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Driving 1990 F-250 on woodgas

 
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jdspread
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 10, 2008 1:13 pm    Post subject: Driving 1990 F-250 on woodgas Reply with quote

Hey guys, I stubled across this forum, I live in Nebraska, USA and I drive my fuel injected truck on wood..... No Joke.




I get around 4KM per KG of wood. The combustible part of woodgas is hydrogen and a few other minor gases. It burns very clean and is the only fuel that can claim a negative carbon emission. The slip char and ash is used to enrich the garden soil, technically carbon sequestration.

Woodgas is a low energy fuel and I am looking to supplement some gasoline during acceleration. I have purchased EEC reprogramming chip and necessary hardware; it can hold two data banks one for running on just gasoline and one reprogrammed to run on woodgas. I will be remapping the fuel injectors to allow small amount of gasoline to be metered in for acceleration and stop and go driving. Woodgas does pretty good once you get up to speed but it takes a bit to get their on just wood.

If anyone has any skills in building defintion files for a speed density EEC let me know
Jonathan Spreadborough
Martel, NE USA
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Disco Frank
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 11, 2008 12:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

thats kinda cool and fucnky

any more info/pics on how the setup works?
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jdspread
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 11, 2008 1:36 am    Post subject: Sure thing Reply with quote

Woodgas is made by combusting wood in a controled o2 envioment. The system is completely run by engine vacuum. I use a suction blower to start the gasifer, once the wood is burning corectly (3-4 min cold start 1-2 min warm start) I remove the fan and open the gate to run the woodgas into my intake aircleaner (after filtration and cooling). I simply shut off the electric fuel pump once the woodgas reaches the engine and the motor runs rich.

I use a choke cable to control the fresh air, since the woodgas is run on suction. This allow me to restrict the fresh air to richen the mix as needed but often it run at all rpms preety close to the same setting.



This is a photo of my woodgas cooler. My bumper is on the ground I had a small suction leak behind it and had to remove the bumper to find it.

you can find all the info you want on woodgas at the yahoo group woodgas. Or just google it.
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TROYMAN
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 11, 2008 8:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

now thats thinking outside the box!!

very cool idea icon_cool.gif icon_cool.gif
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Disco Frank
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 11, 2008 9:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

very outside teh box!

an custome intercooler may provide better cooling and looks thatn your DIY job

but damn good s**t!
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jdspread
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PostPosted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 12:45 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Not exactly worried about the "looks", LOL. Heck it is basicly free fuel.

An intercooler should work, but the fin tube was free for the hauling. It has a ton of surface area and was used in an old school house for a steam heat exchange system.

If a person is conserend about looks, I have seen some nice units built on a trailer bed with the cooling completely intergrated into the side rails of the trailer.
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NAfairlane...
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PostPosted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 1:31 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thats back to the future looking stuff right there lol.

Congrats on thinking outside the square.
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jdspread
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 15, 2008 1:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I recieved my definiton file for my EEC today. Paul Booth wrote me a defintion file for my speed density computer. That Guy rocks.....
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jdspread
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PostPosted: Wed May 07, 2008 5:17 am    Post subject: Hybrid mode works pretty decent Reply with quote

I have spent a fair amount of time messing with my trucks EEC, my truck now runs very well in a hybrid mode. I reprogamed the fuel injection tables to meter in gasoline in a hybrid mode. This allows for better acceleration. I use an air/fuel ratio meter to adjust the woodgas choke to achive the proper mix of gasoline/woodgas/air. I am estimating my miles per gallon at around 85, in hybrid mode. But the reality is, I actualy achive much higher MPG because I rarly run in hybrid 100% of the time. When I reach my crusing speed, I close the woodgas choke more and turn off the fuel injectors. Woodgas holds my the reached speed pretty well.

Jonathan
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Disco Frank
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PostPosted: Wed May 07, 2008 8:39 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

haha thats cool as man icon_smile.gif

how did u go about turning off the injectors?
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jdspread
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PostPosted: Thu May 08, 2008 1:35 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Actualy that was the easy part. I just shut the power off to the electric fuel pump using a togle switch on the dash. I also wired a molmentarty switch to my stick gear shift so I can click them on at any molment. Works pretty sweet.

They disable the fuel pump on my truck this way when they do a propane/gasoline dual fuel set up.

Jonathan

How is the price of gasoline (petrol) on your side of the pond
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FairmontXR6
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PostPosted: Thu May 08, 2008 4:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Our unleaded is about $1.45/ltr, premium unleaded fuels are about $1.58 per Litre (not gallons, otherwise quite cheap lol) and diesel is about $1.60/ltr in Brisbane, Queensland.

Did you have any problem with getting your truck registered. I know if someone did that in Australia, the goverment would be quick to shut it down "dangerous fuels" or something like that. (They don't get the tax from the fuel so they would think of something to defect the vechicle)

BUT, Congrats on the woodgas system!!! icon_biggrin.gif
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jdspread
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PostPosted: Thu May 08, 2008 7:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

FairmontXR6 wrote:
Our unleaded is about $1.45/ltr, premium unleaded fuels are about $1.58 per Litre (not gallons, otherwise quite cheap lol) and diesel is about $1.60/ltr in Brisbane, Queensland.


A little more expensive than here $3.45 a gallon ($0.91 a liter)


FairmontXR6 wrote:

Did you have any problem with getting your truck registered. I know if someone did that in Australia, the goverment would be quick to shut it down "dangerous fuels" or something like that. (They don't get the tax from the fuel so they would think of something to defect the vechicle)


Woodgas isn't a dangerous fuel they would have a difficult time establishing that. The precedent for woodgas as an alternative fuel was set during WWII. In fact even in a wreck woodgas is far safer than a gasoline tank or a compressed flammable gas. I don't think many governments want to be on the side of opposing green alternative fuels either.

Actually each state has it own laws regarding fuel tax and how it is collected. In my state as long as the vehicle is not solely powered by a non-taxed fuel a separate registration is not required. I am not opposed to paying my fair share of taxes on fuel. So if and when they decide to change the laws in my state I would be happy to comply, but honestly so few people are running on wood it would not be worth the legislature’s time to pass a law for the only guy in the state running on wood.

Indecently Australia has several woodgas people; I have read several articles about them. One couple made a trip all the way across Australia on wood in their motor home. I will see if I can find their webpage again sometime. I also have a member of my woodgas group that is working on a woodgas rig in Australia right now; he is dealing with the registration problem right now. They have provided him with a way to begin the process of registering the vehicle


FairmontXR6 wrote:


BUT, Congrats on the woodgas system!!! icon_biggrin.gif


Thanks
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FairmontXR6
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PostPosted: Fri May 09, 2008 4:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

You should start up a woodgas conversion business icon_biggrin.gif

Thanks for the info, and I wish the guy in Australia good luck with his woodgas system.
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jdspread
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PostPosted: Sun May 11, 2008 7:11 am    Post subject: The link Reply with quote

here is the link to the couple who drove across the outback on wood

http://highforest.tripod.com/woodgas/woodfired.html

jonathan
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