Pyrolysis gas generator boiler for electricity generation

Many people know the so-called pyrolysis boilers. These are solid fuel boilers with the principle of smoldering (pyrolysis) of wood or brown coal, generating combustible gases and burning them in a separate chamber. These are boilers for long burning with high efficiency and complete combustion of fuel (minimum ash content).

One of the design options for a pyrolysis boiler. It would be correct to name it a gas-generating boiler. When wood or coal smolders, carbon monoxide (CO) up to 20%, up to 15% hydrogen, methane, oxygen are released (and half by volume remains nitrogen). It is the ability to generate flammable gas that interests us.

In this article, I will not offer anything new, just remember the well-forgotten old. And the forgotten old thing is a gas generator plant on a ZIS car, which worked on the same principle as a modern pyrolysis boiler:

In the period 1938-1941. ZIS-13 and ZIS-21 cars were produced with gas generating units, which were used as a source of combustible gas for engine operation. The pyrolysis chamber was located on one side of the vehicle, the fine cleaning tank was located on the other. One bookmark of firewood was enough for 60-100 kilometers. True, engine power dropped from 70 hp to 50 hp. since most of the fuel gas is nitrogen. And the energy output of the generated gas is 5.7 MJ / kg, and that of gasoline is 44 MJ / kg.

But not the point is important. Only the maximum speed of the truck was reduced. For short runs there was a 7.5 liter gasoline tank, because installation firing up time - 7-10 minutes.

More than 15 thousand items were produced. such vehicles with gas generating installations. During the Great Patriotic War, they worked mainly in the forest regions of the country, transporting thousands of tons of cargo. This installation was also mounted on the ZIS-150 timber carrier, which worked after the war.

Some "kulibins" repeat these settings, it looks like this:

The installation is bulky like a heating boiler and there is no place for it in a car. Only by truck.

It was a long introduction to the fact that thousands of units were produced in combustible gas generation technology and industrial plants. But for some reason they were not used to power the motors of electric generators.

The idea for areas without electricity or with long outages is this. A small pyrolysis gas generator plus a purification plant is welded from old gas cylinders:

A gasoline electric generator is purchased and powered by gas from the installation:

An example of how things might look:

For installation, a separate room is required, a furnace. But the boiler does not emit smoke. Only the engine of an electric generator has an exhaust. And the combustion chamber will give off a certain amount of heat, heating the room. Because an engine running on such gas will produce 1.5-2 times less power, then you will not load the generator for the rated output.

The installation can be heated for 4-5 hours a day to operate the generator and to recharge the battery and power devices with increased power consumption. And the rest of the day, use the power supply for lighting from the battery.

I emphasize again that this idea is for the supply of electricity to remote buildings where there is no central electricity: the base recreation in the forest, in the mountains, on lakes remote from civilization, etc. Gas in cylinders or petrol - these are still costs and bring them need to. Firewood will be cheaper. Ideally, everything should be considered, but without experimental data on the consumption of firewood for the production of 1 kW of electricity, this is difficult to do.

Maybe it makes sense for manufacturers of heating boilers to experiment and calculate? The niche of such equipment is completely free.

***

Photo taken from open sources, from Yandex. Pictures

Subscribe to the channel, add it to your browser bookmarks (Ctrl + D). There is a lot of interesting information ahead.