



.


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## Mizer (Mar 11, 2010)

Here is a guy that I have been watching for a year or so. I think he is one of the leaders in gasification.http://victorygasworks.ning.com/

Just watched the video in the OP. This is the man behind Victory Gas works.


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## Rick C. (Dec 17, 2008)

Now, either I figure out how to hook this to a diesel engine or put a chevy 454 in a ford truck


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*Does it matter which end?*

I've tried all different ways, full front, midships and rear engine.
Rear engine was the most exciting...it wanted to do wheelies on moderate acceleration in Michigan turnarounds on Woodward Ave.  I eventually ended up midships, best overall location. Sold it that way and still miss the darn thingy. :yes: bill


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## Longknife (Oct 25, 2010)

jacobsk said:


> So I stumbled upon a youtube video about using woodgas to power a generator... what is woodgas? from what I understand it's heating wood chips to the point that they do not combust, but turn to charcoal and give off hydrogen gas... which is then sucked into the intake of an old engine without a carb, powering the unit.
> 
> Appearantly by running an engine near 1800 rpm people are able to generate close to 60hz and generate power.
> 
> ...


Woodgas is gas produced by incomplete combustion of wood. It mainly consists of carbon monooxide, hydrogen gas, methane and carbon dioxide. This gas can be used to drive a combustion engine. During WWII Sweden was cut off from fuel deliveries so this technique was used for cars and trucks. There was factory made units that could be installed on cars and trucks. A few are still in use and there is also an increasing interest in this technology with raising fuel prices. There are also some enthusiasts who build their own units. The swedish term for woodgas is gengas (generatorgas) and if you google that you will find a lot of information, also in english.


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## johnep (Apr 12, 2007)

Believe that the alcohol obtained by distillation of wood is mainly methanol. Don't drink it!
UK not flush with wood, but during and just after the war, buses ran on gas generators using coke towed behind. My son has a wood burning stove where all the fumes/smoke fed back into the fire. You can see jets of flame from the air holes which would be the wood gas. The stove heats the whole house and runs on wood he collects from the hedgerows where left by council workmen to rot.
johnep


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