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Here's the inventory of proposed and/or implemented hearth mods, tar recycling systems, filter improvements, automated start up, auger fuel feeding, etc, etc, etc.   Some of this is ready to go currently.  Some is in process.  Some is hoped for in the future.  And some has already been found to not be interesting and thus passed into the "inactive" section.   You are encouraged to add ideas and implementations of your own to this resource list.  

Items of Current Interest (as of September, 09)

New System Architectures

• The Hot TOTTI:  "Tower of Total Thermal Integration".  Full integration of "waste heats" between the gasifier - engine system.
• 100kw GEK Powertainer:  The GEK Hot TOTTI scaled up to a 100kw size and integrated with a Cummins diesel in a shipping container
  

New Reactor Inserts 

• 11 Inch Reactor: Larger hearth area for standard size GEK

• PyroCoil: Heat exchanger gas circulation shell to return IC exhaust gas heat to reactor for pyrolysis

• Triple Hips Downdraft Reactor: zone separated, internal tar recycling, extended pyrolysis, and open swirl combustion chamber

   

Gas Drive

• High Pressure Fan Prototyoing Version 1 process, research

Gas Filtering

• Drum Filter and Scrubber: A larger packed bed filter with integral liquid tank for recirculating shower/scrubber.

• Using biodiesel as a tar scrubbing agent

Tar Recycling

• Ejector nozzles for internal tar mining and recirculation (experiments and testing)

   

Fuel Stirring / Agitation

• Spiral Rod Stirrer
• Mechanized & Automated Grate Shaking

Fuel Feeding, drying and cutting

• Horizontal auger add-on with double jacketing for gas cooling and fuel drying/heating/metering

• Vertical auger in hopper fuel feed add-on, with integral gas cooling and fuel drying/heating/metering

• Fuel feed level sensor

• Chipper integrated onto hopper

Items Graduated to Standard GEK Features or Available Add-ons (or found to not be interesting)

Fuel Feeding, drying and cutting

• Horizontal auger add-on with double jacketing for gas cooling and fuel drying/heating/metering

• Vertical auger in hopper fuel feed add-on, with integral gas cooling and fuel drying/heating/metering

• Chipper integrated onto hopper

Hearth Mods and Reactors

• Tar fence to prevent below nozzle tar circulation

• Stainless sheet steel reduction bells

• Bolt-in Imbert hourglass hearth variations

• deLacott recirculating tar burner mod

• Simplified straight reduction tube tar recirculating hearth

Electronic Automation

• GEK gasifier control unit (GCU)

Measurement

• Union-based gas flow measurement

• Gas tar content measurement

Filtering/Scrubbing

• Using charcoal for media in the packed bed filter

Cooling

• Eliminating condensation in the hose to the burner

• Horizontal auger add-on with double jacketing for gas cooling and fuel drying/heating/metering

• Vertical auger in hopper fuel feed add-on, with integral gas cooling and fuel drying/heating/metering

Vac/Blower/Ejector and other Gas Transport

• Using ejector instead of fan, premixing propane for clean startup (testing ejector performance)

Simplify Start Up

• Using nichrome (heating wire) to keep swirl burner lit (moving to glow plugs for robustness)

• Using glow plugs to start combustion zone

Ideas in progress, not yet classified (to be filed on this page, as they mature)

• Some ideas to discuss on the forum