FAQ
Popular Questions
Q:
Do you sell plans?
A:
Plans are available for some of the applications. We do not sell plans for the reactor. Our design represents over 2 years and $250,000 worth of prototyping and research to date. Through hard work and sacrifice we have earned our place as the premier small scale manufacturer of biomass energy systems. Our reactor platform is aggressively priced, in fact we subsidized a large part of the cost to make it affordable for you.
Long ago we started out with “free plans” and experience shows that they are a waste of time. Quality always cost less over time. You will spend much less starting with our stainless steel reactor. No one makes it better. Where you can put your fabrication skills to work is by building your own hopper, filter and other applications for the Victory Gasifier. If you are on a tight budget, consider getting some friends together for a group build.
Q:
Can I gasify anything?
A:
Virtually any biomass type can be gasified, but to get engine grade gas the downdraft gasifier requires dry uniformly sized fuels. These include thick chips, sturdy pellets, chunks, shells, pits, etc. Lower grade biomass can be gasified to a lesser grade gas that is ideal for combustion and heat. Another path to consider is turning your biomass into biochar.
General Questions
Q:
What is gasification & how does it work?
A:
Gasification is basically using heat to thermally decompose carbonaceous materials like wood and plants. Plants take in sunlight, water and carbon dioxide and develop complex chains of sugars, starches, cellulose, hemi-cellulose and lignin to build themselves. Plants are living hydrocarbons. Natures perfect solar collector. The process of gasification rapidly decomposes plants or “biomass” as we call it. Once decomposed into raw gases, they are reformed further into simple gases like hydrogen, carbon monoxide, methane and inert gases like nitrogen and carbon dioxide. This mixture of gases has several names including: producer gas, syngas, towngas, and woodgas. These gases can be used to power engines and electric generators.
Q:
What are the benefits and drawbacks of gasification?
A:
Gasification lets you turn locally available biomass into energy. Its there for you right now, not across an ocean, under a dictator. Biomass is a battery for solar energy and a gasifier lets you tap into that energy whenever you want. Gasifiers are portable and produce large amounts of power. Gasification is the only technology that has successfully replaced oil in a petroleum crisis during WWII. If the world ended tomorrow, you could keep you lights on and even power your car (that’s another thing altogether. Not convenient, but possible)
Portable, scalable energy from your local area has it’s price though. Work! Learning! Skill! Did we lose you? 90% of the other people reading this just left. That’s O.K, now its just us gamers. Gasifiers like wood in specific sizes and moisture contents and you will need to make it or buy it. Operating a gasifier is like driving a car. Its a mystery at first, but once you have it figured out, it’s a piece of cake. Once you understand the process you just need to practice it and VIOLA! You are making energy from wood and biomass.
This isn’t for people that want to sleepwalk through their push-button life. Though we have made this pretty damn easy once you get the hang of it. It’s worth a little effort. The first time you run and engine on wood your life will change. For the first time in your life you will be free.
Q:
How can I learn more?
A:
VictoryGasworks.com is the largest interactive social network for gasification and it’s chalked full of resources and videos along with the resources you will find here.
Purchasing Questions
Q:
How much is shipping? How many boxes are there?
A:
Shipping rates vary based on what you purchase and where you are in the world.
Q:
How much is it?
A:
To get the price go to http://victorygasifier.com/buy-now/
Q:
Do you sell a turn key system?
A:
Due to engine weight and freight costs, we don’t offer a turn key system. But there are user groups where you can get help putting your system to use with an engine.
Fuel Questions
Q:
What fuel (wood, biomass) is best to run?
A:
It depends on what is local to your area. Most woods work well. Some don’t. We offer a fuel testing service to take the guess work out. Just send us a box of chunked or chipped fuel. In our area we like to use Douglas Fir and Pine. Cherry pits, peach pits, and nut shells are great fuel from agricultural waste. Moisture is a consideration. Use dry wood (under 20% moisture) and sift out any fines.
Q:
How long will the unit run on a load of fuel?
A:
Run time depends on the (engine) load and density of the biomass. A good estimating point is 2.5 lbs per kwh.
Q:
I want to run (insert crazy fuel) Will it do that?
A:
Dunno. We offer a fuel testing service, so you can find out. Send a box of fuel and a deposit and we will run it through the gasifier.
Q:
Will it run garbage and yard debris?
A:
Once you are a seasoned operator you can mix in small amounts of household waste including: junk mail, egg cartons, cardboard, shells, etc. There is an art to it and don’t expect to combine more than say 15% garbage. It is very satisfying to turn junk mail into energy.
Yard debris is a generic term, but chunked and screened branches will work well. Leaves and grass could be pelletized. Play around and see what happens.
Technical Questions
Q:
What size engine does the Victory Gasifier run?
A:
With our blower providing the suction you can run virtually any small engine up to about 30 hp. That is one of the major improvements of the Victory Gasifier.
Q:
What is the energy content of the gas compared to propane?
A:
Producer gas gives about 50-75% of the power of propane and has a 1:1 mixing ratio with air. Factor that in when you are sizing your genset. Buy twice as many kilowatts capacity as you need.
Q:
Can I run the gasifier 12 hours a day or more? 24/7?
A:
It depends on your fuel quality and your filter maintenance. Automated feeding works great until a stray 6″ long chip causes a glitch. This is solved by uniform fuels like briquettes or pellet plugs. Filter service is usually on an 8 hour cycle. Automated back pulsed baghouse filters are an option for continuous filtering, but they are much more expensive.
Q:
Can I run a diesel engine?
A:
Yes, you can run a diesel, but you will need to dual fuel with at least 20% diesel for ignition to take place. This will require making modifications to the governor. Alternately you could add spark plugs.
Q:
Can I hook up a couple of your gasifiers and make a megawatt of power?
A:
No this is a residential sized unit. A megawatt is a very large amount of power. We suggest starting small and understanding the process before you invest alot of time and money trying to do something on a power company scale. Before you can make a megawatt of energy you need a way to process a huge amount of biomass into a shape and moisture content that your gasifier will like.
Q:
Can I store the gas?
A:
Its best to use it as its created, but people have compressed and stored it over short periods of time. Flammable gas under pressure is dangerous so we aren’t going to recommend it. In the old days they used to use gas storage membranes (think balloon or bladder) and that worked well and was under very little pressure. You can buy 500 cubic feet of storage for about $2000.
Q:
Can I run the gas in my propane appliances?
A:
You might try experimenting with it, but it’s not our focus. We are making motor grade fuels for electricity and work. Beware, don’t ever pump the gas into your home. The gas contains carbon monoxide which is a great fuel that burns cleanly, but is deadly if overexposed to.
Business Related Questions
Q:
Can I make money by net metering?
A:
Net metering varies by area, as do electric rates. We feel gasification has a bright future as part of a people powered grid. Some simple math will tell you that at $0.05 per kwh X 12kw X 8 hours a day = $4.80 Probably shouldn’t retire just yet. Maybe that internet thing will take off. You might try that.
Net metering is a great way to store energy if you are connected to the grid. The grid can take a large amount of energy, whereas batteries can only charge so fast.
Q:
Are you looking for sales distributors?
A:
No, not at this time. We’re more interested in working with developers that understand the technology and can offer tech support. Many people that contact us about becoming a distributor have no knowledge of gasification and no desire to learn. There is a huge potential in this market, but alas there is no “easy money” or “fast buck”. If you just want to sell units, consider joining a user group or starting one and then find a developer that wants to partner with you.
Q:
Can I license and manufacture the Victory Gasifier in my own country?
A:
Q:
Do you build custom gasifiers?
A:
We have and we can if you have enough lead time and a custom budget. Our kits are a great value because we are diffusing the costs over hundreds of units. Custom work usually requires some trial and error as well as testing to get it right and tight. We prefer to work with customers that have hands on experience, so that they understand the challenges that face a custom builder. Otherwise people approach gasification like they are ordering from a menu and not every dish goes well with the rest. Please have very clear goals.
Environmental Questions
Q:
Is gasification good for the environment? You are murdering trees you evil bastards.
A:
Gasification is the the only renewable energy source that keeps natures processes in place. A solar panel doesn’t purify the air, but a tree does. A wind turbine doesn’t clean the water, but switchgrass does. A hydro project doesn’t feed you fresh food, but a cherry tree does before turning the pits into energy.
As to murdering trees; much of the fuel used is waste from fallen trees, branches, beetle kill, etc. When you use gasification you complete the cycle. Trees are usually way too valuable to take down for fuel. It doesn’t make financial sense. In the future we hope to see fast growing tree crops developed as a resource much the way pulp wood is. And when that happens you can say what you will, but we will shout right back “You are killing sprouts, you tofu eating bastards.” Then we can all have a good laugh and set up your new gasifier power system.
Q:
Does your unit produce biochar?
A:
Yes, biochar is a beneficial byproduct. Its a small amount, good for your garden. With a biochar attachment you can make alot of biochar.
Q:
What is the carbon footprint?
A:
At face value making energy from biomass is carbon neutral. When you take into account the biochar that is sequestered as well as the carbon that is sequestered in the biomass’ root system you quickly see that it is carbon negative.
Q:
Are there any emissions or byproducts?
A:
There is some smoke during the first few minutes of start-up. Once motor quality gas is being made, then its used in the engine where it actually lowers emissions. Byproducts include biochar (good), ash (good), and the possibility of some tars (not so good) that we recycle into the fuel process. Our units are sold in kits to keep the price down and have not been emissions tested for your area.
