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A Producer Gas Scrubber and Generator Set for Developing Countries

Published by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, St. Joseph, Michigan www.asabe.org

Citation:  Applied Engineering in Agriculture. 5(3): 311-315. (doi: 10.13031/2013.26518) @1989
Authors:   Jonathan Chaplin, Joseph Sormana
Keywords:   Alternative energy, Biogas, Gasifier, Renewable energy

A small gasoline engine generator set was successfully fueled with producer gas. The gas was obtained from corncobs using a fluidized bed gasifier operating at 790C. The performance of the engine was measured by connecting various loads to the generator. The timing of the S.I. engine was advanced five degrees to account for the slower flame propagation time for producer gas. When running on producer gas the maximum power output was approximately 60% of that recorded while running the engine on gasoline. Maximum brake thermal efficiency for gasoline operation was 18% whereas 16% was the maximum for producer gas operation. The gas was passed through a sieve plate scrubber and a dry charcoal filter before use in the engine. The level of technology used in the design of the gas scrubber was such that it could be fabricated by blacksmiths in developing countries.

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