Gasifier Experimenters Kit

The Gasifier Experimenter's Kit (GEK) is a downdraft gasifier system manufactured by ALL Power Labs of Berkeley, California. It produces synthetic fuel through a chemical conversion of wood or other biomass materials. The fuel can power internal combustion engines. Since the GEK is an open source design, its schematics are freely available. The GEK is a variation of the Imbert-style gasifier and it tries to improve upon some of the limitations of that design. One key addition is an air preheating system, which in the gasification process, alters the breakdown of tars generated during combustion. The GEK is also one of only a few commercially available gasifier systems.

Description

GEK is an Imbert-type (nozzle and constricted hearth) gasifier. It is sized to run between a 5 and 50 HP engine. It is a vessel-in-vessel configuration where the inner vessel or reactor is contained within an insulating ring. The insulating ring contains the heat during pyrolysis and combustion and focuses the heat where it is needed during the gasification process. GEK uses a modular design where the various parts (burner, hearth, etc.) are built using a cylinder and flange model to easily facilitate changes.

GEK is based upon many standards. It can be mostly assembled using many standard plumbing parts and standard scrap tanks found commonly in the United States. The outer gas cowling is 14.75 inches (375 mm), the outer burner (insulating tank) is 12 inches (300 mm) and the inner burner is 10 inches (250 mm).^[1] The plumbing parts are numerous but are mostly of black iron and schedule 40.

A cyclone and packed-bed filter system handle filtration. The cyclone collects water vapor and some solids in its output stream while the packed-bed filter traps remaining solids that have made it through the process. Water and solids that were caught in the cyclone are removed from a jar at the bottom of the cyclone.

Variations

• GEK 0.7 => J-Tube style air preheating system
• GEK 0.8 => Stainless Steel Flexible tubing air preheating system
• GEK 0.9 => Stacked Cyclone and Packed Bed filter
• GEK 1.0 =>
• GEK 1.1 =>
• GEK 2.0 => Dual Channel manometer and temperature sensing
• GEK 2.2 => Stainless Steel reduction bell and tar fence

See also

• Gasification
• Producer gas
• Syngas
• Biochar

References

External links

• World Changing
• Terdiman, Daniel (2013-01-23). "Carbon-negative energy, a reality at last - and cheap, too | Cutting Edge - CNET News". News.cnet.com. Retrieved 2013-10-21.