Kalle Gasifier
The Kalle Gasifier is a vintage design that used charcoal for it’s fuel source. This was the preferred method for fueling cars during WWII because it was lighter and required less cleanup systems than wood. Contrary to popular belief, charcoal still has some volitiles that need to be decomposed and the Kalle design addressed this with an innovative design. The Kalle design is also unique in that it used cyclone soot and carbon dioxide from the engine exhaust to increase fuel efficiency. Every bit of carbon was used to power the engine.
There is a great page on Kalle here, but here are a few points I would like you to notice when you read it:
1) The nozzle was made movable to knock the char around and get it to settle in front of the nozzle for faster start-ups.
2) Making the standard grate obsolete by exiting the gasses along the intake nozzle in an updraft manner. This evened out gas production by relieving pressure buildup at the grate. A rubber membrane moved the grate as pressure changed to keep flow steady.
3) How the design solved one set of problems, i.e. grate cleaning and created a new one; soot in the cyclone. This is often the case in gasifier design. Change one thing and you change everything.
I will be digging up some more historical designs during the lazy winter season. Let’s see what other gems are buried in the past.
