What's currently in progress,
how each component works,
and what's still needed.

Intercooler

An intercooler is a type of heat exchanger. This design will pass hot exhaust gases out from the gasifier in through an array of pipes, thereby heating a basin of water in the process. In addition to being one of the safest ways to transfer reactor heat for indoor uses like radiant floors and potable water, this design also improves the performance of the gasifier cooling process. This also allows for an auxiliary radiator system to be put in place for improved cooling. The intercooler is a stainless steel, non-pressurized system.

Sensor Interface

Having a good interface for managing and interpreting sensor data is critical for both the initial prototyping process as well as for ordinary day-to-day use of the gasifier. This system employs several Arduinos, a 4" LCD touch screen, six thermocouples, four pressure sensors, an OBDII interface, and a GNSS module (GPS) to report time, date, location, speed, bearing and altitude. The data can be viewed live on-screen and saved to a removable SD card for analysis on a computer.

Specifically, this interface will help to analyze the relationships between various internal and external temperatures, pressures, air displacement, altitude, RPM, ignition timing, and MAF/MAP/ECT sensors among others.

Engine Intake
Regulator Assembly

An internal combustion engine can draw fuel directly from the gasifier on it's own. Typically one or more blower fans are used to stoke the reactor up to temperature. Then, when the gas is ready, the blowers can be turned off and a manual cable-throttle is set to control the air:fuel ratio.

Alternatively, this project will utilize a single "supercharger" blower to stoke the reactor at startup as well as to provide increased air+fuel density while the engine is running. The blower will utilize the intake side of an old turbo and be powered by a variable-speed electric motor on a standalone 12v system.

The assembly will mix air and fuel by means of a dedicated electronic throttle body for the air intake. The air throttle will allow for manual control via driverside knob, or automatic control. The automatic control may be set to respond directly to the vehicles tachometer signal or, conversely, to pressure sensors located in the fuel line and in the engine compartment.

The assembly has an outlet for flaring gas while the reactor is getting up to temperature. The outlet will be fitted with a manual cable-throttle for driverside control. The flare line itself will be fitted with several flashback arrestors.