The practice of using firewood as fuel in our time, even in relation to boiler equipment, seems obsolete. And yet, this principle of operation of energy systems has undeniable advantages, which, accordingly, is reflected in the emergence of new technological concepts. In this case, a gas-generator plant is considered, the operational features of which have long attracted the attention of designers from the automotive industry. Of course, there is no talk of traditional wood burning under the hood, but the energy generated by such units is directly related to the combustion of solid fuels.
Designs of gas generating equipment
The equipment consists of a converter, a fan, a scrubber, a pipeline inletinfrastructure, combustion chambers and connecting fittings. The design is guided by the conditions of thermal processing of solid fuel in order to generate thermal or electrical energy. It can be a monoblock or modular installation with the possibility of replacing individual elements. The component housings are made of metal (sheet steel) by welding assembly. A metal platform is mounted in the lower part, which can be supplemented with a running gear, depending on the specific design solution. In the upper part, a loading system with a bunker is usually organized, to which oxygen supply channels are connected. In industrial gas generating installations for generating electricity, mechanical fuel loading elements with automatic adjustment are sometimes provided. But in this case, the combustion chamber must also be provided with special indicators that will give a command to add the next portion of fuel.
Functional areas of the gas generator
The entire internal space of the unit can be conditionally divided into four departments:
- Drying zone. A kind of fuel preparation chamber, in which the same firewood acquires the optimum temperature without excess moisture. Usually the temperature regime in this area is 150-200 ° С.
- Dry distillation zone. Another stage in the preparation of solid-state fuel, but under conditions of a higher temperature regime up to 500 °C. At this stage, the gas generator chars the wood to remove tar, acids and other unwanted substances from it.
- Zoneburning. This section is located at the connection level of the air ducts, through which air is directed to maintain combustion stability. Structurally, this is a conventional combustion chamber, which is present in all solid fuel boilers. The average temperature in it varies from 1100 to 1300 °C.
- Recovery zone. The area between the grate and the combustion chamber. By analogy with modern pyrolysis boilers, this section can be imagined as a place of re-combustion. Hot coal enters from the combustion zone here, which can be removed or immediately disposed of.
The principle of operation of the gas generator set
The working process of this equipment is based on the incomplete processing of carbon released during the combustion of fuel. Both firewood with coal and biomaterials like peat briquettes, pellets or granules from wood processing industry waste can act as solid fuel elements. The resulting carbon, when interacting with the supplied air flows, can attach oxygen atoms to itself. The resulting gas can potentially release an amount of energy corresponding to only 30% of the initially loaded fuel from which it was produced. On the other hand, much fewer resources are required to process carbon - at least oxygen is required in a minimal amount. And already in the process of secondary combustion, the gas generator unit generates targeted energy suitable for use. At this stage, variousconverters and batteries - depending on the type of energy that is planned to be obtained from the gas-air mixture.
Capability of gas generating equipment
Combining the principles of burning fossil fuels with gas generation was considered as early as the beginning of the 20th century. Moreover, there were successful practical developments in this direction, which replaced the more common at that time generators for the processing of renewable energy sources. Today, against the backdrop of the popularization of the principles of rational use of resources with an emphasis on energy saving, the concept of thermochemical conversion of waste and plant biomass is again becoming relevant. And even small-capacity gas generators of 70-80 kW can be used in public utilities or agriculture, where local waste products will be used as fuel. For example, there is a practice of operating such installations in the irrigation systems of farms in full autonomy for 4-5 hours. Equipment from 150 kW finds its place in large industries, in servicing areas and large energy-dependent facilities.
Application of gas generation technologies in industry
For the first time, gas-generating technologies began to be used in the glass and metallurgical industries in Europe, and in the USSR they found their place in the national economy. For example, in the middle of the 20th century, gas generating stations were distributed throughout the country, generating up to 3 MW fromplant biomass and peat. Modern equipment has noticeably added to the technological development. Today, these are entire complexes provided with means of automatic and even robotic control under the control of a computer. The power of gas generators for generating electricity in the industrial sector is on average 300-350 kW. In some cases, these are entire chemical plants with stringent requirements for fuel materials. Such units are used at large industrial complexes to service several consumption systems at once - power units (machine tools, assembly lines, dynamos, compressors), lighting devices, ventilation infrastructure, etc.
Gas generators in transport engineering
The practice of modifying cars for the installation of gas generators began in the pre-war years. On many machines, as part of this modernization, a high-performance electrical generator was installed, since it was necessary to provide a sufficiently powerful flow of oxygen pressurization. For this, an electric fan was used. The most notable developments of this type include the GAZ-AA lorries and the ZIS-5 three-tons, whose gas generators provided a mileage of up to 80-90 km at one gas station. This is not much, but in the conditions of a shortage of liquid fuel in forestry, this decision fully justified itself economically. As for today, the conversion of conventional ICE cars is also motivated mainly by the interests of energy saving. There are successful examples of the conversion of GAZ-24 cars andAZLK-2141, which travel up to 120 km on one gas station, maintaining the speed limit in the range of 80-90 km/h.
How to make a gas generator set for a car with your own hands?
You can implement this principle without contacting specialists at home and on your own. The general instructions for such an upgrade can be represented as follows:
- A loading bunker is being organized. Usually use a gas cylinder with a capacity of 40-50 liters. The bottom is cut out in it, and a hole or window is made in the neck for filling fuel. It is worth focusing on the use of either fine-grained coal or pellets.
- The grate is mounted to take on the main load.
- A cyclone filter and a lance are being made to take on the heat load. Regardless of the type of solid fuel used, it will emit combustion products in the form of ash and dust. This waste should be captured immediately after being released by the filter.
- Mounting the radiator. This component will perform the function of cooling the gas mixture. For a gas generator installation with your own hands, you can make a radiator structure from plumbing pipes. It is only important to correctly calculate the cross section for optimal carbon preparation.
- Creating a fine filter. From modern membrane materials, it is possible to manufacture a damper for multi-level purification of the gas-air mixture, which will increase the power of the power generator.
- Connection to the engine. The final stage, during which, with the help of commutingpipes are connected to the motor to direct the purified gas mixture to it.
Household gas generators
Home boiler equipment is also improving, adding new functionality and operational capabilities. For this area, gas generator sets up to 150 kW for LPG (liquefied carbon gas) are offered, complete with a liquid cooling system, a battery charger and protective devices. This is a complete standby generator that can be used in the event of a power outage.
Calculation of gas generating equipment by capacity
Regardless of the purpose of the power unit, its technical and operational indicators must be calculated before purchase. Below is a typical calculation example for a gas generator set for a home heating system.
The power of the unit should be averaged relative to the area of the target operating room, bearing in mind the following relationship: 1 kW of power potential from the generated gas mixture per 10 m2. So, for a site of 50 m2, an installation of at least 5 kW will be required, and if the area of \u200b\u200bthe production facility is 1000 m2, then a heating system of at least 100 kW will be needed. But that's not all. For each opening in the wall, an addition of approximately 1 kW is made, not counting amendments for climatic conditions. As a result, an object with a total area of 1000 m2 with 10 windows and 5 doorways will require the use of a unit with a capacity of 1015 kW at least.
Prostechnology
Gas generators are great for basic power generation tasks. So, if conventional solid fuel units have an efficiency of 60%, then gas counterparts - more than 80%. There are also positive nuances of service. Since complete combustion takes place in the chamber with the removal of the carbon dioxide mixture, special cleaning of the equipment walls is not required in the future. Of course, there are economic benefits as well. The simplest wood-burning gas generator can save up to 30-40% compared to electric heaters and boilers that provide a similar thermal effect.
Cons of technology
The advantages of gas generators could make them the main means of generating electrical and thermal energy, if not for weaknesses. First of all, they include the multicomponent nature of functional parts. Despite the simple principle of operation, the gas generator set contains many interdependent elements, which complicates the assembly and control of the system. It is also worth emphasizing the need to constantly maintain combustion by loading fuel raw materials. In the conditions of a working production, this must be done regularly, so it will not be possible to do without control automation.
The future of gas generation technologies
The continued development of gas generating units is supported by their organic combination with biofuel cells, which are unconditionally one of the most promising sources of fuel. ATin the direction of optimizing structures for pellets and briquettes, this concept is more likely to be promoted. As for gas generators for cars, at the industrial level, their development can also justify itself economically. By the way, about 2 kg of cheap fuel materials produce as much energy for a car as 1 liter of gasoline. However, the development process in this direction is still hampered by the need to complicate the design of cars and the emergence of new competitive generators, which are also replacing conventional internal combustion engines.
Conclusion
Electrical and liquid power generation systems today are increasingly opposed by alternative energy technologies. For the same household environment, complete solar panels and geothermal batteries have long been produced. What place can a modern gas generator take in this competitive struggle? This is not the most practical solution for domestic use due to the large size of the equipment and troublesome maintenance. However, the industry is quite interested in such installations, as they allow you to count on impressive savings without reducing power.
