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Date:         Thu, 21 Jan 2010 18:21:55 -0600
Reply-To:     Jim Felder <jim.felder@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Jim Felder <jim.felder@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Is Wood/Gas Possible for For Vanagons
Comments: To: Arkady Mirvis <arkadymirvis@gmail.com>
In-Reply-To:  <34C908FF58D847548D5501EA639DC96A@Guenther>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

Wait a minute, Arkady. That Europeans ran their cars on wood gas after the war is well documented. Granted that getting around the backwoods in postwar sweden is a lot different from merging with 300 HP SUVs on the interstate. The guy who John sent the link for also pointed out the limitations of wood gas power, and did it pretty honestly in my opinion. Not sure the article deserves the damnation you give it. What is the problem with it, besides the obvious fact that if it were any kind of alternative we would cut down every tree in the country in three years or so?

Jim

On Thu, Jan 21, 2010 at 4:45 PM, Arkady Mirvis <arkadymirvis@gmail.com> wrote: > I had a great time reading posted by John Rodgers. The fellow is definitely > in a wrong place. The post is a soup-mix of fantasy, imagination, stupidity > and lies. Not even a single proof - all written not on Friday.  We better > limit our posts to something technical, to practice of proper driving. At > least something to learn. > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Jim Felder" <jim.felder@GMAIL.COM> > To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM> > Sent: Thursday, January 21, 2010 2:11 AM > Subject: Re: Is Wood/Gas Possible for For Vanagons > > > I have a booklet somewhere or another that describes such apparatus on > a trailer to be towed behind the wood-gas powered vehicle. I will make > a pdf of it if there is interest and time. > > Jim > > On Wed, Jan 20, 2010 at 7:55 PM, Zolly <zolo@foxinternet.net> wrote: >> >> I remember folks telling me that after the war, and maybe even during, the >> buses were equipped with a wood burning thing that produced wood gas. So, >> the municipality buses were driven by such way in Germany and other >> countries. It did last for awhile. >> Zoltan >> >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: "Dave Mcneely" <mcneely4@COX.NET> >> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM> >> Sent: Wednesday, January 20, 2010 5:15 PM >> Subject: Re: Is Wood/Gas Possible for For Vanagons >> >> >>> On the other hand, one can produce a kind of gasoline by destructive >>> distillation of biomass, initiating with very high temps, in a backyard >>> contraption. The stuff does work. I'll do some googling around and >>> probably find info online. David Mc >>> >>> >>> On Wed, Jan 20, 2010 at 5:48 PM, David Beierl wrote: >>> >>>> At 11:23 AM 1/20/2010, John Rodgers wrote: >>>>> >>>>> adaptable to my van. Then I stumbled across this. Pretty interesting >>>>> stuff. >>>> >>>> Of course it's possible. But I promise you wouldn't like it. With >>>> the existing engine I sincerely doubt that a Vanagon could get up to >>>> the minimum speed (45 mph) to run on highways, although if you filled >>>> the entire interior with wood pellets and a stoking mechanism you >>>> could probably get decent range. >>>> >>>> Producer gas is 20-30% carbon monoxide which is ninety-five times >>>> more attractive to hemoglobin than oxygen is; small concentrations >>>> will sneak up and kill you because the oxygen can't compete, and high >>>> concentrations IIRC cause abrupt and total respiratory failure. Your >>>> relatives will have the consolation that your corpse will be a nice >>>> healthy pink, since carboxyhemoglobin is a much brighter red than >>>> oxyhemoglobin -- that's one of the diagnostic signs, in >>>> fact. Producer gas (made from coal, normally) used to be used as >>>> city gas, which is why suicide by oven was in favor at the time -- >>>> quick, quiet, reliable, not too painful. It's rumored that in some >>>> Eastern European countries under Communism, the police would turn off >>>> the gas to an entire street before they made their raid, so you can >>>> imagine how fast the stuff must have acted. >>>> >>>> Until our cities are bombed out and/or some other terrific disaster >>>> strikes and we have to suddenly convert an existing fleet of >>>> IC-engine vehicles to direct-biomass fuel without replacing the >>>> engines, I officially suggest that using producer gas for vehicles is >>>> a Friday subject. >>>> >>>> The Stanley Steamer OTOH had a very nice flash boiler and I believe >>>> it could get up steam in about a minute from a standing start (using >>>> liquid fuel presumably). Twenty-five years ago or so Saab was >>>> thinking about a steam-powered vehicle and I believe they followed at >>>> least somewhat along the lines of the Stanley. I suggest not >>>> considering steam turbines -- they are extremely successful in large >>>> ships, but had an utterly disastrous history in railroads because of >>>> vibration and shock. >>>> >>>> Yours, >>>> David >>>> [/hat] >> >> >> >> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- >> >> >> >> No virus found in this incoming message. >> Checked by AVG - www.avg.com >> Version: 8.5.432 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/2634 - Release Date: 01/20/10 >> 09:12:00 >> > >


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