Wood Fired Steam Powered Electricity?

[weimedog]

Any products out there that are economically viable to product electricity from a wood fired boiler? You would think with the increase in cost of energy there would be products getting cost effective...leme see..

I spend a minimum of $200.00 per month...$2400.00 per year, in grid supplied electricity. Times three....(For three year ROI) $7400 bucks to invest into a replacement for getting off the grid assuming at least a 12 year life span... Also alternative energy related tax breaks or incentives...any one build a business model yet? Would love to find a way to turn all that wood into electricity and have yet another reason to invest in saws..

(I understand there will be NO gov incentives for wood fired ANY thing because they haven't yet figured out how to TAX wood at the same levels they can tax the entire Oil producing infrastructure. They typically will do some twisted licensing scheme based on emission or some crap like that...a more devious way to get public behind taxing wood lot owners using their resources.)

 

[Somesawguy]

What are you using that much electricity on?

You might do better to split things between direct heating using wood for heat and hot water, and electricity from solar panels.

 

[mga]

about two years ago we had a discussion here about such a product. it was a wood burner to supply heat and was also a generator to supply electricity.

a couple unfortunate things:

1. i can't remember the name of it.

2. i doubt that thread exists any more.

3. when i inquired about it, it was available only in the UK and europe.

 

[Axe Man]

A few weeks ago on TV there was a show about survivalists. One group ( two families ) had a truck and power generator that ran on wood gasification.
A couple of days after that there was another show that gave details on how to build a truck that used a wood gasification system. On the show they said that during the second world war in Sweden gas and oil were so scarse that most farm trucks and tractors were powered this way but since then gas has been so cheap the technology has been forgoten. Try googling wood gasification.....Good Luck!

 

[Patrick62]

No reason it could not be done....

... however brace yourself for fairly low efficiency. automating the fuel could be tricky, do you want to live next to a bomb? Boilers have a history of exploding if things don't go as planned. The problem with wood gasification and running a engine is that the fuel is highly corrosive and has to be filtered a bunch, some reduction in power, constant adjusting between gas and air in relation to throttle position. You need to keep tending the firebox.

My humble recommendation is to reduce your consumption. If you want to try alternative energy, get some good batteries, a modest windmill, add some solar. Get a nice DC inverter. Go have some fun watching the TV for free!!!!

-Pat

 

[LipDawg]

Another problem with small scale generation using a steam turbine is keeping your boiler water chemistry under control.

 

[Ayatollah]

Another problem with small scale generation using a steam turbine is keeping your boiler water chemistry under control.

Why would it have to be turbine? Steam turbines are problematic for the small independent user, but a piston type steam engine can generate elctricity today, as well as it could back in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Yes, you have to feed the hopper, but we do that with our fireplaces now. Steam boilers are not inherently dangerous. Poorly engineered one are though. That's one area of steam power you don't want to skimp on, but buying a tried and true one from a reputable manufacturer and mainatining it will keep you safe.

I'm glad this topic surfaced, because I've been thinking about using wood to fire a steam engine for a couple of projects. Lacking funding at this point, but where there's a will, there's usually a way

 

[woodguy105]

If you can run a car on wood fuel(gasification) you should be able to generate electricity.

 

[saxman]

This is an interesting idea, one that I have mulled myself having once ran large steam boilers in a state hospital. Where to begin, well first a ASME certified boiler(not cheap) and in most states they have to be inspected each year and the inspection papers on display. Then to find a turbine/generator combination of the correct size for the boiler and output desired. The reason to use a turbine is they will spin closer to the speed needed for the generator. The old reciprocating steam engines were usually compounded and required large flywheels and huge masonary foundations and required special couplings or special generators. Then you will need feedwater pumps, feedwater heaters, the ability to do chemical analysis on the feedwater and the proper chemicals to add to the feedwater and all the steam piping to hook it all up. In other words it is a neat idea and I am glad you are thinking about this but I don't think it would be economically feasible to do.

Steve

 

[robsco]

Google stirling engine. They run on heat.

 

[Guido Salvage]

This Studebaker steam powered truck was sitting in a junkyard in Utah several years ago. My understanding is the land may have been condemned for development and the truck and cars crushed.

 

[Dustyw]

I'm in the process of building a generator with a 18 horse engine. Next I will start my wood gasifier to run the engine on the generator. Free electricity. If that all goes well, I would love to see my log splitter running on wood gas. Next, maybe a truck. I'm getting to far ahead of myself, one thing at a time.

 

[kentuckydiesel]

I have done a great deal of research on this. Gassification has been done, but never really perfected...too many variables in fuel source. Steam on the other hand, has been used for hundreds of years and works very well.

As far as piston engines vs turbines....turbines are more efficient on a large scale, but under a certain level of power output, a piston engine is more efficient. Anything a homeowner would use would be piston engine unless they just wanted a turbine to be "cool". Also, toward the end of the steam age in trains, there were many developments in technology that actually put the operating costs below that of today's locomotives considering the price of diesel.

-Phillip

 

[dodgeram]

I've been thinking about this for a while. You need to get the water boiling for a steam piston, so if you were to pump water/heat from your outdoor wood boiler at 185, then you would only have to bring it up a little bit to get a piston going that would then turn the generator and create electricity. It can't be that difficult... if you had the steam motor.

 

[howellhandmade]

I saw a thread about this on the Practical Machinist forum. Guy back in the woods ran a machine shop on wood. Took a tremendous amount of wood.

 

[Guido Salvage]

I have worked on a number of steam engines over the years, from portable to stationary. The largest was a 150 HP Corliss with a 12' flywheel that we moved and reassembled that had to come out of the roof of a sawmill building. As had been mentioned, the boilers need to be inspected, whether you are using wood, coal or diesel for fuel.

There is also an art to stopping a large engine so you can get steam behind it in order to get it going again.

Some pictures of moving the Corliss:

 

[deutzman]

I have worked on a number of steam engines over the years, from portable to stationary. The largest was a 150 HP Corliss with a 12' flywheel that we moved and reassembled that had to come out of the roof of a sawmill building. As had been mentioned, the boilers need to be inspected, whether you are using wood, coal or diesel for fuel.

There is also an art to stopping a large engine so you can get steam behind it in order to get it going again.

Some pictures of moving the Corliss:

Looking at the pictures I gotta ask, is that the old Burris plant at Brookneal Va. ? A few years back they had a rather large boiler explosion at that plant. Took out a large structure when it went BOOM. It never started back up after that. It's now set up for scrap metal. Use to make oak hard wood flooring for over the road trailers.

 

[howellhandmade]

Also, if you're interested in this kind of stuff you have to know about Lindsay Publications:

Lindsay Publications Books Available

All kinds of cool stuff, quite a bit about steam.

 

[CTYank]

I have done a great deal of research on this. Gassification has been done, but never really perfected...too many variables in fuel source. Steam on the other hand, has been used for hundreds of years and works very well.

As far as piston engines vs turbines....turbines are more efficient on a large scale, but under a certain level of power output, a piston engine is more efficient. Anything a homeowner would use would be piston engine unless they just wanted a turbine to be "cool". Also, toward the end of the steam age in trains, there were many developments in technology that actually put the operating costs below that of today's locomotives considering the price of diesel.

-Phillip

Best you research some more. Check out "Carnot cycle" and how high and low temps determine limit of efficiency. Boils down to needing highest boiler pressure and superheat possible. Some electric stations run @ 3500 psi. for efficiency. Not something to DIY. (Think BOOM!)

You're dreaming about steam locomotive operating costs relative to diesel. Quite the opposite when you add up fuel, operating personnel (no MU), and maintenance expense. Waaaaay more expensive for steam. Who would want smoking, stinking steam engines in their city? Really!

Nobody would use steam for power if they had alternative handy using diesel or gas turbine. Eventually Stirlings will be in there. None go BOOM like steam boilers.

 

[kentuckydiesel]

Who would want smoking, stinking steam engines in their city? Really!

Nobody would use steam for power if they had alternative handy using diesel or gas turbine. Eventually Stirlings will be in there. None go BOOM like steam boilers.

Steam power isn't stinky. :msp_confused::msp_confused::msp_confused: Stink comes from what you choose to heat the steam with, not the steam itself...obviously you're over generalizing a bit.

-Phillip