Ready to learn how to operate a gasifier the right way from start to finish? Good, because I would love to show you. It’s not obvious and while the videos help, nothing replaces real hands on experience. Along with making you a competent operator I want to answer your most common question “How do I hook this thing up to an engine?”

So, yesterday I went and bought an old pickup truck for its V-8 engine and during the workshop we are going to do a basic setup that will allow you to make some DC power with a purring small block as well as adding a governor that will allow you to meter your speed at 1800 rpm for ac power.

This class is mainly tailored for Off Gridder buyers, but anyone can attend. The maximum room I have is for 10 people. This is the last workshop of 2009! Here is what you are going to learn:

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• How to properly cut and size your fuel. What to look for in pellet and chip quality.
• Drying methods.
• How to make charcoal.
• How to assemble the Off Gridder. Configuration options.
• Methods of suction- Ejectors, fans, engines.
• Safety first.
• Start-up procedure.
• First firing- breaking in the char bed.
• Using sight, touch, smell, sound to diagnose performance.
• Using basic testing equipment to confirm diagnosis.
• What to do when something goes wrong- Quick troubleshooting tips.
• Daily maintenance.
• Gasifier design basics- Why is it this way and not some other way.
• Hearth configurations.
• Grates & agitators.
• Setting up an engine to run on woodgas.
• Intakes, governors, air mix.
• What can a gasifier realistically do? What cant it do?
• Q&A- Whats on your mind? I won’t have every answer, but I won’t B.S. you either.
• And much more.

Off Gridder buyers get $500 off this intensive workshop. Or if you attend at regular price, you can get $500 off your future Off Gridder purchase.

As someone that has built every free plan and struggled to figure this out through trial and error I can say that even if you are a junk yard builder and don’t have a budget for an Off Gridder, this class will save you time and money and aggravation. Nothing beats having a mentor. If you are serious about having a power solution and you aren’t too lazy or philosophical to cut some wood cubes or thick chips, then this is THE class you must attend.

We will see some of you on October 24th! Can’t wait to meet you.

There is more than one way to make power from producer gas. While internal combustion engines are the most popular because they are the most cost effective and available, they are also the most sensitive to tars and particulates. Some of the money saved has to be reinvested into the filtration system.

But, with external combustion engines (ie steam) the fuel gases can be burned in a fairly raw state and used to power boilers or heat exchanges. That’s what makes the cyclone engine so promising.

Cyclone’s Green Revolution Engine represents true “thinking outside the box.” This is because it is not a new variation of the internal combustion engine, but rather, a highly advanced External Combustion Engine. Unlike IC engines, the Cyclone engine uses an external combustion chamber to heat a separate working fluid, de-ionized water, which expands to create mechanical energy by moving pistons or a turbine. Since the combustion is external to the mechanism, the Cyclone external combustion engine can run on any fuel, liquid or gaseous. Ethanol, diesel, gasoline, biomass: anything from municipal trash and agricultural waste to traditional fossil fuels can power the Green Revolution Engine – individually, or in combination. Initial tests of the engine used fuels derived from orange peels, palm oil, cottonseed oil, and chicken fat — none of which are impacted by cartels, hostile governments or dwindling reserves.

Here is a video from EngineeringTV.com that features the Cyclones inventor: