Clean Burning Gasifier to Produce Tar-Free Gas for Internal Combustion Engines

Dependence on petroleum fuels represents a substantial portion of logistic burdens on a forward force. One possible remedy is the utilization of fuel sources available in the forward theatre. General wastes of deployment, such as plastic packaging, food scrap materials and paper are feedstocks having high fuel potential. Experimental studies carried out in the Phase I program by Infoscitex Corporation and the Biomass Energy Foundation with a novel pressurized down draft gasifier demonstrated on a laboratory scale the feasibility of gasifying fuel pellets and generating tar free producer gas suitable for driving electric generators. Actual Army waste feed stock was pelletized and fed into the gasifier. The objective of the proposed Phase II program is to demonstrate an engineering prototype of this unique gasifier coupled to a suitable diesel powered electric generator. Field testing of the prototype system will take place at an Army facility. The principal technical challenge in the Phase II program is to develop an automated computer based feedback control system to ensure safe and efficient operation of the gasifier after start up to meet the varying feedstock conditions that will occur in the field.