Gas generator car. UAZ on wood. Car on wood with your own hands. Wood-burning gas generator with your own hands. Gas-generator cars on wood diagram

In this case, no soot is released.

With the advent of the energy crisis and rising prices for gas and fuel, people increasingly became interested in alternative types of energy and switched to solid fuel boilers. Let's look at three examples of how wood can be driven.

The history of wood-burning cars

Alexey Lagunov cars with gas generators

“In May 2013, I accidentally found out that there are cars that run on wood - that is, using a gas generator. Then I found out that there is old Soviet literature from which you can learn how to build the same devices yourself. I told my fellow friends about this, and we did the calculations ourselves and collected everything ourselves. Of course, there were some mistakes at first, but in the end we ensured that everything worked perfectly.”

“During the ride, firewood burns in a metal container, which is very easy to build,” Sergei explained the principle by which the mechanism works. - There is little oxygen there, and therefore they burn differently than in a fire. Carbon monoxide is produced, enters the engine and there performs the function of gasoline or propane. What comes out is carbon dioxide - just like opening a bottle of soda. No harmful emissions, it is ten times more environmentally friendly than gasoline. It also has a very beneficial effect on plants.”

Evgeniy Kolyvan, Opel on wood

“My Opel can run on both gasoline and wood,” says Evgeniy. - The car is not new, produced in 1986. I decided to remake it last winter. Due to the rise in gasoline prices, commuting to work has become expensive, so I came up with an alternative option. It is easier to ride on wood than to pedal a bicycle. It was not difficult to modify the car. By profession I am a physics and mathematics teacher. I worked at a school for several years, and now I repair cars at a private service station. In the trunk I attached a metal barrel and a can into which firewood is placed. They smolder, releasing gas, which is filtered, cooled and piped into the engine.”

Driving with wood is also environmentally friendly. Only water vapor and carbon dioxide come out of the Opel exhaust pipe.

One day traffic cops stopped me to ask how I had converted my Opel like that. They didn't even ask for documents. It will soon be a year since I started driving wood, and I have never regretted it. During this time, I covered more than 7,000 kilometers. I saved about 15,000 hryvnia. Since the area in the Chernihiv region is wooded, there are plenty of gas stations along the road. I took a saw out of the trunk, which I jokingly call the “Refueling Gun,” cut down the dry branches, and off we went. If you don’t have time to stop or drive into a field, you can switch to gasoline.

Not only steam locomotives ran on wood, cars also ran on wood. Moreover, they are quite “modern” with an internal combustion engine.
Of course, it was not the wood itself that was used as the working fuel, but its derivative - combustible gas.
The gas was obtained through the process of incomplete combustion of wood in a device called gas generator.

Chemically, the process of obtaining the desired gas can be described as follows:
When fuel is completely burned, carbon combines with oxygen to form carbon dioxide: C + O 2 = CO 2
Carbon dioxide is unfortunately not flammable :(
But when incomplete combustion occurs, carbon monoxide (carbon monoxide) is obtained: C + O = CO
Carbon monoxide is flammable, the temperature at which it begins to burn is from 700°: 2CO + O 2 = 2CO 2
These processes occur in the “combustion zone” of the gas generator.

Carbon monoxide can also be obtained by passing carbon dioxide through a layer of hot fuel (wood): C + CO 2 = 2CO
There is moisture in the air, as well as in fuel, which combines with carbon monoxide to form hydrogen: CO + H 2 O = CO 2 + H 2
This reaction occurs in the "reduction zone" of the gasifier.

Both zones – combustion and reduction – bear the common name “gasification active zone”.

Not only wood is suitable as fuel for gas generators, but also charcoal, peat, brown coal, coal. However, firewood is often used as a more affordable means.

The approximate composition of the gas obtained in the gas generator when working on wood lumps with a humidity of 20% is approximately the following (in % of volume):
- hydrogen H 2 16.1%;
- carbon dioxide CO 2 9.2%;
- carbon monoxide CO 20.9%;
- methane CH 4 2.3%;
- unsaturated hydrocarbons СnHm (without resins) 0.2%;
- oxygen O 2 1.6%;
- nitrogen N 2 49.7%
Thus, generator gas consists of flammable components (CO, H 2, CH 4, CnHm) and ballast (CO 2, O 2, N 2, H 2 O)

Combustible components, after cleaning and cooling, work (burn) quite normally in the internal combustion engine of a regular car.

Cars with gas generators became widespread in the 30s of the 20th century, when the supply of gasoline was difficult, especially in areas far from oil refineries.
The first serial gas-generating car in our country was the ZIS-13, but the truly mass-produced gas generators were the GAZ-42, ZIS-21 and UralZIS-352.

GAZ-42

ZIS-21

Types of gas generators

For different types of fuel, gas generators of the corresponding types have been developed:
— gas generators for direct gasification process;
— gas generators for the reversed (reverse, or “inverted”) gasification process;
— gas generators for the transverse (horizontal) gasification process.

Gas generators for direct gasification process

The main advantage of direct process gas generators was the ability to gasify non-bituminous, multi-ash solid fuels - semi-coke and anthracite.

In direct process gas generators, air was usually supplied through a grate from below, and gas was taken from above. Directly above the grate was the combustion zone. Due to the heat released during combustion, the temperature in the zone reached 1300 - 1700 C.

Above the combustion zone, which occupied only 30–50 mm of the fuel layer height, there was a recovery zone. Since reduction reactions proceed with the absorption of heat, the temperature in the reduction zone decreased to 700 - 900 C.

Above the active zone there was a dry distillation zone and a fuel drying zone. These zones were heated by the heat generated in the core, as well as by the heat of passing gases if the gas sampling pipe was located in the upper part of the generator. Typically, the gas sampling pipe was located at a height that allowed the gas to be removed directly at its exit from the core. The temperature in the dry distillation zone was 150 – 450 C, and in the drying zone 100 – 150 C.

In direct process gas generators, fuel moisture did not enter the combustion zone, so water was specially supplied to this zone by preliminary evaporation and mixing with the air entering the gas generator. Water vapor, reacting with fuel carbon, enriched the generator gas with the resulting hydrogen, which increased engine power.

Gas generators for reversed (inverted) gasification process.

Reverse process gas generators were designed for gasification of bituminous (resinous) types of solid fuel - wood chocks and charcoal.

In generators of this type, air was supplied to the middle part of their height, in which the combustion process took place. The resulting gases were collected below the air supply. The active zone occupied part of the gas generator from the air supply point to the grate, below which there was an ash pan with a gas sampling pipe.

The dry distillation and drying zones were located above the core, so fuel moisture and tar could not escape from the gas generator bypassing the core. Passing through a high-temperature zone, the dry distillation products were subjected to decomposition, as a result of which the amount of tar in the gas leaving the generator was insignificant. As a rule, in reverse gasification process gas generators, hot generator gas was used to heat the fuel in the bunker. Thanks to this, fuel sedimentation was improved, since the sticking of resin-coated lumps to the walls of the bunker was eliminated and thereby the stability of the generator was increased.

Gas generators for the transverse (horizontal) gasification process.

In transverse process gas generators, air at high blast speed was supplied through a tuyere located on the side in the lower part. Gas was sampled through a gas sampling grid located opposite the tuyere, on the side of the gas sampling pipe. The core was centered on small space between the end of the mold and the gas sampling grid. Above it was a dry distillation zone and above it was a fuel drying zone.

A distinctive feature of this type of gas generator was the localization of the combustion source in a small volume and the conduct of the gasification process at high temperatures. This provided the transverse process gas generator with good adaptability to changing modes and reduces start-up time.

This gas generator, like the direct process gas generator, was unsuitable for gasification of fuels with a high tar content. These installations were used for charcoal, charcoal briquettes, and peat coke.

The most widespread are gas generators. reverse gasification process installations who worked on wood chocks.
An example of such a gas generator is a gas generator installed on GAZ-42

The GAZ-42 gas generator consisted of a cylindrical body 1 made of 2-mm sheet steel, a loading hatch 2 and an internal hopper 3, to the lower part of which a solid-cast steel gasification chamber 8 with a peripheral air supply (through tuyeres) was welded.
The lower part of the gas generator served as an ash pan, which was periodically cleaned through the ash pan hatch 7.

The air, under the influence of vacuum created by the engine, opened check valve 5 and through the valve box 4, liner 6, air belt and tuyeres entered the gasification chamber 8. The resulting gas came out from under the skirt of the chamber 8, rose up, passed through the annular space between the body and the internal hopper and was sucked off through the gas sampling pipe 10, located at the top of the gas generator.

Uniform gas sampling over the entire circumferential surface of the gas generator was ensured by a reflector 9 welded to the inner wall of the housing 1 from the side of the gas sampling pipe 10.
For a more complete decomposition of resins, especially at low loads of the gas generator, a narrowing was provided in the gasification chamber - a neck. In addition to reducing the tar in the gas, the use of a neck simultaneously led to the depletion of the gas in flammable components of dry distillation.

The amount of power received was influenced by the consistency of such gas generator design parameters as the diameter of the gasification chamber along the tuyere belt, the flow area of ​​the tuyeres, the neck diameter and the height of the core.

Reverse process gas generators were also used for gasification of charcoal. Due to large quantity carbon in charcoal, the process took place at high temperatures, which had a destructive effect on the parts of the gasification chamber.
To increase the durability of the chambers of gas generators operating on charcoal, a central air supply was used, which reduced the effect of high temperature on the walls of the gasification chamber.

The principle of operation of an automobile gas generator unit

To properly operate a car using wood, one gas generator is not enough. The resulting gas must be cleaned of impurities harmful to the engine: tar and soot. Therefore, a filtration system was invented that included three additional stages: a coarse filter - a cyclone; radiator - cooler; fine filter.

As the simplest coarse filter a cyclone was used.

Once contaminated gas gets inside, it moves in a circle at high speed, due to which large and medium-sized ash particles are thrown onto the walls by centrifugal force and removed through a hole in the cone.

As an example, an industrial cyclone used on NATI-G-78

Gas entered the purifier through pipe 1, located tangentially to the cyclone body. As a result, the gas received rotational movement and the heaviest particles contained in it were thrown by centrifugal force to the walls of housing 3.

Having hit the walls, the particles fell into dust collector 6.

Reflector 4 prevented the particles from returning to the gas flow.

The purified gas exited the cyclone through gas sampling pipe 2.

The sediment was removed through hatch 5.

At the outlet of the gas generator, the gas had a high temperature.
To improve the filling of the cylinders with a “charge” of fuel, the gas needed to be cooled. To do this, the gas was passed through a long pipeline connecting the gas generator with a fine filter, or through a radiator-type cooler, which was installed in front of the car's water radiator.

Radiator type cooler The gas generator unit UralZIS-2G had 16 tubes arranged vertically in one row.

Plugs in the lower reservoir served to drain water when flushing the cooler.

Condensation flowed out through the holes in the plugs.

Two brackets welded to the lower reservoir served to secure the cooler to the cross member of the car frame.

Most often used in automobile gas generator installations combined system of inertial gas purification and cooling in coarse cleaners - coolers. The deposition of large and medium-sized particles in such purifiers was carried out by changing the direction and speed of gas movement. At the same time, the gas was cooled due to heat transfer to the walls of the purifier.

Fine filter
For fine gas purification, purifiers with rings were most often used.

Cleaners of this type were a cylindrical tank, the body 3 of which was divided into three parts by two horizontal metal mesh 5, on which rings 4 made of sheet steel lay in an even layer.

The process of gas cooling, having begun in coarse purifiers - coolers, continued in the fine filter. Moisture condensed on the surface of the rings and contributed to the deposition of small particles on the rings.

The gas entered the purifier through the lower pipe 6, and after passing through two layers of rings, it was sucked off through the gas sampling pipe 1 connected to the engine mixer.
To load, unload and wash the rings, hatches on the side surface of the hull were used.

Designs were used in which water or oil was used as the filter material. The principle of operation of water (bubbler) cleaners was that gas in the form of small bubbles passed through a layer of water and thus got rid of small particles.

Ignition fan

In automotive installations, the gas generator is ignited by an electrically driven centrifugal fan. During operation, the ignition fan blew gas from the gas generator through the entire cleaning and cooling system, so they tried to place the fan closer to the engine mixer in order to fill the entire gas pipeline with flammable gas during the ignition process.

The ignition fan of the gas generator unit consisted of a casing 1 and 2, in which an impeller 3 connected to the electric motor shaft rotated. The casing, stamped from sheet steel, was attached with one of its halves to the electric motor flange. A gas inlet pipe 4 was connected to the end of the other half.

The formation of a flammable mixture from generator gas and air took place in a mixer.

The simplest two-jet mixer was a tee with intersecting gas and air flows.
The amount of mixture sucked into the engine was regulated by throttle valve 1, and the quality of the mixture by air damper 2, which changed the amount of air entering the mixer.

Ejection mixers b) and c) differed in the principle of air and gas supply. In the first case, gas was supplied to the mixer body 3 through nozzle 4, and air was sucked in through the annular gap around the nozzle. In the second case, air was supplied to the center of the mixer, and gas was supplied to the periphery.

The air damper was usually connected to a lever mounted on the steering column of the car and was manually adjusted by the driver. The driver controlled the throttle using a pedal.

Manufacturing a gas generator for a car

1. The easiest way to convert a car with a carburetor engine.

2. The greater the power and displacement of the engine, the higher the performance of the gas generator should be. Accordingly, it will grow in size. To fit the installation into the trunk of a passenger car, you will need to cut out part of the bottom. If you do not want to touch the body, then immediately plan to install a wood-burning generator with filters and a cooler on the trailer.

3. To make a gasification chamber where the temperature exceeds 1000 °C, use low-carbon thick steel (4-5 mm).

4. To reduce the resin content in the gas mixture, make a chamber with a neck, as shown in the drawing.

Important point. You should not increase the diameter of the gasification chamber (in the drawing it is 340 mm) in order to achieve greater productivity. The increase will be negligible, and the quality of wood processing will deteriorate. But it is not necessary to maintain a height of 183 cm, unless you place the unit on a trailer or on a truck frame. The fuel hopper and ash pan can be shortened.

To assemble the inside of a car gas generator (bunker), an old propane cylinder, a receiver from a KamAZ truck, or a thick-walled pipe will do. Considering that the diameter of the steel vessel is 300 mm, the remaining dimensions must be proportionally reduced. The exception is the gasification chamber, its minimum diameter is 140 mm. The casing and cover of the generator will use metal 1.5 mm thick. The latter is sealed with graphite-asbestos cord.

Related units - filters and coolers - are made like this:

Weld a cyclone from a used fire extinguisher or a piece of pipe with a diameter of 10 cm, as shown in the drawing. Attach the inlet pipe to the side, the outlet pipe to the top.

It is better to make a power gas cooler from steel pipes in the form of a coil. There are other options: using old convectors, radiators and radiators.

Make a fine filter from any cylindrical container (for example, a barrel) filled with basalt fiber.

Cyclone drawing

To ignite and start the gas engine, you will need a snail-shaped fan installed in the engine compartment (a household vacuum cleaner will also do for testing). The requirement for it is simple: parts in contact with the gas mixture must be metal. The fuel line leading to the carburetor is laid under the bottom of the car and is made of steel pipe.

For reference. If you use charcoal instead of firewood, then there will be significantly fewer impurities at the gas generator output, which is good for the engine. Such fuel is burned from wood using a simple technology - in a closed barrel or pit.

Connection to internal combustion engine

Since the calorific value of fuel generated from firewood is much lower than that of gasoline, the air/fuel ratio must be changed for normal engine operation. To do this, you will have to make a mixer and place it on the intake tract. The simplest form mixer - an air damper controlled by draft from the passenger compartment.

Starting a cold engine is quite difficult. Therefore, you should not completely abandon gasoline, but supply it only during startup, and then switch to fuel produced by gas. To implement the switch to different types fuel, make a mixer according to the scheme proposed in the book by I. S. Mezin “Transport gas generators”:

Now about the features of starting and operating an internal combustion engine using wood and coal:
- the size of chocks loaded into the bunker should not exceed 6 cm;
- raw wood cannot be used, since all the heat generated will be used to evaporate water and the pyrolysis process will be extremely sluggish;
- ignition is carried out through a special hole with a check valve with the fan turned on no later than 20 minutes before the trip;
- engine power is reduced by about 50% compared to driving on gasoline;
- from the previous paragraph it follows that the service life of the engine on homemade fuel is also reduced.

It is noteworthy that after short-term parking, the car starts up easily on gas, without switching to gasoline. After a long period of inactivity, it will take 5-10 minutes to re-ignite the unit.

As an epilogue.

Do-it-yourself wood-burning gas generators can not only be installed on cars, but also used for home needs. This and heating boilers and household electric generators powered by diesel or gasoline engines.
Of course, such devices have the right to life only if there is a sufficient amount of cheap fuel (wood).

By the way, there are modern examples of gas generator units.
Electric generators:

Automotive gas generators:
Toyota Camry 2.0 GLI with wood gas
A small, economical and very energetic car. Due to low fuel consumption, one refueling allows you to travel about 500 km. The trailer does not greatly affect the handling of the car. Maximum speed 95 km/h (in 4th gear) Fuel consumption: 20 kg/100 km. Range: 500 km (on peat) Power on gasoline 96 kW. 5 speed manual gearbox Maintenance: filter cleaning every 2000 km

Chevrolet El Camino, 1987
Engine: 350 hp, 5.7 liters, automatic transmission
Fuel: Wood
Consumption: approximately 40 kg / 100 km.
Range: 200 km on one load. You can take fuel for a 700-kilometer range
Maximum speed: more than 120 km/h Vehicle weight: ~ 2,300 kg
The gas generator was manufactured in 2007. Electronic engine control: Motec M800. Electronic mixture supply control, exhaust gas control, lambda probe. It can work on both gasoline and gas. Automatic ignition of the gas generator. Complies with EURO-4.

In conclusion, watch the video of a UAZ on wood, which was made by a craftsman from Belarus:

Materials from the sites were used: ZaRulem, auto.onliner.by (local copy), as well as information from books, the list of which is presented below.

Looking for alternative source Energy came to the understanding that it is not necessary to extract gas in mines and then burn it in boilers and internal combustion engines; combustible gas can be extracted from industrial waste and wood. A gas generator, or as it is also called a gas generator, by burning local fuel - firewood, peat, charcoal, sawdust and other wood waste, as well as sometimes other organic residues - is capable of releasing/generating flammable gases such as CO, CH4, H2 and others. There are several options for using the resulting gas, but in any case, each device is based on the principle of a gas generator. We will tell you in this article how a gas generator works, what elements it consists of, and what processes take place inside it. We will also consider options for further use of the obtained gas and places where such units can be installed.

So, what are the options for using the gas produced in the gas generator?

First - flammable gas is directed to gas stove in the kitchen and is used for cooking. The second is that the flammable gas is burned immediately in a pyrolysis heating boiler with a gas generator; accordingly, it is used for heating a house or greenhouses. By the way, such boilers can be called a wood-fired gas boiler, a solid fuel pyrolysis boiler, or a wood-fired gas generator boiler. All of them can be used both for domestic needs and for heating huge industries and workshops or enterprises. Third, flammable gas can be sent to an internal combustion engine, which serves as a drive pumping station or electricity generator. A wood-burning gas generator allows you to obtain electricity in those regions where it is not possible to install power lines, lay a gas pipeline, and the supply of gas in cylinders is difficult. In addition to autonomy, gas generators have other advantages, which we will reveal below.

Advantages and disadvantages of gas generators

As an example, let's look at the advantages and disadvantages of gas-fired heating boilers. Pyrolysis boilers belong to the solid fuel category, but differ significantly from conventional wood or coal stoves, where the usual process of fuel combustion occurs.

Advantages of gas generator boilers:

• The efficiency of gas generator boilers is in the range of 80 - 95%, while the efficiency of a conventional solid fuel boiler rarely exceeds 60%.
• Adjustable combustion process in a gas generator boiler - one load of firewood can burn from 8 to 12 hours; for comparison, in a conventional boiler, combustion lasts 3 to 5 hours. In gas-generating boilers with top combustion, wood combustion lasts up to 25 hours, and coal can burn for 5 - 8 days.
• The fuel burns completely, so you don’t have to clean the ash pan and flue often.
• Due to the fact that the combustion process can be adjusted (power is adjustable in the range of 30 - 100%), the operation of the boiler can be automated, such as a gas or liquid fuel boiler.
• Blowout harmful substances into the atmosphere from the gas generator is minimal.
• Gas generator boilers are more economical than conventional ones.
• Fuel for gas generators does not have to be dried to 20% humidity; there are boiler models in which wood can be used with up to 50% humidity and even freshly cut wood.
• Possibility of loading unsplit logs up to 1 m long and even longer into the boiler.

• In addition to firewood and wood industry waste, rubber, plastic and other polymers can be recycled in pyrolysis boilers.
• The high safety of the boiler compared to a conventional solid fuel boiler is ensured by the automation and materials from which the unit is made, and especially the combustion chamber.

If we talk about gas generators that are used to produce electricity, they have exactly the same advantages, such as environmental friendliness, efficiency, high efficiency, high octane number 110 - 140, versatility in terms of fuel used and greater efficiency in winter.

Disadvantages of gas generator boilers:

• The price for a gas generator is 1.5 - 2 times higher than for a conventional solid fuel boiler.
• For the most part, gas generators are energy-dependent, since a fan is used to suck in air, but there are also models that can operate without electricity.
• If you use a gas-generating boiler at a power below 50%, unstable combustion is observed - as a result, tar precipitates, which accumulates in the flue.
• The heating return temperature should not be lower than 60 °C, otherwise condensation will form in the flue.
• Typically, gas generators are demanding on fuel moisture, but as mentioned above, there are models in which you can burn even freshly cut wood.

No other significant deficiencies of gas generators were identified.

By the way, gas generators are not such a new invention. Back in the middle of the last century, when most of Germany's oil resources were used for military use, firewood was used as fuel for cars. Even on trucks gas generators were installed. Modern units have not gone too far in their design, but, nevertheless, have been thoroughly improved.

The principle of operation of a gas generator - gas generator

In a gas generator or gas generator, combustible gas is produced from solid fuel. The main secret is that air is supplied to the combustion chamber, the volume of which is not enough for complete combustion of the fuel, while maintaining a high temperature of about 1100 - 1400 ° C. The resulting gas is cooled and sent to a consumer or an internal combustion engine if, for example, it is planned to produce electricity. We will consider in more detail the principle of operation of the gas generator below, specifying which process occurs in which element of the unit.

The device of a gas generator on wood

Let's consider the device of a gas generator for household use. I would immediately like to note that pyrolysis boilers with a gas generator differ from the proposed scheme, since gas combustion occurs inside the boiler in the second combustion chamber. We will consider only the gas generator itself, the output of which produces flammable gas.

Gas generator housing made of sheet steel and has welds. The most common body shape is cylindrical, but it can also be rectangular. The bottom and legs on which the gas generator will stand are welded to the lower part of the body.

Bunker or filling chamber serves to load fuel inside the gas generator. It is also cylindrical in shape and made of mild steel. The hopper is installed inside the gas generator housing and secured with bolts. On the hatch cover leading to the bunker, an asbestos seal or gasket is used on the edges. Since asbestos is prohibited for use in residential premises, there are models of gas generators whose lid seals are made of a different material.

Combustion chamber is located at the bottom of the hopper and is made of heat-resistant steel, sometimes inner surface The combustion chamber is finished with ceramics. Fuel combustion occurs in the combustion chamber. In its lower part, resins are cracked, for which a neck made of heat-resistant chromium steel is installed there. Between the body and the neck there is a gasket - a sealing asbestos cord. In the middle part of the combustion chamber there are air supply tuyeres. Tuyeres are calibrated holes that connect to an air distribution box connected to the atmosphere. Tuyeres and junction box also made of heat-resistant steel. A check valve is installed at the outlet of the air distribution box, which prevents flammable gas from leaving the gas generator. To increase engine power or to be able to use firewood with high humidity (more than 50%), you can install fan, which will force air inside.

Grate serves to maintain hot coals. It is located at the bottom of the gas generator. Through the holes in the grate, ash from burnt coals falls into the ash pan. So that the grate can be cleaned of slag, its middle part is made movable. A special lever is provided to rotate the cast iron grate.

Loading hatches equipped with hermetically sealed lids. For example, the upper loading hatch tilts horizontally and is sealed with asbestos cord. The lid mount has a special shock absorber - a spring, which lifts the lid in the event of excess pressure inside the chamber. There are also two loading hatches on the side of the hull: one at the top for adding fuel to the recovery area, the second at the bottom for removing ash. Gas is withdrawn in the recovery zone, therefore most often in the upper part of the gas generator, but it is also possible to remove gas from the lower part of the unit. Gas is withdrawn through a pipe to which the gas pipeline pipes are welded. It is not necessary to immediately remove the gas outside the gas generator body while it is hot; it can be used to heat and dry firewood or other fuel in the loading chamber. To do this, the outlet gas pipeline is laid in a ring around the chamber, between the gas generator body and the bunker.

Filter "Cyclone" And fine filter located behind the gas generator housing. They are made of pipes filled with filter elements.

Before entering the fine filter, the gas passes through cooler. And after the fine filter, the purified gas enters mixer where it mixes with air. And only then the gas-air mixture enters the internal combustion engine.

The sequence of movement of flammable gas after it leaves the gas generator is shown more clearly in the diagram below.

Firewood or other fuel burns in the combustion chamber, being oxidized by air entering the combustion chamber through tuyeres from the air distribution box. The resulting flammable gas enters the Cyclone filter, where it is purified. Then it is cooled in a coarse filter. Then the cooled gas enters the fine filter, and then into the mixer. From the mixer, the resulting mixture enters the engine.

Process of converting fuel into gas

And yet: how is gas obtained from solid fuel? A certain transformation process takes place inside the gas generator, which is divided into several stages occurring in different zones:

Drying zone located at the top of the bunker. Here the temperature is about 150 - 200 °C. The fuel is dried by hot gas, which moves through a ring pipeline, as described above.

Dry distillation zone located in the middle part of the bunker. Here, without air access and at a temperature of 300 - 500 ° C, the fuel is charred. Acids, resins and other elements of dry distillation are released from wood.

Combustion zone located at the bottom of the combustion chamber in the area where the tuyeres through which air enters are located. Here, when air is supplied and a temperature of 1100 - 1300 ° C, charred fuel and dry distillation elements burn, resulting in the formation of CO and CO2 gases.

Recovery zone is located above the combustion zone between the grate and the combustion zone. Here, CO2 gas rises up, passes through the hot coal, interacts with the carbon (C) of the coal and produces CO gas - carbon monoxide. Moisture from the fuel also participates in this process, so in addition to CO, CO2 and H2 are formed.

The combustion and recovery zones are called the active gasification zone. As a result, the generator gas consists of several components:

• Flammable gases: CO(carbon monoxide), H2(hydrogen), CH4(methane) and СnНm(unsaturated hydrocarbons without resins).
• Ballast: CO2(carbon dioxide), O2(oxygen), N2(nitrogen), H2O(water).

The resulting gas is cooled to a temperature environment, then it is cleaned of formic and acetic acid, ash, suspended particles and mixed with air.

Types of gas generators

There are three types of gas generators: direct gas generation process, reverse and horizontal.

They can burn semi-coke and anthracite coal - non-bituminous fuel. The design difference of this type of units is that air enters through the grate from below, and gas is taken from above. In direct process gas generators, moisture from the fuel does not enter the combustion zone, so it is specially supplied. Enriching generator gas with hydrogen from water increases the power of the generator.

Gas generators overturned or reverse process designed for burning resinous fuel - firewood, charcoal and waste. Their design difference is that air is supplied to the middle part - to the combustion zone, and gas is taken below the combustion zone - in the ash pan. Typically, in units of this type, the extracted hot gas is used to heat the fuel in the bunker.

Horizontal gas generators or transverse process gasification systems are distinguished by the fact that air is supplied to them from the side - in the lower part of the body, and it is supplied at a high blowing speed through tuyeres. Gas is sampled opposite the tuyere through a gas sampling grid. The active gasification zone in a horizontal process gas generator is very small and is concentrated between the end of the tuyere and the gas sampling grid. The start-up time of such a generator is much shorter, and it also easily adapts to changing operating modes.

Gas generator installation location

Gas generators and gas-generated heating boilers can be installed both inside residential premises, for example, in basements and ground floors, and on the street.

The so-called pellet boilers They are most often installed in the house, since loading them does not involve a large amount of garbage, and bags of pellets weigh little and can be stored somewhere near the boiler.

It makes sense to install gas generators using wood, and especially long wood, on the street near the place where the firewood is stored. This way it will be possible to transport the firewood in a wheelbarrow directly to the boiler or gas generator and not lower it into the basement of the house. A boiler standing outside gets rid of dirt and ash in the basement. This is especially true for wooden houses, where there are increased fire safety standards. The outer casing of the boiler is made of stainless steel, which is not subject to corrosion. The boilers are also thermally insulated with bulk thermal insulation so that the ambient temperature has a minimal effect on the gasification process and the boiler start-up speed. The control system is housed in a steel casing under a cover to prevent it from being exposed to precipitation. Chimney has double walls. If you are interested in how to connect a gas generator if it is located on the street, then the answer is simple - pipes are laid in the ground so that they are minimally cooled if it is a heating boiler. The heating pipes approach the boiler from below, and the boiler itself is installed so that it does not freeze during long breaks in use.

By the way, as already noted, the duration of the fuel combustion process in the boiler can be from 12 hours to 25 hours. Depending on the power of the boiler and the area of ​​the heated room, it will have to be heated once every two days, and sometimes once a week. To preserve the heat generated by the boiler for such a long period, a heat accumulator is used.

Do-it-yourself wood-burning gas generator

There is nothing super complicated about making a gas generator with your own hands. Many people use such a unit for household needs or install it on a car. Before you start making a gas generator yourself, you need to familiarize yourself with the principle of its operation and choose a suitable operating scheme for yourself.

You will need a barrel, pipes or an old radiator battery, fine and coarse gas filters, and a fan. On the other hand, the set of elements can be very different, it all depends on the imagination of the performer.

Below, watch a video example of a self-made gas generator.

Gas generator circuit:

On the Internet you can find both photos and drawings for the installation of gas generators and pyrolysis boilers. There are even craftsmen who take a ready-made, proven boiler as a basis and completely replicate it at home. It turns out much cheaper.

The difference between a pyrolysis boiler and a conventional gas generator is that it consists of two combustion chambers: in one, fuel burns and gas is formed, and in the other, gas burns and a heat exchanger is located. We have already examined the design and principle of operation of the gas generator; add only a second combustion chamber, which should be located at the top, and a heat exchanger on top. Sometimes the heat exchanger is located on the side. Also don't forget about different types gas generators, so that the second combustion chamber can be located not only on top.

When assembling the chimney, try to assemble it in the reverse order of the movement of smoke, so less nasty things will settle on its walls. It is better to make the chimney itself easily disassembled so that it can be easily and quickly cleaned. The space around the heating boiler must be free, as it heats up during operation. After installing the boiler, you will have to study its “habits” and choose the optimal operating mode for yourself, in which all the resins burn.

I would like to note that the gas generator can be considered not only as a burner of useful wood, but also as a waste disposer. In it you can burn the remains of linoleum, bags, bags, rubber, plastic bottles and other household waste.

IN modern world rising prices for public utilities, everyone is looking for ways to save money. And that’s how the wood-burning internal combustion engine was developed and implemented. Today, this design has been improved, thanks to which it can be found in many places. Moreover, the most interesting thing is that these installations are used not only in enterprises or private homes, but even in cars. Therefore, today many are interested in whether it is possible to make gas generators using wood with their own hands? This question can be discussed in more detail.

Operating principle

In order to understand how to properly use a generator at home, it is worth understanding the basics of its operation. This will allow you to understand whether the costs of materials are worth the investment and how quickly they will pay off. In addition, the gas generator has its own scope of application.

In itself, this device is a complex of components and assemblies that ensure the production of gas from solid fuel. The resulting material is used in the operation of the internal combustion engine. But there is a nuance: the design of generators may differ from each other - it all depends on the type of solid fuel.

One of the most common, and perhaps affordable, types of fuel is firewood. When wood is burned in a sealed space, the process produces flammable gases such as carbon monoxide, hydrogen, methane and other unsaturated carbons. This mixture additionally contains ballast gases - oxygen, water vapor, carbon dioxide and nitrogen. But the efficiency of the gas generator does not simply depend on the production of such a combustible mixture. It must become suitable for use for specific purposes. Therefore, the entire process goes through the required stages:

1. Gasification. Here solid fuel should completely burn out and enter the smoldering stage. This process occurs with a small amount of oxygen - 30-35%.
2. The first and second stages of cleansing. All volatile substances resulting from smoldering are separated using a dry vortex filter-cyclone and fed into a separate chamber - a scrubber. Here water is already used, which carries out another cleaning of the combustible stream.
3. Cooling. During the process of combustion and smoldering, all substances acquire a fairly high temperature - from 700 degrees and above. To reduce their performance, an air or water heat exchanger is used. After this, the mixture will have to undergo another cleaning.
4. Dispatch. After all stages, the resulting finished substances can be pumped into a distribution tank using a compressor, or immediately enter the internal combustion engine.

In fact, the full cycle is quite complex, and therefore takes time. But the main component is the gas generator itself. Basically, it is a metal column of cylindrical or rectangular shape, tapering at the end. The internal structure has several air pipes through which oxygen is pumped in and gas comes out. At the top there is a lid through which firewood is loaded.

If you don’t delve too deeply into the basis of chemical processes, the process of gas production looks like this: they loaded fuel - it burned/decayed - a gas mixture was obtained. In order for the final product to have the necessary properties, there are many components inside the structure that clean and cool the mixture. If we talk about home gas generators, then you can use a simpler design. This turns out to be both simpler and cheaper.

Pros and cons of “home” gas generators

Before you take on self-assembly devices, you should understand for yourself whether it is really needed in the household. Yes, this type of generator is economical in terms of fuel, especially if you live in the private sector and have your own garden. But, nevertheless, you need to be more objective.

The strengths of the gas generator are:

• high efficiency index - it varies between 80-95%, but in solid fuel boilers it reaches an average limit of 60%;
• long burning– this moment allows you to add fuel more rarely (wood burns for about a day, and coal can smolder for 5 days);
• in the process of burning wood, almost 100% combustion occurs, so the need to carry out general cleaning of the ash pan and flue arises much less frequently;
• if desired, you can make the entire process automated;
• no harmful substances appear during combustion, making the installation safe both for the environment and for the owners themselves;

• a gas generator allows you to save on heating your home;
• wood is one of the most affordable materials, both in a paid and free sense (you can buy firewood, or you can dry the cut branches yourself);
• For heating, you can use not only firewood, but also wood waste - wood chips, sawdust and other cellulose-containing materials;
• the gas produced is excellent not only for heating a house, but also for maintaining the operation of an internal combustion engine in a car, and even for generating electricity;
• if desired, you can create a container in which impressive logs (up to 1 m in length) will be placed, which means they will burn longer;
• there are factory models that allow the use of fuel with high humidity (up to 50%) or even freshly cut logs - although home installation It's difficult to do something of this nature.

Many experts believe that a gas generator is much safer to operate than solid fuel boilers.

But for the sake of fairness, it is worth mentioning the disadvantages of such units. Firstly, in order for fuel to smolder in the correct way, forced air intake is needed. This means that the installation will need to include a fan. But this element runs on electricity, so if the lights are turned off, the generator will not be able to work. Secondly, if for some reason the power decreases (by more than 50%), the device will begin to emit tar. This substance has a sticky consistency and will quickly pollute the flue. If the gas generator is used for heating, the owner must control the temperature so that it does not fall below 60 degrees. Otherwise, condensation will quickly form.

If you look at the stores, you will see that gas generators are very expensive in price, unlike solid fuel boilers. That is why, in order to save money, you can think about how to assemble such a unit with your own hands. The main thing is to choose and prepare those materials that are durable and able to withstand high temperatures. You should never skimp on this issue, since operational safety depends on it.

Creation of a gas generator

The construction of the unit should begin with familiarization with what drawings of wood-burning gas generators are available. This will allow you to understand what work lies ahead and what is needed for it. Even though homemade device will cost less than the factory one, you will also have to spend money here.

Many people assemble a generator because it is cheaper. But there are also costs:

• cast iron for the grate is a fairly expensive material, but it has the necessary characteristics;
• a special spring that is best suited for making a cover;
• heat-resistant gaskets for hatches and combining individual components;
• fan - you will not only need to purchase it, but also be prepared for the cost of electricity that will power it.

The gas generator can be used in two cases - for home and for car. The drawings of these structures will differ, since in the latter case, the structure should be lighter weight and small in size.

In fact, the closer the device in its dimensions and design to industrial model, the higher the efficiency of its work. But there is no need to make an exact copy. The gas generator must have the following elements:

1. Frame. This element is also called a filling chamber. The shape may resemble a cylinder or a rectangle. To make it easier to make the body, you can take a ready-made metal container and sand it a little. But you can start everything from scratch. In this case you will need sheet metal(thickness 8-10 mm) and a corner. It is advisable to use low carbon steel. For safe operation, legs are welded to the bottom of the body. An additional circle of steel is welded in the upper part, which will serve to intake cold air.
2. Fuel bunker. This element is made similarly to the body, and from the same materials. The hopper must be made smaller so that it can be fixed inside the housing. If you don’t want to tinker for a long time, then you can simply divide the space of the case into sections using metal plates. The volume must be at least 0.7 cubic meters. You can also install a hatch here. It will help control excess fuel and, if necessary, “dump ballast.”

1. Combustion chamber. For such an element, heat-resistant steel is needed, because this is where the process of combustion and smoldering occurs. An alternative option is an empty gas cylinder from household gas. Bolts are used for fixation.
2. Combustion chamber neck. Cracking of resins occurs here, so the neck is separated with heat-resistant gaskets. Asbestos gaskets are suitable, but if possible, it is better to invest in safer materials.
3. Air distribution unit. To connect this unit to the rest of the structure, a fitting is used. A check valve is installed next to it, which is responsible for regulating the air flow to the firewood. The valve also prevents leakage of the resulting combustible mixture. Between the air distribution box and the middle part of the chamber, calibration holes are made - tuyeres.
4. Filter unit. At this stage, the mixture that enters through the pipe from the air distribution unit should be cleaned. For the cyclone filter, you can use the housing of an old fire extinguisher or other similar container.

1. Cooler. In a home model, you can use a regular radiator for such purposes or make a special coil. The resulting mixture will move along the long structure and gradually lose its high temperature. If you wish, you can do water cooling.
2. Separator. Since the incoming air will be cold, and high temperatures are planned inside the generator, it is not possible to avoid the formation of condensation. But so that it does not interfere with work, a separator is installed, which will remove it from the installation. For this purpose, a plate with ribs is inserted into the pipe (diameter 3-5mm) and fixed on the “skirt” (cold air entry point). The lower part is equipped with a condensate drain valve.

1. Grate, doors and other elements. It is best to use cast iron for the grate. The middle part of such an element is made movable or removable so that it can be more easily cleaned in the future. Although the presence of doors makes it more convenient to operate the gas generator (loading firewood or cleaning the combustion chamber), they must have airtight seals.

One of the important conditions for the operation of a gas generator is tightness. Therefore, the lid should fit as tightly as possible to the body. Since this element serves as the entrance to the loading chamber, it is best to equip it with a shock-absorbing spring. This will make opening and closing the lid more convenient and safe.

In theory, it is believed that a homemade gas generator can work with wood with a moisture content of up to 50%. But, as practice shows, the higher this indicator, the lower the efficiency of the installation. Therefore, it is best to stick to a threshold of up to 20%. Although this problem can be fixed. To do this, a ring hose is placed in the space between the walls of the housing and the outside of the hopper. This will allow part of the thermal energy to be transferred to the fuel.

The best option would be to make a gas generator from the body of an old boiler. This will help maintain proportions for a particular house. But when this is not possible, you can use the old ones gas cylinders, or purchase completely new metal. There are many opportunities to save, the main thing is to calculate and collect everything correctly. This is why you need to follow the drawings.