An idea, in case it holds promise for all of our joint efforts to explore and expand utilization of non-fossil energy-
My experiments with using small chunks of softwood scrap to start my gasifier have worked _so_ well that it almost makes me wonder whether these units would work well with cordwood "chunks" of roughly 5-6 inches on a side- rather than a typical firewood log which is much longer than it is wide. Such wood would also dry faster, as the surface/ volume relationship would be better for drying. It would, I'd tend to think, be rather resistant to the problem of "bridging" in a downdraft gasifier.
I cannot think how I'd process this sort of thing myself (since I do my own cutting and splitting) without a lot of hassle, but it seems as if, if this did work well in gasifiers, and gasifiers became more wide-spread, then this sort of product could be harvested using equipment like feller-bunchers and large scale processing equipment, dried, and transported in palletized "bins" that could be subject to a deposit, and then (the bins) returned and re-used.
The stuff could be run over some sort of screen so that all of the loose bark/ finer particulates could be taken out so that it'd be relatively non-messy for end users. The loose stuff could then go into some other processes, such as pellet production.
Sort of "oversized woodchips." They'd be easier to handle (than cordwood) for non-burly types- and seemingly ideal for things like Froling/ other "smart" boilers aimed at people who want efficiency with a little less of the gruntwork and sweating of the operating parameters.
Well, anyway, file that under food for thought for the Hearth.com Boiler Room's collective brainstorming.
My experiments with using small chunks of softwood scrap to start my gasifier have worked _so_ well that it almost makes me wonder whether these units would work well with cordwood "chunks" of roughly 5-6 inches on a side- rather than a typical firewood log which is much longer than it is wide. Such wood would also dry faster, as the surface/ volume relationship would be better for drying. It would, I'd tend to think, be rather resistant to the problem of "bridging" in a downdraft gasifier.
I cannot think how I'd process this sort of thing myself (since I do my own cutting and splitting) without a lot of hassle, but it seems as if, if this did work well in gasifiers, and gasifiers became more wide-spread, then this sort of product could be harvested using equipment like feller-bunchers and large scale processing equipment, dried, and transported in palletized "bins" that could be subject to a deposit, and then (the bins) returned and re-used.
The stuff could be run over some sort of screen so that all of the loose bark/ finer particulates could be taken out so that it'd be relatively non-messy for end users. The loose stuff could then go into some other processes, such as pellet production.
Sort of "oversized woodchips." They'd be easier to handle (than cordwood) for non-burly types- and seemingly ideal for things like Froling/ other "smart" boilers aimed at people who want efficiency with a little less of the gruntwork and sweating of the operating parameters.
Well, anyway, file that under food for thought for the Hearth.com Boiler Room's collective brainstorming.
