LEAF Generator (a rugged wood/biomass gasifier for sale)

http://www.leafgenerator.com/

I just recently became aware of this option. It seems to be a traditional Imbert design. It looks rugged and well made.

NOTE: The purpose of this post is to to make people aware of another gasifier available on the market. That is all.

$4500 without the generator ?
I'm currently mid build with one of these , they were incredibly popular during WW2 as seen here , there is a lot of info up on youtube about them, There is a downloadable "FEMA" plan do build them to the scale you need Here if your a buildy kind of person you could knock one up in a weekend if you have all the gear already, A lot can be sourced like i have from wreaking yards .... these are not only able to power cars and generators , but can be used in water/space heating and cooking also .... they are a great alternative power source , and can be used when temps are low unlike bio-gas digesters ... and i think they sit in the realm of "Carbon neutral" as far as pollution goes.... most of the fire boxes are like a rocketstove in the fact they burn efficiently, but instead of completely burning waste gas in the original firebox , those gasses are burnt in a secondary system (motor / gasholder) ....
if you scource the materials and build one yourself , costs could be as little as $1-200... imagination is your only limitation

David Williams wrote:$4500 without the generator ?
I'm currently mid build with one of these , they were incredibly popular during WW2 as seen here , there is a lot of info up on youtube about them, There is a downloadable "FEMA" plan do build them to the scale you need Here if your a buildy kind of person you could knock one up in a weekend if you have all the gear already, A lot can be sourced like i have from wreaking yards .... these are not only able to power cars and generators , but can be used in water/space heating and cooking also .... they are a great alternative power source , and can be used when temps are low unlike bio-gas digesters ... and i think they sit in the realm of "Carbon neutral" as far as pollution goes.... most of the fire boxes are like a rocketstove in the fact they burn efficiently, but instead of completely burning waste gas in the original firebox , those gasses are burnt in a secondary system (motor / gasholder) ....
if you scource the materials and build one yourself , costs could be as little as $1-200... imagination is your only limitation

Note that a FEMA will not support regular use on a generator without extensive engine maintenance. If anyone desires a gasifier for regular use, then an Imbert is required. Making a combustible wood gas is easy. Making a clean combustible wood gas is difficult.

I consider $4500 to be reasonable under the conditions of (1) regular use of the unit is intended, and (2) the unit is extremely well made so as to last a very long time under regular use. Still, at $4500 the unit damn well better be well made. There are other gasifiers of Imbert design that are more reasonably priced. Examples include the Vulcan units and the Garringer units. This LEAF unit appears to be better made than these others.

Completely understand your perspective , $4500 is a decent cost for a fuel conversion for a long term on a house or a $100k+ truck for eg , And yes agreed the FEMA plans are for emergency use , The one i am creating is more sturdy and has some design elements changed , especially on the gas filter side of things, the uses I intend are to run a small generator for 6-8 hour days powering a small 2-4 kva genset for working out in the field , maybe 2 days a week, in all i think it's horses for courses and having something built by a reputable company making a good product does warrant the money.... That being said i do feel this is a niche not talked about enough considering the scale of debates around Bio-gas, Bio-diesel , alcohol fuels ect.. and "entry level" into this is low cost , high efficiency device warrants more discussion
Peace and Love Dave oxoxoxox

I highly recommend the gasifier videos that Engineer775 has on Youtube.

E. Little : Thanks for putting together this set of videos and posting it here ! BigAL !

Has anyone watched Mr. Teslonians wood gasifier? what do you guys thing about his?

Jennifer C/D : Everything you are see in his Videos is possible and repeatable, The fact that I have taken a negative stance towards You-Tube videos notwithstanding,

several more thousands of dollars would have to be spent to create your own personal Cracking Tower to Reliably produce a product that is always safe for the equipment
use he is showing you !

How much would it cost you to replace your present personal vehicle, do you know if a 'stuck valve' would lead to piston damage?, are all the fluids produced compatible with
the gasoline handling hoses on your vehicle?

I would like it very much if he were to come to these forum /threads to talk with Us ! Big AL !

Hey Al,

I've watched a couple of his videos. I don't know him at all but that's a good idea. Maybe I'll message him on youtube and see if he'd be willing to come on the forum.

I'm pretty new to all this gasification stuff and most of what I know about it I learned either on this forum, or via external resources posted here. I came across this the other day as I fell down the youtube gasification rabbit hole and have found it to be incredibly informative, more so than most video resources in terms of explaining exactly what is going on in the gasification process as it pertains to creating clean gas to burn in internal combustion engines.

Although these videos describe a particular product (the All power labs GEK) in various iterations it gives good scientific background and practical breakdown of whats really going on in there. I've found it very interesting and its really clarified the entire subject for me. 3 hours of time well spent IMHO.


Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Yeah, Jim Mason does a great job at explaining the subtleties of the process. His lectures helped me. I now consider it more simply. I've found it useful to consider a wood gasifier as a charcoal gasifier that combusts pyrolysis gas and processes what gas cannot be combusted. I see the main job as to combust as much as possible the tar vapors released by the biomass, then crack the rest with the high temperature charcoal that remains. It's high temperature heat that is required, so a solution can be had in insulation and air preheating (get as much heat to the hearth as possible, and keep it from leaving before it does the job of generating fuel gas - this will ensure the charcoal is very hot so it can take care of the tar vapors not combusted). Use fuel of the proper size to ensure good combustion of tar vapors (too small can prevent mixing of air for combustion and cause channeling of tar vapors through the fuel mass, but not too large to prevent bridging), and use fuel as dry as possible (additional water drops temperature). Wood is the most practical fuel in the vast majority of settings, so I assume wood fuel here.

I like the extensive air preheating done by the APL unit.

Now I have been watching this for quite a while and am at about 35 minutes into video 1. Now he is saying with charcoal it is possible to break carbon dioxide and water(vapor?) into hydrogen and carbon monoxide. I am wondering is this because of just pure heat or because it is combining with the carbon being released during the combustion of the charcoal? I assume it has to do with the carbon molecules, but would it not also theoretically be possible from high heat?
Thanks

I am afraid that the LEAF gasifier is no longer available.  Too bad, it was a really unique idea.  A tad expensive, but what a great way to generate emergency electricity in a pinch.

Eric