Gas generator for home heating. Do-it-yourself wood-burning car. Wood gas generator with your own hands. Vehicle installation

Combustible gas, so necessary for heating houses, cooking, as fuel for cars and other useful devices, is extracted not only from underground. The source of this valuable product can be firewood, peat, woodworking waste, coal, and even certain types of garbage, for example, pieces of old linoleum or removed parquet, plastic unsuitable for further use, etc. To receive gas in this way, you will need to purchase a special device or make a gas generator with your own hands. How to build it yourself - we'll talk about it now.

The device and principle of operation of a wood gas generator

Wood gas generators are fired in the same way as conventional boilers. And here and there, solid fuel is used - wood. Firewood, sawdust, or other fuel is placed in the chamber, which is located at the bottom of the gas generator. After that, it is ignited and the damper is opened to create traction. Also, you should pay attention to the fact that the damper opens only halfway, as the fire may go out. The reason for this is the excess of incoming air.

The device and scheme of operation of the gas generator

The device of the gas generator is very simple, the basis is two chambers placed in one housing. Fuel is burned in the lower compartment, and gas is burned in the upper one. Heated air constantly circulates through pipelines.

In the lower chamber there are special holes for cold air intake. When heated, it rises and then enters the channel.

To obtain combustible gas from wood, it is necessary to provide special conditions for its combustion. To do this, a small amount of oxygen is supplied to the furnace, which does not allow the fuel to simply burn out. In this case, the temperature in the combustion chamber must be very high, more than 1100 degrees.

A wood-fired generator has been successfully used for cars since World War II. Today, this idea is increasingly returned for reasons of environmental safety.

As a result, a mixture of combustible gases is formed, which must be cooled. After that, the gas is passed through a series of filters to remove acetic and formic acid, ash, suspended particles, etc. The purified gas is fed into the mixer, where some air enters it. This gas-air mixture is suitable for further use, for example, for heating water in a heating circuit or as fuel for an internal combustion engine. Understanding the principles of operation of the device will help when creating a do-it-yourself wood gas generator.

Please note that there is another type of wood gas generator - a pyrolysis oven. It also generates combustible gases that enter the secondary combustion chamber, and are not taken for further use.

In general, the idea of a wood-burning gas generator is not new, and in recent years, environmentalists have advocated the use of such units for cars. The following video demonstrates the successful experience of creating a car gas generator that runs on wood.

Video: production and launch of the gas generator

Advantages and disadvantages of the unit

Among the advantages of using gas generators, it should be noted:

rather high efficiency, which can reach 80-95% (for comparison, 60% efficiency for solid fuel boilers is considered a very good achievement);
a long process of burning fuel, which eliminates the need to often put it on (firewood can burn up to 25 hours, the process of burning coal can last up to 5-8 days);
complete combustion of fuel, so the procedure for cleaning the ash pan and flue is carried out very rarely;
the controlled combustion process can be automated;
in the process of work, a minimum amount of harmful substances is released;
the cost of heating the home is reduced;
you can load logs up to one meter long into the firebox;
in some generator models, freshly cut wood or wood with a moisture content of 50% can be used.

The ability to automate the operation of the device, as well as the materials used in their creation, make a wood gas generator safer than a traditional solid fuel boiler.

As fuel for the gas generator, you can use not only firewood, but also peat, coal, sawdust, old parquet, as well as some other waste

However, this unit also has a number of disadvantages that should be taken into account:

In most models, an electric fan is used to supply air, due to which the device can be considered volatile.
When the generator power is reduced by more than 50%, combustion loses stability, resulting in the release of tar, which pollutes the flue.
To avoid condensation, the heating treatment temperature must be maintained at 60 degrees or more.

In addition, the cost of generators offered by industrial production is almost 2 times higher than the cost of purchasing a solid fuel boiler. You can significantly reduce these costs by making the unit yourself.

How to make a wood-fired gas generator for home heating with your own hands

Before you start making a gas generator with your own hands, you need to take a closer look at its design and understand the principles of operation.

The layout of the elements and the line of the unit

The unit must consist of:

the case in which the remaining elements are enclosed;
a bunker, also called a filling chamber, into which fuel is loaded;
combustion chambers, in which the process of fuel combustion takes place at very high temperatures;
the neck of the combustion chamber, where the cracking of resins is carried out;
air distribution box with check valve;
calibration holes, called tuyeres, which connect the middle part of the combustion chamber to the junction box;
a grate designed to support coals;
loading hatches with sealed covers (top and side - for fuel loading, bottom - for ash removal);
branch pipe for gas removal, to which gas pipeline pipes are welded;
cooler, passing through which the gas cools down to the required temperature;
filters for gas purification from impurities.

The diagram below shows how the elements of the gas generator are placed.

This diagram clearly shows all the components of the unit

The hot gas produced in the generator can be used to dry the fuel. To do this, a part of the gas pipeline must be drawn along the ring around the combustion chamber, placing it between the device body and the fuel loading chamber. This allows you to increase the efficiency of the device. The drawing of the apparatus is shown below.

With the drawing it will be much easier to assemble the structure

Since the operation of a home-made sawdust generator occurs at high temperatures, rather stringent requirements are imposed on each structural element. The body is usually made of sheet metal, attaching small metal legs to the bottom. Traditionally, it is made in a cylindrical shape, but there is no rule that it cannot have a rectangular configuration.

This diagram clearly reflects the features of a wood-burning gas generator. Leaving the combustion chamber, the gases are mixed with air, cooled, and then undergo final purification.

Stages of work on the assembly of the unit from steel

For the manufacture of the hopper, mild steel should be used. It is installed inside the case and fastened with bolts. The lid of the hopper needs a seal. Asbestos is often used for this, but it is considered hazardous to health, so you should purchase gaskets from another heat-resistant material.

A combustion chamber made of heat-resistant steel is installed in the lower part of the hopper, a neck is attached to the chamber. The body is separated from the neck with a sealing asbestos cord or other insulator.

The craftsmen who managed to make a home-made gas generator note that it is convenient to use a gas cylinder, new or used, as a combustion chamber. In the latter case, there is a risk of ignition of gas residues when cutting off the top of the cylinder. To prevent this from happening, the gas cylinder should be filled with water and then get to work.

The air distribution box is installed outside the gas generator housing. In order for the do-it-yourself wood-fired gas generator to work properly, a check valve should be installed at the outlet of the box to prevent gas from leaving the device through this hole. In front of the box, you can put a fan to blow air. This design allows even a freshly cut tree to be used for combustion, the moisture content of which exceeds 50% (the norm for solid fuel boilers is 20%)

You can make a wood gas generator from various suitable materials, for example, from a metal barrel or an old gas cylinder

The grate is most often made of cast iron. To simplify the cleaning procedure, the middle part of the grate is made movable, controlled by a special lever. An important element of the loading hatch is a damping spring, which will allow you to lift the hatch cover in case of excessive accumulation of gas in the bunker.

Homemade gas generator from a cylinder or barrel

The barrel works like a combustion chamber

Any barrel is suitable for making a boiler, you can even use an empty gas cylinder or make it yourself using welding and a sheet of steel. The thickness of the sheet should, as a rule, be no more than ten millimeters. You will need rings that will serve as a coarse gas filter and pipes that will serve as cold air intakes. It is also necessary to think over the removal of condensate so that it does not accumulate at the bottom of the boiler. This problem is most often solved by installing a drain valve.

Gas generators made at the factory cost a lot. Therefore, not everyone can afford them. Craftsmen prefer to make boilers on their own by following these steps:

Weld a cylinder from a sheet of steel and attach the legs. The body is ready.
Make a hopper and fix it to the top of the boiler with bolts. For the manufacture of this component, you can use less carbon steel.
Make a combustion chamber from a gas cylinder.
Before cutting the cylinder, fill it with water, as gas residues may accumulate on top.
Then fix the gas distribution box, you can make it yourself or purchase it from a specialized store.
Install the grate assembled earlier - a device that will supply and exhaust air.
Install the chimney.

Small wood-burning gas generators can be installed in the house, since when loading there is no need to be afraid of the accumulation of debris, and the fuel can be stored next to the boiler.

Large units should be installed outdoors as close as possible to the natural fuel material storage area. In such a situation, it is possible to bring firewood to the device without great inconvenience. In addition, when placing the boiler in the yard, it will be possible to avoid contamination of the premises with ash and dirt.

If the gas generator is located on the street, then for the convenience of connecting it to the heating boiler, pipes should be laid on the ground.

Video: gas generator for heating

- This is a special device for converting fuel into combustible gas. This device is a pyrolysis furnace on organic waste, in which, at high t and lack of oxygen, gas is produced from solid fuel, which is used for internal combustion engines instead of gasoline.

It is possible to use the generator as a source of fuel for the same engines. It would seem that this is an impeccable, cheap and, moreover, environmentally friendly fuel. But the demand for it is quite low, so the production of these generators has practically ceased.

In addition to firewood, they can work on any type of coal. Generators that can use fuel oil and other types of liquid fuels are less commonly used.

Its use ensures the complete burnout of fuel, wood processing industry waste and various agricultural products (seed husks, sawdust, etc.). This can significantly reduce miscarriage into the atmospheric environment.

The generator turns the fuel into gas, making it more convenient to use, whether it is an internal combustion engine, a heating boiler or a gas turbine.

Description

There are three types of gas processing processes: direct, inverted and horizontal:

Straight- This is a fairly simple method, which is accompanied by a very large amount of resin and moisture. But they can be eliminated by using refined materials in the form of fuel, coke or charcoal.
Converted- has the lowest resin content. The gas passes through the high temperature section, whereby it is almost completely decomposed. This method of fuel conversion is more complex than the direct method.
Horizontal- contains a small amount of resins. But the gas does not decompose completely.

Gas generators differ from each other in the ash extraction system and the way the fuel is loaded inside.

Principle of operation

The essence of the fuel processing device is to extract gas from a solid resource. The main move is the delivery of atmospheric air to the combustion chamber. The volume of air is not always enough for the complete processing of fuel. A prerequisite in this process is a temperature of the order of 1100 - 1400 ° C. The final product (gas) is cooled and goes directly to the consumer or internal combustion engine

Advantages and disadvantages

Advantages:

fuel, which is refueled in gas generators, does not need pre-treatment;
vehicles running on gas generator fuel do not require the use of chemical batteries;
waste from this generator - ash, which can be used as a natural fertilizer;
a properly assembled gas generator installed in a car pollutes the atmosphere many times less than a conventional gasoline car.

Flaws:

This installation takes up a lot of space and weighs several hundred kg.
It causes great inconvenience during transportation.
Even with excellent operation on gas, the generator will not be able to achieve speed / acceleration, as with gasoline. This happens because wood gas contains nitrogen and carbon compounds that do not support the combustion reaction.
It is better to put gas generators in cars with powerful engines, because. only on such machines will not be noticeable lack of power when used.

Varieties

gas generator for internal combustion engines, instead of gasoline;
generator for acetylene (application for welding gas works);
gas power plants (electricity generation on natural gas).

Device and circuits

The kindling of a gas-generating boiler occurs according to the same principle as the kindling of an ordinary boiler - fuel is laid, then ignited. The damper must be closed halfway so that oxygen does not penetrate inside and does not accelerate the reactions taking place inside.

The building itself is very accessible and simple. The boiler contains 2 chambers - the first for burning fuel, the second for burning the subsequently formed gas. When the temperature rises, hot air begins to circulate, capturing cold air, and rises. Thanks to this system, you can quickly heat the room and it will remain warm for a long time.

How to make a gas generator with your own hands

As already mentioned, gas can be replaced by combustion products of firewood, peat, sawdust, coal, or even a certain type of garbage. Naturally, to convert these materials into gas, a gas generator is needed. Let's look at the option of how you can do it yourself.

Let's start with the design. The gas generator consists of a housing, the device of which includes the following elements:

bunkers;
combustion chambers;
the neck of the combustion chambers;
air distribution box;
calibration zone (the process of connecting the middle part of the combustion chamber with the air distribution box is underway);
grate, which is designed to support coals;
manholes for loading the resource (two for loading fuel and one for removing ash);
a tube for the removal of combustible gas;
cooler;
impurity filter.

In the process of fuel processing, the gas generator is exposed to high temperatures, therefore, very stringent requirements are imposed on each of its parts.

The body is usually welded from sheet metal, attaching legs from below. The configuration can be cylindrical or rectangular.

Materials and tools

To mount the generator bunker, steel is used, preferably low-carbon steel. The device itself is bolted inside the case, and it is desirable to seal its cover. This can be done either with asbestos (but it is harmful to health) or other heat-resistant material.

At the bottom of the bunker, a combustion chamber is installed, which should consist of heat-resistant steel. Next, the neck is attached. The body must be separated from the neck with a dense heat-resistant insulator. Also, instead of a combustion chamber, you can use a gas cylinder.

To avoid ignition of gas residues when cutting off its upper part, the gas cylinder must be filled with ordinary water and after that already start working. The air distribution box is placed outside the case. For the full operation of the generator, a check valve should be installed to prevent gas from escaping through the hole. With this design, even wet wood can be used as fuel.

Buying a ready-made gas generator, the best models, prices

If it is not possible to make a gas generator with your own hands, then you can buy a ready-made one, here are a few manufacturers that make quality products:

HERLT boilers.
Biomass boilers MetalERG.
Boilers LOPPER on biomass.
Heating boilers for long burning biomass VERNER.
Hot water boilers on biomass RAU-2.
Bioten.
MODERATOR.
HONDA.

The price will depend on the specific model, quality and its configuration. On average, the price difference is from 100,000 rubles. and higher.

Criteria for choosing a gas generator

Air-cooled generators can run 6-20 hours, which is the manufacturer's recommended time. Of course, at first, he will be able to work more, but you don’t need to overdo it, otherwise he may soon fail.

If you let the generator cool down, you can start it after a few hours. Therefore, when choosing a generator, one should not confuse them with power plants that are liquid-cooled and can work continuously.

In the event of an unexpected complete power outage, the gas generator should serve as a backup power source. Therefore, you need to calculate its power, depending on which devices should be connected to it, and then look for a suitable model for just such parameters.

Also, when choosing a gas generator, you should pay attention to what gas will be used there, what pressure, where you want to put it, whether an autostart system is needed.

Gas generators for cars

Fuel for car generators is wood, coal, garbage briquettes, peat and other materials (both natural and artificially created). Here the whole essence of the work lies in the incomplete disengagement of carbon. In this process, energy and gas are released, which has a low calorific value, in contrast to solid fuels.

During the disengagement process, an exothermic reaction is obtained with the formation of hydrogen and carbon dioxide. Due to this, the temperature of the resulting gas is reduced and its efficiency is significantly increased.

Alas, no one has yet been able to identify a pike that speaks in a human voice and fulfills all the whims, but the equivalent of a self-propelled wood-burning stove exists and has long been known. Of course, this is not at all about cars moving on So, how to make a car on wood with your own hands?

Is it real?

The statement that a car runs on wood is by no means an April Fool's joke. Your personal transport may well be powered not by banal gasoline, but by such delicious foods as construction waste, which has a woody base.

The idea of such an alternative type of fuel is by no means new, such cars existed during the Second World War, and in some countries where liquid fuel is similar to jewelry, they can be found in large numbers to this day, for example, in the secret of such a magical car is simple - this is a wood-fired gas generator, a kind of magical combination of quite ordinary and earthly material and a high-tech device.

Gas generator, wood-fired car

How does this mysterious mechanism work? Is it possible to make a car on wood with your own hands? Combustible natural gases, such as ethylene or propylene known to us, are quite realistic to produce on our own, and for this you do not need to dig the ground and acquire your own well. It is enough to get a gas generator: just buy it or go the more complicated way, making it with your own skillful hands.

How does a gas generator work in a car?

In the gas generator, by pyrolysis, known to everyone from the school bench, cellulose, or, more simply, all kinds (the same firewood), turns into the same gas, the fuel we are looking for. To obtain the desired product, the simple destruction of firewood is not enough. The reaction must take place at a temperature in excess of 1000 degrees Celsius, with a limited supply of oxygen. Of course, the resulting magical mixture must also be rid of any absolutely unnecessary impurities and cooled, because the cooled gas gives more much-needed auto energy. On sale you can find boilers operating using a gas generator, but, alas, this design is not suitable for personal vehicles. So you will need to turn your workhorse into a fire-breathing dragon yourself.

Peculiarities

The gas generator is a key element thanks to which the car goes on firewood. It is quite possible to build a gas generator with your own hands. Yes, it takes up a lot of space, but so many opportunities immediately appear. The forest is being cut down - the car is moving. You can create a car on wood with your own hands, and your four-wheeled friend will absorb everything that burns if cellulose is included in the composition. Cones, husks, scraps of parquet, in warm countries - coconut husks, even raw firewood. The oven is happy with anything. That's just wet wood will smoke mercilessly.

So if you do not take into account the scorched desert, you can get fuel anywhere and not be tied to gas stations. A real dream for those who anticipate an apocalyptic future with a destroyed fuel supply infrastructure. And the cost of food for such a self-propelled vehicle will be about four times cheaper compared to ordinary gasoline. Do-it-yourself wood-fired cars are also an ecologist's dream, the amount of harmful emissions into the atmosphere is many times less here. All changes are made exclusively independently using the most ordinary tools and materials, no high technology.

Cons of using a wood-burning gas generator in cars

Of course, such a system also has its downsides. Firstly, the very design of a home-made gas generator is quite bulky, which means it increases the weight of the car. It must be placed somewhere, which will reduce the usable area, and at the same time reduce the carrying capacity. Gas stations themselves are not needed, but you will have to stop to throw firewood quite often, and even with its omnivorous nature, you still need to monitor the quality of what is sent to the furnace. Preferably nothing raw and without rot. Such a unit also does not awaken to life in seconds, it will take about 10 minutes. The speed is also quite consistent with the famous self-driving stove, as the motor power also decreases. The combustion process itself must be carefully monitored, a drop in temperature leads to the fact that the useful gas mixture necessary for the operation of the engine turns into completely unnecessary tar. Based on all of the above, in the old days, wood-burning cars were used mainly in those places where the latter (firewood) was in abundance. On all kinds of logging. Or where there was no other fuel as such, in the impassable wilderness.

Gas generator device

What is a wood burning gas generator for a car? The secret of the unit is quite simple. During the combustion of wood fuel, a gas is formed, which, freed from excess impurities, passes through the cooling stage, is mixed with air and injected into the

This means that you will need the gas generator itself, various types of filters, a mandatory cooling system, all kinds of pipelines and an electric fan - to speed up and improve the combustion itself. The system looks like this: the necessary fuel is loaded into a high cylindrical tank (a square is also possible), under which the combustion chamber itself is installed. The resulting gas passes through a purification system. Further, the fuel temperature drops to ideal, and then air enrichment - and the desired mixture ends up in the engine. Modern developments of craftsmen differ little from the attached old scheme, and therefore, if you do not equip a truck with a gas generator, but put it on a passenger car dear to your heart, you will either need to build a frightening structure in the trunk, or somehow attach the unit on an additional trailer to the car.

How to make a gas generator with your own hands?

Is it possible to make a gas generator with your own hands? Yes, but you will need a set of tools and the materials themselves. They will use: to create a case, a fuel tank (in which firewood will be), heat-resistant steel for a container where the combustion process will take place, various heat-resistant gaskets, ideally not asbestos, since it is considered dangerous to the body. All sorts of pipes that will connect all the nodes of the gas generator, filters to remove impurities (western colleagues are experimenting with the same wood mixtures), a special one that allows burnt elements to pass through, and such trifles as doors, covers and valves. Having obtained all the necessary elements and armed with a suitable drawing, you can proceed directly to the creation of such an apparatus as a home-made wood-burning gas generator with your own hands. The accuracy and individuality of gas generator design calculations in accordance with your car is desirable, but sometimes not required. Some, especially observant and handy "home-made" manage to copy the necessary unit, using standard drawings.

DIY wood gas generator

There are a few things to consider in order to get your car moving without endangering the life of the driver. The main thing is that the diameter of the pipes through which the mixture will enter the engine must be carefully selected, taking into account the power of the latter.

All components and parts of the gas generator must be airtight. It is necessary to carefully build all the nodes, avoiding pipes with too small a diameter or sharp bends in order to minimize the resistance when the gas mixture enters the motor. The main skills that optimizer inventors will need is experience with metal. Cutting various structures, welding, working with pipes - all this will be quite difficult for a beginner.

The firewood is burning, the car is moving?

There are certain tricks for moving on a modernized car. We must not forget not only to throw firewood, but also to clean the ashes from a special container, and the combustion products will fill it quickly enough. In case of untimely cleaning, the process of operation of the gas generator on wood is distorted. It is also necessary to add fuel gradually, without waiting for its complete destruction. Ideally - when the tank is about half empty. Before turning off the engine, you must first wait a certain period until the unit has cooled down to the desired temperature.

During the combustion process, not only useful and cheap gas is released, but various toxic substances, and therefore special attention should be paid to the ventilation system. The gas generator must not be tested indoors. All nodes and solderings must be checked for leaks. A burning stove in your trunk can itself be a source of some mental anxiety. When properly assembled, the gas generator is completely safe, but accidents should be avoided whenever possible while driving, since in this case the risk of a fire in the car increases significantly.

Auto 30s and 40s

Wood-burning cars reached their heyday in the 30s and 40s. Since the changes that needed to be made to the vehicle were not dramatic, they were often carried out independently. To achieve the required engine power, sometimes they even created a turbocharging system. Some cars needed a more efficient generator, since the necessary combustion temperature in the furnace was maintained by a fan.

Wood-burning cars were popular in places where regular gasoline was not easy to get. So, during the Second World War, the designers of the VW and Mercedes concerns carried out their tests in this area. In our country, a wood-fired car (a gas generator in a car) has not lost its relevance in the post-war period. They mastered hard-to-reach areas where the ubiquitous gasoline had not yet had time to penetrate, and worked at logging and timber processing enterprises.

Cars in our time

Over time, interest in such units dried up, and wood-fired cars with a gas generator in the car settled as rusting skeletons somewhere on the periphery. Nowadays, research and testing in this area is carried out only by real enthusiasts.

And this is despite the fact that environmental organizations consider such installations extremely interesting, since waste can be used as fuel, and the level of pollution of mother nature is many times lower than when using an ordinary car with a gasoline engine. Modern creations, unlike their predecessors, can develop a decent speed of about 80 km per hour, and they need to refuel after hundreds of kilometers have been overcome. Fuel consumption here is measured by wooden bells, and those will require 50 kg per 100 km. This reduces the cost of transportation compared to the use of traditional fuels by 3-4 times.

Conclusion

So, we figured out how to make a wood-fired gas generator with our own hands. The design device is not so difficult, so almost anyone can handle it.

This device allows you to generate combustible gas by burning coal and wood. It is convenient and effective in the cold season. This article will focus on gas generators, their varieties, advantages and disadvantages, as well as how such a device can be made by yourself at home.

What is a wood burning gas generator

The gas generator has a fairly simple design, since all the processes taking place in it are based on the pyrolysis combustion of firewood. That is, the idea of gas generators is based on pyrolysis boilers, where wood burns out in a lack of air, while releasing a large amount of various gases. Further information about the structure of this device will be given.

Frame. It is usually made from sheet steel. All elements are connected by welding. In general, the case can have both a cylindrical and a rectangular shape, although the cylinder shape is more common, and it looks aesthetically pleasing. In the lower part, the legs are welded on which the structure will stand.
Bunker. It is also made from low carbon steel sheet. Like the body, the hopper can also be shaped like a cylinder or a rectangle. . It is inserted into the housing and attached to the walls of the housing with bolts. There should also be a lid covering the opening at the top that leads into the hopper. Asbestos or some other material is used as a sealant.
The combustion chamber. It is located at the bottom, and is usually made of steel with a high chromium content. W This is where the combustion of solid fuel occurs in conditions of insufficient air supply. There are asbestos cords between the inner walls of the housing and the combustion chamber. On the side walls of the combustion chamber there are several holes, or, as they are also called, air supply lances, through which air is supplied to the combustion chamber. These tuyeres are connected to an air distribution tank which communicates with the atmosphere. When air leaves this container, it overcomes the check valve. The function of this valve is to block the exit of the gas formed during the combustion of firewood to the outside.
The grate is located at the bottom of the device. Its function is to maintain hot fuel. Also, through the numerous holes of this grate, the ash formed during the combustion of the fuel enters the ash pan.
Loading hatches. There are three such hatches in the design of household gas generators. The first one is on top, its cover is folded horizontally. Asbestos cords are used as sealing when closing and sealing. In modern models, in the hatch attachment area, you can find a special shock absorber spring, which automatically comes into action if the pressure inside the device exceeds a certain norm. Under the action of this spring, the hatch overturns. On the side of the structure there are two more loading hatches. The first one is located at the recovery zone level. This hatch is used to load fuel into this area. The lower hatch is located at the lower end of the device, at the level of the ash pan. It is used to clean it. The gas formed during the combustion of solid fuel is removed from the upper part of the structure. To do this, there is a special pipe for the outlet of gas.

Drying zone. It is located at the top of the structure, immediately below the loading hatch. Here, the fuel dries quickly due to the fact that the temperature in this zone reaches about 190 degrees Celsius.
Dry distillation zone. It is located below the drying zone. Dried fuel is charred here due to the fact that the temperature reaches up to 500 degrees. During these processes, resins and some organic acids are removed from the fuel.
Burning zone. Located at the bottom. Fuel enters here and burns at a temperature of 1200 degrees. Air is supplied through special tuyeres. During combustion, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide are released.
Recovery zone. The gases released during the combustion of the fuel rise up and reach the reduction zone. Coal is loaded here through a special hatch, which is held on the grate. Carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide react with coal. When carbon dioxide and coal react, carbon monoxide is formed during the reaction. But there is water in coal, which is also active in relation to gases. As a result of all these reactions, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, methane, some volatile unsaturated hydrocarbon compounds, and nitrogen are formed. This mixture of gases is purified from all impurities, then mixed with air. This is the end result. The resulting mixture of gases can be used for domestic needs.

As already mentioned, a wood-fired gas generator has a fairly simple design. Further, all of the above regarding the structure of the structure will be presented in a schematic form for a complete understanding.

Advantages and disadvantages

Wood-burning gas generators have a large number of advantages and few disadvantages.

The benefits are:

The efficiency of gas generators reaches 90%. Compared with them, for solid fuel boilers, the efficiency reaches only 75%.
In gas generators, firewood burns for a very long time. One bookmark of firewood alone can be enough for 20-25 hours of operation of the device. And if coal is used as fuel, then one bookmark can last for several days.
The fuel usually burns completely, leaving a minimum of ash. Therefore, when using gas generators, there is no need for constant cleaning of the ash pan.
Some devices have automated systems for regulating the combustion process.
When burning, the release of harmful substances is minimized. That is why there are currently active attempts to use gas generators in cars to reduce the emission of harmful substances into the atmosphere.
The family budget is significantly saved.
Long firewood can be loaded into the combustion chamber, that is, there is no need to cut it into small pieces. The firebox can hold firewood up to 1 meter long.
Any solid fuel can be used as fuel.

And now for the disadvantages. There are only three of them:

Most units have fans at the air outlet of the air separation box. They can work mechanically, but in many models their operation requires the presence of electricity. Because of this, the operation of the generator becomes volatile.
Condensation may form inside the chimney. To avoid this, the temperature should be kept at around 60 degrees.
Factory designs are very expensive. Therefore, you should make gas generators with your own hands. Drawings can be found online.

Kinds

Gas generators can be classified according to the type of fuel combustion. So, there are three types:

Direct combustion generators. In structures of this type, air is supplied to the combustion chamber from below through the grate. The gas outlet is located at the top of the structure. Such structures are designed to burn coal or anthracite.
Inverted combustion generators. In such designs, air is supplied to the combustion chamber not from below, as in the first case, but directly at the level of the combustion zone. But the gases are discharged at the level of the ash pan, and can be used to heat the newly loaded fuel.
Horizontal combustion generators. In structures of this type, air is also supplied through special molds at the level of the combustion zone. Gas is also taken from the side through a branch pipe located behind a special grate, at the level of the combustion zone. The zone in which the extraction of gases takes place is small in this case. It is concentrated mainly between the tuyere and the grate, behind which there is a gas outlet.

How to DIY

Factory-made gas generators are very expensive, so not everyone can afford to buy such a unit. But the simplest version of gas generators can be made at home. It will not cost very much, and the manufacturing process itself is not particularly difficult. Most importantly, you should take a drawing of a simple gas generator. They can be found online and printed.

The first step is to make the body of the future design. It is made from sheet metal. The sides are joined by welding. The legs are also attached from below.
Next, a bunker is made. It can also be of any shape. For its manufacture, low-carbon steel is used. The finished bunker is placed in the body and fixed there with bolts. Make a lid for the bunker.
Then, a container is installed at the bottom of the bunker, which will serve as a combustion chamber for firewood. It can be made from an old gas cylinder. Attention: Before using the cylinder, it is necessary to fill it with water, since when cutting off the upper part, gas residues may ignite.
The upper part of the cylinder is cut off, the remaining part will be the combustion chamber.
Now you need to make an air distribution box. It is installed outside the case. A non-return valve should be installed at the outlet of the box. The installation location should be selected based on the drawing.
The grate is made of cast iron. It is also installed based on the drawing used.
Now you need to make devices for supplying air and exhausting gases. They are installed on the top or bottom of the device. The installation location is determined according to the drawing.
The very last step - chimney installation.

Necessary materials and tools

In order to make a gas generator with your own hands, you must have the following tools and materials:

Barrel for the body of the structure.
Old gas bottle.
Gas filters and valves. They can be found in hardware stores.
Bolts (several pieces).
Apparatus for welding.

Finally, it should be noted that the manufacturing process of the generator does not contain any particular difficulties, so anyone can make it on their own. The main thing - you need to be guided by the step-by-step instructions given here.

Today, natural gas is very much needed in most homes for heating, cooking and so on, but its cost increases every year and it becomes unprofitable to pay the bills.

Therefore, more and more people prefer to independently design and create devices that are capable of releasing gas that turns into various types of energy. There are many advantages to this method. The most widespread are gas generators working on wood.

Principle of operation

Any pyrolysis gas generator is a large metal tank made of hardened steel. Fuel is loaded into such a stove, that is, firewood.

Combustion begins in the presence of a small amount of oxygen so that the firewood does not burn out completely, since combustion is a process of interaction with oxygen, due to which an enormous amount of energy is released in the form of fire.

In the process of interaction of wood with oxygen, the following is formed:

carbon dioxide or carbon dioxide;
carbon monoxide or carbon monoxide;
pure hydrogen;
methane or natural gas, which is exactly what is needed;
other hydrocarbon gases.

The temperature in the furnace must be very high and constantly maintained. After combustion, the released gas is sent for filtration to a special device - a cyclone, cooling occurs, as a result of which various impurities and small particles are removed from the mixture, as a result, almost pure methane is obtained, which is then mixed with oxygen.

The resulting mixture is a necessary fuel that can be used for various purposes.

Application

Previously, gas generators were used in the automotive industry; during the Great Patriotic War, such generators were installed on many passenger cars and trucks of the ZIS brand. Internal combustion engines running on natural gas were indispensable and convenient due to their simple design and low cost.
Today, gas generators are used to heat houses and dwellings.
To generate electricity using various turbine units or electric gas generators.
Until now, some people install similar units on their Lada. At the same time, the machine is perfectly serviceable and does not require large expenses. Also, due to the low air pollution compared to petroleum fuels, many people are increasingly switching to gas generators for internal combustion engines.
In industry, gas generators are used that work on coal, which can provide more energy.

Advantages and disadvantages of the installation

The main advantages of such equipment are:

Very high efficiency, up to 96%.
The combustion process is quite long, for example, wood can burn for a day, and coal for more than a week.
Complete combustion of all fuel, as a result of which there is no need for frequent cleaning of the boilers.
Possibility of full automation.
Low energy costs.
Low emissions of harmful gases into the atmosphere.
Some people use manure as fuel, which is very environmentally friendly and cheap.

However, gas-fired boilers have their drawbacks:

gas generation involves a constant interaction with oxygen, which requires the installation of special fans for continuous air supply to the furnace;
it is necessary to constantly maintain a constant temperature so that it does not fall;
the possibility of the formation of tar, polluting the furnace.

How to build yourself

Making a gas wood-burning generator with your own hands is not so difficult.

First you need to understand the principle of its operation, the device, the circuit, then you should draw the drawings of the future energy source and begin the selection of the necessary materials.

Each gas generator must include:

support structure;
a bunker that will contain wood or other fuel;
a chamber where the combustion process takes place;
lances for blowing;
air distribution boxes;
gas pipeline;
a cyclone for filtering the outgoing gas from dust and small particles and various cross gratings used for cleaning;
cooler;
cylinder for collecting gas and its further distribution;
grate to support coal.

Thus, installing a gas generator at home is quite simple, building such a machine yourself is not so difficult, but you will have to spend a lot of time.

Gazgen can also be installed on car and tractor engines that require a lot of fuel.

Home household mini-heat generators are increasingly found in homes due to the simplicity of the device and the low cost of installation and maintenance, because wood is a very affordable type of fuel.

You can also install small power plants along with steam generators that will rotate the turbine to generate electricity. The process of making homemade units is not very time consuming.

Masters with extensive experience with gas generators can give some important advice:

Before installation, it is necessary to create a drawing of the future design, estimate the approximate costs. If they are more than the cost of an industrial unit, then it is better to immediately buy a finished device.
You can heat not only wood, but also sawdust, old wood furniture, peat and coal.
When installing such a generator on a car, you need to consult with a specialist about the size and automation of the processes occurring inside the boiler.

Watch the video in which the user explains in detail the design of a do-it-yourself gas generator:

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