Contents: Part 1 Energy Making Money Saving the Planet

Section 1: Medium to Micro Hydro-power Hydro-Electric Power Generation How Much Untapped Hydro-power Is There? Water Head and Flow The Future of Hydroelectric Rainwater Runoff and Flood Control Hydrogen Fuel Improving the Water Wheel Environmental Effects Closing Remarks

Section 2: Oil and Gas Wood Gasification Wood Gasification Designs Plastics are Organic! A Practical Design Closing Remarks

Introduction

Lets be honest, environmental and energy problems need to be solved, but without a profit incentive, it will be a slow process. Money is the main driving force in a free market economy.

Making a profit and saving the environment can go hand in hand, this has been proved many times. In this small book I only focus on a couple of technologies that have been overlooked. I feel they can not only help with our energy and environmental problems, and still turn a profit for companies of any size and individuals.

Most of the technologies are free of any patents or royalties for anybody to use, simple to construct, and low maintenance. This is why I feel they can make a huge impact. So I hope that this little book will not only help with our energy and environmental problems, but help our economy as well.

Section 1: Medium to Micro Hydro-power This idea is based off a business plan I was developing, but the impact I can make is nothing to the impact a number of independent companies or individuals can accomplish. I hope others will take the basics I give here and put this into action around the country and the world. Our demand for energy continues to grow while supplies of natural oil and gas decline. Add to that the effects of burning and extracting fossil fuels on our planet, and it is clear that we need renewable energy sources now and in the future. We have made a lot of progress in the area of renewable energy sources, but none are capable of making a significant impact in the near future. We need something now that will make an impact and reduce our dependence on fossil fuels so that our dwindling supplies of oil will last for future generations. In the search for new technologies to solve our energy needs, we have developed tunnel vision and overlooked old technologies that with a new twist that can make a large contribution today, like waterpower.

Hydro-Electric Power Generation When most people think of hydroelectric power, they think of massive dams and the man made lakes that feed them. That is only one of the many ways to generate electricity from water and represents only the largest form of hydro-power generation. These huge dams also only represent a fraction of the total water energy than can be used. Huge dams cost a lot to construct and the dam and lakes behind them use a lot of land, but they generate vast amounts of electricity. Such dams are at the cutting edge of technology. As we go down in size from these huge dams, the best and most expensive equipment is not needed, and costs drop quickly. Hydroelectric sites are sorted into several size categories based on power output. I will give the size as determined in the United States, but the standards of other countries are fairly close to it, and will serve as a general guideline. Lets start at the smallest and work our way up the scale. Micro is the smallest size of hydroelectric power output. This is something that can be used on the smallest of streams. Unlike larger hydroelectric units, many dont require any modifications to a natural stream. They can be placed directly in the stream, no need to divert water and ruin the scenery. So they are the cheapest size to build or buy and install. The term Micro sounds like an insignificant amount of power, this would be a misconception. There is nothing micro about the amount of energy produced in Micro hydroelectric units. Micro hydroelectric is rated as producing up to 100 kilowatts per hour. To put this into perspective, 100 kilowatts per hour can run 10 homes in the United States, or a whole community with smaller energy requirements. Even the smallest 1-kilowatt system will knock a chunk off a households electric bill. My home uses about 4 kilowatts per hour, so it would knock 25% off my electric bill. Do it yourself 1 kilowatt systems have been built from scratch for nothing, or a few hundred dollars if you want to save time and labor. A professionally built 1-kilowatt system will cost about 1,000 to 3,000 dollars for a homeowner. If a location can produce 5 kilowatts or more, a landowner could sell the excess to the local energy grid while still supplying their home energy needs. Without a home to run, a 5-kilowatt or higher output would make a nice return over time on a small investment.

Hydroelectric is currently a much better investment than solar and wind for a couple of reasons. Because power can be generated directly into AC current, the transmission of electricity is better over distance. So the location where power is generated can be farther from the grid it sells to. Also fewer batteries may be needed or not needed at all with directly generated AC power. Batteries are a large cost of most home wind and solar systems. Batteries also require more maintenance. Hydro-power systems require very little maintenance. In most cases hydroelectric power is more dependable than solar and wind. Electricity is generated day and night, at a fairly consistent level as long as the water is flowing. This does limit the winter use of hydroelectric on small streams that freeze. Medium and smaller hydroelectric power is not a cure all, but it is a profitable alternative that deserves attention. Mini hydroelectric is the next size up and is above 100 kW and up to 1,000 kilowatts per hour. That is enough power for 10 to 100 homes, and is still considered Mini when compared to the big boys like Hoover Dam. The profits from a Mini hydroelectric plant over time are not Mini. Small hydroelectric is above 1,000 kW and up to 30 Megawatts. Medium hydroelectric is anything above 30 MW in the USA but usually less than 1000 MW. Now we are talking a decent income, and the start up costs may not be as high as you would think. So there is a wide range in the sizes of hydroelectric sites. There is also a wide range in designs. Turbines power the generators in many designs, from Huge dams to small 1 kilowatt home system. Turbines are over 90% efficient at converting water to power. Turbines are divided into two basic types. Reaction turbines are submersed in the water, like the propeller on a boat only working in reverse. Water flow past the propeller blades spinning them. Impulse turbine designs have one or more highspeed jets of water directed at the rim of the turbine to maximize the force, like a water wheel on steroids. Water wheels, like those seen in old mills are not as efficient as turbines, but that does not mean they should be ignored. Residents may object to a modern looking concrete hydroelectric plant, whereas a rustic looking Mill with a water wheel would not draw objections. Such a Mill is still a modern hydro power plant on the inside generating power for the community. Like turbines, water wheels can be very small, but very large ones are also seen. Most water wheels are standing vertically. If the water flows in at the top of the

wheel it is termed an Overshot or Back-shot wheel. If the water flows under the hub of the wheel it is an Undershot or Breast-shot water wheel. A water wheel can also be mounted horizontally. The stream or a jet of water is directed to the paddles of the wheel. Such water wheels were mounted under the floor of mills, and are therefore not remembered from old paintings and such. This water wheel has a lot in common with turbines. How the water gets to the turbine or wheel is a major design factor. Dams have a large reservoir of water behind them to power the turbines. Even old mills often had a pond behind them feeding water to the wheel. This has some advantages. The flow of water is more consistent over time, and so is the flow of electricity. But a reservoir of water is not a necessity.

How Much Untapped Hydro-power Is There? It is a common misconception that 70% of the worlds hydroelectric power has been tapped already. That common statement is not complete enough to be correct. 70% of the worlds large dam locations have already been used would be more correct. Yet large dams only represent the largest form of hydroelectric power. Thanks to advances in technology smaller scale hydroelectric is economically viable. The next two sizes down, medium and small hydroelectric still produce large amounts of electric power. We need to examine how many potential sites of this size there are. The United States Department of Energy has estimated that 50,000 existing agricultural, recreational, and municipal water supply reservoirs could be economically equipped with hydroelectric generating facilities in this country. The key word here is economically. The largest and most expensive part, the reservoir of water, has already been built. In many of these locations all that is needed is to install a turbine and generator into the existing water lines. Here is an opportunity for some enterprising small businesses to evaluate and install hydroelectric generating systems in this ready-made and untapped market. These 50,000 existing agricultural, recreational, and municipal water supply reservoirs mentioned by the Department of Energy are easy to locate in your area. Most states have an interactive map for resources within the state. With technology and satellite imagery as good as it is today, one can zoom right in for all the detail you need on a particular area. Even details like the location of water outflow for sewage treatment plants can be found easily. 50,000 hydroelectric plants can make a decent impact on our energy needs, but this is only a drop in the bucket, excuse the pun, compared to the total amount of

waterpower untapped in this country. This is just the potential in the United States discussed here. The potential for small-scale hydroelectric power is vast. Much of this power is in underdeveloped and/or overpopulated regions that sorely need the benefits electrical power brings. These 50,000 reservoirs mentioned dont include the large number of smaller private lakes and ponds that can be converted to generating electricity economically. Sewage treatment plants can also generate power economically. Every sewage treatment plant has an out flow where clean water is ejected, and inflow from elevated water supplies that have potential energy. Many of these outflow and inflow pipes can have a turbines and generators added to generate electricity from this flow of water. 50,000 hydroelectric sites ready to go is a lot wasted energy we could be using. Because these types of sites identified by the Department of Energy require only a small investment for their energy output, they are a financially sound investment. In addition to these potential sites there are a number of old hydroelectric sites abandoned decades ago when electric power was cheap and abundant. Old mill sites from the days before electricity was common also dot the country. Both of these types of old hydro-power sites can be refurbished to produce energy again. The locations mentioned above are decent sized, medium to small hydroelectric sites that can make a significant impact on our energy needs. Old water mills often have a water reservoir, increasing their efficiency for energy generation. Just a rough guess on my part, based on my research in my home state, gives about 250,000 potential, medium too small hydroelectric plant locations in the United States. More power than several Hoover dams put together. The number of mini and micro power sites with flowing water is staggering, and I have not even tried to calculate it. At the smaller end of hydro-power reservoirs and ponds are often not needed, wanted or even impractical. Many landowners want to preserve the natural beauty of a stream on their land. This can be done while still generating some power. Part of the water in a stream can be diverted into a pipe, which can then be camouflaged or buried. After the water is used to generate power, the water is returned to the stream. Small turbines or waterwheels can be placed directly in the stream. Either way, there are several factors to consider. Water Head and Flow The two most important considerations on the type of turbine or wheel used, the

first is called Flow, and the other term is Head. Understanding these terms will let you determine how much electricity a location could generate. Head is how far the water falls before being used to generate energy. The farther water falls the more potential energy it has thanks to gravity. With current technology you can buy turbines and wheels that work off a drop as small as two feet, though more is better. I have seen home built systems that work on as little as six inches of head, but the amount of power generated is very small unless the Flow is high. Flow is a measure of how much water is passing through a given location over time. The greater the amount of water in a fast flowing stream, the greater is the amount of power it can generate. Only 2 gallons of water flow per minute will power a small commercial turbine. If you have a drop of 2 feet and/or a flow of 2 gallons per minute of running water, you might want to consider Micro Hydro system. This is not a large amount of water or much of a drop in height. Even a tiny stream falling 25 feet has a lot of energy in it, as does a very fast flowing stream. Of course in real life most streams have both head and flow to consider. A Pelton turbine works best with a small amount of water, under a lot of pressure from a high head. A Cross-flow turbine works best with a high flow, but a little head does not hurt matter either. An undershot water wheel works best in high flow with no head. Choosing the right turbine or water wheel to generate electricity will get you the most return for your investment. There are plenty of small companies making turbines and waterwheels that can help an individual decide what is best for their needs.

The Future of Hydroelectric The future of hydroelectric power looks bright and profitable. With modern advances it is far from an old dead end technology. It also buys us time to upgrade our energy grid and help meet the growing demand for electricity. A Company could get its start evaluating the 50,000 sites mentioned by the Department of Energy and installing hydroelectric systems in them. Then expand into private lands suitable for cost effective production of electricity. The opportunity for long-term returns would come from buying suitable land that was available for purchase in the course of doing business for clients. This type of company would also be posed to take advantage of solar and wind, as they become more

economically viable. The local energy provider also needs to be in the discussion. While there are benefits to a local energy provider from smaller distributed energy producers, they also have concerns they have to consider. The local utility company needs to look at their role in the new distributed energy grid of the future. Smaller hydro-power is only one aspect they must consider. Solar and wind power is in the future for them as well. Learning from the effects of having distributed producers of electricity within their own grid will be essential for local utility companies. Hydro-power will help in that learning curve. In some locations with abundant resources, a utility company may find themselves in the role of an energy supplier to other communities. Laws vary from State to State for smaller producers of electricity. This affects the income potential in many cases. Small producers need to get prices less than but close to what the larger producers sell electricity to the local providers for to be economically viable. This gives the local utility provider an incentive as well as giving the producer a fair market price for their electricity. As the impact and benefits of smaller hydroelectric power becomes clear in States with laws favorable to it, more States will follow. If the power generated from government owned sites were used to offset their own energy needs, it would save State and local governments a bundle on their electric bill. With over 50,000 sites ready for conversion to hydroelectric power, it can make a large impact now, and even more in the near future, as smaller water resources are developed. This is by no means the full extent of the benefits of hydro-power. The benefits to the local economy from landowner who have reduced energy bills or even a small income from hydro-power is a gift that keeps on giving. When natural disasters strike and power goes out, local producers of electricity can keep essential needs meet. In the United States we have two great mountain ranges, conveniently located at opposite ends of the country, the Appalachian and the Rocky Mountains, as well as smaller mountains and hills within our borders. Thus the United States is uniquely posed to take advantage of hydro and alternative energy. The water flowing down these mountains can generate a lot of power in States lacking in wind and solar potential. Wind and solar are best suited to the plains States. Together they will create a grid of renewable energy distributed across

the country. State and local governments, utility companies, the economy, businesses and individuals can all benefit from smaller scale hydroelectric power. There is still another area hydro-power can help in the future as well with our energy needs. Another energy problem facing us is how to supply the fuel for the ever-growing demand for automobiles. Some have suggested Hydrogen fuel cells. Hydrogen fuel cells are a very promising technology, but critics have pointed out a major problem with their use. How do we supply hydrogen to gas stations around the country? We can solve this problem and at the same time help with another problem, rainwater runoff and flood control.

Rainwater Runoff and Flood Control Reducing flood damage has great benefits to our economy and lives of our citizens. This is hard to factor into an economic model. However the benefits of flood control should be an incentive for States to encourage hydroelectric plants. Businesses building hydroelectric plants should take flood control into consideration. Flooding takes a heavy toll both economically and personally. The proper use of hydro-power sites can help with this common problem. When electricity is generated from flowing water, it slows down the flow of water as the electricity is generated from it. When ponds and reservoirs are used, they farther delay the flow of water downstream. The flood control benefits can be farther improved by changing the design of ponds and reservoirs of the old mill type. Water enters at one end and flows out the other end near the top in traditional designs. The water flowing out this channel is nearly the same as what is flowing in. By placing the outflow pipe at a lower level, we can increase the ponds/reservoirs efficiency in both flood control and electrical output. This is just a cheap, low-tech method of what the big dams can do, regulate the level of the water behind them. This is an expensive task on large dams, but can be done cheaply at a smaller scale. If we place the outflow pipe halfway up the embankment instead of near the top for example, the pond/reservoir can absorb more runoff rainwater before reaching the spillway. The spillway is a predetermined location for excess water to drain at. The outflow pipe could even be at the bottom of the pond/reservoir in some locations. The outflow pipe at the bottom is sized for the normal flow of water. In light rains the pond may never reach the overflow point. As the level of water rises, the increased pressure forces the water through the outflow pipe faster. In heavy rains

the pond/reservoir may fill or overflow. After the rain is over, the pond will slowly drain to the level of the outflow pipe, generating electricity. Water that runs over the spillway is wasted; none of it was used to generate electricity. By capturing much of that water in the pond during rains, that waterpower is not wasted. Medium and small-scale hydroelectric sites can be an important factor in flood control by slowing the flow of water and spreading its effects out over time. The spring flooding of 2011 in the United States showed us that even a foot or two of difference in the crest of the river makes a huge difference. When the Army Corp of Engineers blew up the Birds Point levee, they waited until the last minute checking projected river crests before they did. A difference of one or two feet would have made the difference in that decision. By placing smaller hydro-power sites upstream of areas prone to flooding, this will slow the rate at which water arrives in low-lying areas. So low areas have more time to drain reducing the severity of flooding. Care must be taken not to slow the drainage of water at choke points from flood prone areas however. The small electric producer also benefits from ponds/reservoirs built like this. The amount of electricity is more consistent over time and more is generated overall. Water that would have been wasted is now generating power. It will take some time for the water level to reach the height of the outflow pipe, and the hydroelectric plant is producing more electricity the whole time. So Medium and small hydroelectric sites can get more consistent electrical production while aiding flood control measures, and we have not examined the smaller scale of hydro-power. Mini and micro hydroelectric sites have a small impact on flood control individually, but in numbers they could have a significant impact. Any flowing stream can have a mini or a micro hydroelectric system installed. Because they have such small requirements, even small improvements will make a big difference. A two-foot drop is sufficient for a micro hydroelectric system. A pond that gave you two more feet of height to the water drop would double the electrical output. Add 2-4 feet to the height of the embankment and the pond generates more electricity over time and individually has a small flood control effect. Due to low costs and requirements, mini and micro hydroelectric systems can even be used where water does not flow continually. Any place that has a high flow of

water during rains is a potentially profitable site. Mini and micro hydroelectric production can be used in unexpected places. Large parking lots must drain a lot of runoff rainwater. They often have large catch basins to hold water temporarily. Many creeks only have a significant flow of water during rainy weather. Due to the low cost and ease of installation, even intermittent water flows like these become economically viable, with the right business approach. In the near future there could be micro hydro-power units almost anyplace where water volume is heavy when it rains.

Hydrogen Fuel The problem with so many mini and micro hydroelectric sites is that they would generate vast amount of electricity in a short amount of time during and just after rainstorms. The local utility company would have problems managing this large influx of electricity if it was feed directly into the energy grid. The electrical grid would be overwhelmed with the excess electricity. The solution is to use the electricity generated on site to produce hydrogen and oxygen gas by electrolysis using the rainwater runoff. The gas can be stored in pressurized takes to be collected at a convenient time. Electrolysis is a process where electricity is run through water and it breaks the bond between the hydrogen and oxygen molecules, releasing them as gasses. Both gases have commercial value already, but as the use of fuel cells increase, so will the demand and value of hydrogen gas. As it is produced locally, it is easy and cost effective to transport to local gas stations for use in vehicles. It is a cheap way to manufacture oxygen and hydrogen gas for fuel and industrial use. The running water makes the electricity that goes through the rainwater producing the gas. The electricity produced also powers the pump to compress the gas into canisters. It is a fully automatic stand-alone system with little start-up or operating costs. From a business standpoint, you cant help but love it. No one said you couldnt use the electricity to make something at the location the electricity is generated at. There may be more things such little stand-alone factories could produce I have not thought of. The sky is the limit for hydro-power applications.

Hydrogen fuel is fine for the future, but we need gasoline now. That brings this discussion the next old technology with a new twist. Before we switch to another topic, there are a few improvements to waterpower that need to be examined for anyone wanting to enter this field. There have been a lot of improvements in hydroelectric power generation at smaller scales. There is plenty of information on the Internet as well. Improvements to ponds and reservoirs have already been discussed, but there is room for more improvements.

Improving the Water Wheel Water wheels can be rather large, over 50 feet from rim to rim and the largest still running today is 72 feet 6 inches high and 6 feet wide, known as the Laxey Wheel. They are called wheels because they look like an old spoke wagon wheel, the blades or buckets that catch the water in around the rim of the wheel. The size and mass of these big wheels makes them revolve slowly compared to a turbine. It also limits their location. Now a slow turning wheel is good if you want to grind grain, so this was perfect back when mills were common. But modern generators work best at high speeds, so you need gearing, another place where efficiency is lost. The overshot water wheel is the most efficient as it gets the most boost from gravity from the weight of the water in the bucket. A modern steel overshot wheel can be up to 90% efficient, if you only count the water in the bucket. If the water flow is less then the amount it takes to fill the bucket, it produces less power. Water flow greater than the amount the bucket can hold is wasted. So while a water wheel can handle a range of flows, it produces power over a limited range. Now it may be called an overshot wheel, but the last thing you want is water moving so fast that it overshoots the wheel completely. So in mill construction the water is brought to the wheel in a pipe or trough. The trough is dead level with the water supply so that the water does not gain any speed from flowing downhill. It empties out at the very top of the water wheel. This way the water drops out and into a bucket. If water speed increases, it will still hit the wheel up to a point. Modern contractors who make and install water wheels still use this basic design. Modern water wheels themselves have been optimized to work with this basic design. The weight of the water in the buckets contributes a lot to the efficiency of a water wheel. Modern wheels have bucket designs that hold the water longer.

Old simple bucket designs started losing the water in them less than a quarter of the way around one side, and were empty half way around one side. Modern bucket designs dont start to lose water till the half way around, and are empty about 2/3 of the way around one side. This accounts for the boost in efficiency in modern water wheels. Still this water draining out too soon wastes some waterpower. If you want to harness this lost power this is an easy fix with a small addition to a Mill by adding a second water wheel. By adding a second smaller Backshot water wheel to catch the water from the main wheel this energy can be captured. The Backshot wheel should be 1/2 to 1/3 the size of the main wheel. The smaller wheel will be turning much faster than the main wheel. The Backshot water wheel is also the second most efficient water wheel type. A faster spinning wheel is better for generating electricity. Less gearing is needed to bring it up to the speeds required by modern electrical generators. Yet the old basic mill design was maximized for a slow wheel. To get the most out of a water wheel today, we need to reexamine the basic mill design. Because the water was brought to the wheel level with the water supply, if there was a 50-foot drop, you needed a 50-foot wheel. A smaller wheel will be lighter, cheaper, and spin faster. This is easy to accomplish by bringing the water down at an angle to the wheel. Instead of a 50-foot wheel, you could use a 25-foot or smaller wheel. This means as the water drops, it gains energy and speed from gravity while in the pipe. The pipe ends just below and just behind the top of the wheel at a 45 to 67.5 degree from the vertical. This way the flow of fast moving water is hitting the water wheel, pushing it around, and the weight of the water in the buckets still helps as well. This means the buckets of the water wheel must be redesigned for this type of operation. The buckets of the wheel should be shaped like the pieces of a pie going all the way to the hub and then the water stream will be hitting the walls separating the buckets, transferring that force to the water wheel. The wedge shaped buckets use the available wheel space better, allowing a much smaller wheel to handle the same amount of water. This wheel also handles changes in water flow better than the older designs. A close fitting cover around the top quarter of the wheel with help direct the water flow and this shroud will also keep the water from escaping the buckets too soon. Many old mills had a shroud covering the top quarter of the wheel as well to keep limbs and other debris out of the wheel. If a second Backshot wheel is added as we discussed earlier, this shroud will be directing the water flow directly at it. Such a water wheel may be the economical

choice where a large flow of water is present as it would be cheaper than a large modern turbine installation and is only slightly less efficient. One of the economic advantages of smaller scale hydroelectric power is that we do not have to use the best most expensive technology. A good water wheel design is almost as efficient as a turbine. As the total amount of power is small compared to huge dams that few percent increase in power output is not as important. Environmental Effects Of course flood prevention has environmental benefits, wildlife, plants and the soil itself is affected by flooding. But there are more benefits from smaller scale hydroelectric to the earth and man. Many micro hydroelectric systems have virtually no impact on the environment. Such a small amount of water is diverted and returned to the stream, or the small in stream design does not impede fish of water flow. Other systems that use a pond however provide water for animals, plants and man. Unlike dams, these designs mimic natural ponds. They are relatively shallow and have overflow points. There are regions that are under water most of the time, and regions that are only occasionally. These zones cater to different plants and animals. There is another problem we have that this will help with. We are using our underground supplies of water faster than it is being replaced. Some cities are slowly sinking from their weight as water is taken out from beneath the city and not replaced. By storing water in a number of ponds, more water will seep into the ground. This will increase the rate at which our underground aqua-filters recharge, thus ensuring clean drinking water for our children and grand children. Closing Remarks Smaller scale hydro-power can make a significant impact on our energy needs now and into the future. It can be a vital first step in supplying our energy needs with renewable sources. This will also create jobs, as there is room for a number of companies to take advantage of this untapped energy market. Individual landowners can also profit from it. State and local governments can save directly and benefit indirectly as well. The ability of hydro-power to aid in flood control and water management is an added benefit that is hard to put a dollar value on, but can be important in promoting its use.

Smaller scale hydro-power can help with our electrical demands and future fuels like hydrogen, but we need gas now.

Section 2: Oil and Gas This brings our discussion to the next old technology with a new twist. Gas and oil is an important part of our economy. Every segment of our modern society is affected by the price of oil and gas. World oil supplies are shrinking fast and demand is only growing. Renewable energy and new fuels can help, but we need help now. Even if we could switch to electric cars, we would still need oil and natural gas for a thousand other uses. Now this old technology will need a little explaining before we give it a new twist. Wood Gasification is not new and has been talked about a lot on the web lately. First lets examine the technology as it stands, and then see what new uses it can have.

Wood Gasification At the basics, wood gasification is a very simple technology. Wood or any other dry organic material is heated in a container with little or no oxygen to prevent normal burning. The heating causes the wood or other organic material to give off hydrocarbon gas as they break down. This gas contains a rich mix of complex hydrocarbons, just like natural gas and oil does. The hydrocarbon gas contains so much energy that an automobile or any other gasoline-powered engine can be run straight off the hydrocarbon gases without farther refining. Wood Gasification technology was important and widely used in the 19 th and early 20th century with World War II being at the height. The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, published a design for a Wood Gasification unit to go on cars in 1989 for use in case of a petroleum shortage for vehicles. Now that is not the best choice, to put gasification units on cars like FEMA

suggested we might have to do. While this hydrocarbon gas can power a car directly, no one wants to be chucking firewood into his or her car just to run it. This gas can easily be condensed and refined into gasoline, diesel and even jet fuel. Oil and natural gas that we get out of the ground came from plants and animals, this is just a quicker way to get the same oil from them. It is also a cleaner fuel, having not lain in the ground for millions of years.

Wood Gasification Designs To understand the basic operation of gasification machines, the FEMA design is a good place to start. It is a simple design, one that many home experimenters start with. The design is free to use and modify; any copyrights having long since expired. Wood or other dry organic material is feed into a barrel or hopper that narrows to a small flue at the bottom. The fire is lit at the bottom and the heat rises through the dry material in the hopper above it. Only a little air is allowed in which prevents vigorous burning of the wood. This causes the burning wood to quickly turn to charcoal. The heat rising through the hopper forces the hydrocarbons out of the wood and turns that that wood into charcoal as well. As charcoal is burnt up at the bottom, new charcoal drops down to keep the heat going. The hydrocarbon coming out at the tops of the hopper are collected, cooled and sometimes filtered before going to the engine. The car engine provides the suction to draw air through the system. The faster the engine runs the more hydrocarbon gas produced due to increased airflow. The vibration of the moving car makes an ash plate shake to remove ash build up at the bottom where the fire is for cleaner burning and airflow. It was not a bad design for its time. A web search will reveal a number of places selling wood gas units based on this design or some modification of it. This is the most common and well-known design, most home experimenters start here. The next most common design is much the same except in reverse. It is lit at the top and burns down to the bottom, again with restricted airflow. Several small and very efficient stoves for campers and impoverished countries are based on these two designs.

Based off these two basic designs, systems have been designed to refine this hydrocarbon gas into useful liquid fuels. Work in this area has shown some very important details about the process of breaking organic material into hydrocarbon gases. Controlling the heat is important because the temperature controls the quality of hydrocarbon gas produced. Low heat produces a mix of lighter hydrocarbons and makes the most gas for the material used. Higher heat produces heavier and more complex hydrocarbons in the gas. Problem is some of these ends up as leftover tar. The higher the heat, the more is wasted in the production of this heavy tar. This tar does not leave with the hot gas, but stays in the chamber and builds up over time getting thicker. So most modern designs try to regulate the airflow precisely to control the temperature. If that was these two designs drawbacks for the production of hydrocarbon gas that could be dealt with. If your goal is to produce hydrocarbon gas for fuel, these methods are too wasteful. Hydrocarbon gas is released as organic material is reduced to charcoal, and then the charcoal is burnt to provide the heat for the process. Most of the hydrocarbons you want are in the charcoal being burnt! Charcoal is almost pure hydrocarbons. The solution is to separate the organic material and the heat source. To do that we can go back to an even older design that was used in the production of charcoal, the airless design. This is a very simple technology. The dry organic material is placed in a container that can be sealed so air can not get in. It has a connection for a hose or pipe to let hydrocarbon gas out. The container is heated from the outside. Because it is heated from an outside source, the temperature is easier to control. Lighter gas will come out as the organic material is turned to charcoal. Once the gas flow gets thick and heavy, that is the sign that the charcoal is starting to be converted into hydrocarbon gas. If you were making charcoal, you would want to stop at this point. If you want to make hydrocarbon gas for fuel production, this gas is your pay dirt. The lighter gas from the first part can be stored separately and used to provide the heat for the

process. Using some of the hydrocarbon gas reduces the operating costs and increases the economic viability of this technology. This gas produced at the start of the process also has water vapor in it. Even dry organic material often has a descent amount of water in it still. If this gas were refined, the water would have to be removed. By using the gas for heat, this extra cost is avoided. When the heavy gas starts to flow, the water vapor is gone, and it is more economical to process. Operating costs can be reduced father with good design. Tar buildup can be drained to a pan just above the burner, and used as fuel to help supply heat for the process as well. Such small improvements can boost the profit margin of this design. The old airless system just described produces more hydrocarbon gas of higher quality and density than the reduced airflow methods. But if this were the only new twist in this old technology, it would not be worth my time to write about.

Plastics are Organic! Now before the environmentalists burn me at the stake, just think about it for a minute. Oil comes from plants and animals that died long ago, and the hydrocarbons in their bodies collected as oil under the ground. Plastic is made from oil, so plastics are organic compounds. Plastics are virtually pure hydrocarbons like charcoal is. In fact a better source of hydrocarbons than charcoal is. Because plastics are technically organic, we can throw plastic in with any other dry organic waste for conversion to hydrocarbon gas. Now we are talking profit potential! Plastic waste is a major problem that can become part of the solution. Metal and glass as well as some toxic chemicals can not be converted to hydrocarbon gas, but virtually all our other dry waste can be. Every landfill or dump is a potential oil field! Plastics are a solid material; liquids do not have the hydrocarbons packed as tightly as solid plastic does. Thus reclaiming the hydrocarbons in solid plastic and making liquid fuels like gasoline out of them gives a good volume of liquid gas in return for our efforts. Plastics do not have to be sorted by type for this technology like other recycling programs. Indeed this system for carbonizing material is not picky about what it is

fed. The less material has to be sorted beforehand, the lower the operating costs. If the local government has mandatory recycling laws where residents sort the trash, then this work is already done. Think of the advantages to the oil industry. They already have the skill and technology to refine the reclaimed oil into gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. This reclaimed gasoline, which is cleaner, can be mixed with gasoline from natural oil or used as is. A large reclamation plant for producing hydrocarbon gas is far cheaper than the cost of building an oil rig. The operating costs are a fraction of an oil rig. Plus the cleaner hydrocarbon gas is easier to turn into standard fuels like gasoline than natural oil. Unlike a well site that will eventually go dry, civilization will continue to produce waste. No need to go to where the oil is, the oil field will come to you. So as a longterm investment, this could keep oil companies competitive and profitable for years to come. Coal gasification technology is also a perfect fit for hydrocarbon gas production. When coal reduced to a gas, liquid fuels can be made from that gas. Indeed one the technologies for this is the same as turning hydrocarbon gas into gasoline. A coal gasification plant will already be set up to take advantage of hydrocarbon gas production. They are already doing basically the same process with coal. Small wood gasification suppliers, rather than refining the gas themselves, can sell it to a clean coal plant for refining. The market is large enough that small business can also reap in some of the profits, especially if the oil companies get involved. Small companies would not have to do the final refining into liquid fuels. They could condense and store the product for sale to refineries. Due to the economies of scale, a large refinery could produce the liquid fuels cheaper than a lot of small refineries can. This will also help the gas companies giving them a number of suppliers in the event of problems overseas in oil producing nations. The United States produces per population more trash than anyone does. No country is better suited to profit from this waste. Look in your garbage and note what it contains, plastic wrappers from food, beverages and products. There will be other organic material in the garbage like food, cardboard and paper, all wrapped up

in a nice plastic bag. Reclaiming the oil in this waste also offers benefits hard to put a dollar value on. Less landfills and dumps are better for the environment. Animals will not be digging in trash heaps getting caught up in plastic waste. Oil and clean coal companies will get a big public relations boost for their part in such an environmentally beneficial business approach as well as profiting directly. It is an idea everyone should be able to get behind. To examine how this would work in practice, lets look at a fictional small town and the city dump.

A Practical Design Picture a small town with just two garbage trucks making two trips to the dump a day with organic waste. The citizens already sort garbage into metal, glass and organic. Plus citizens can bring garbage to the city dump directly. So this fictional city has four truckloads of organic garbage to dispose of, plus whatever the citizens bring in on their own. While this does not seem to be a lot on a daily basis, when you multiply that by 365 days in a year, it come to a lot of garbage. In a traditional city landfill this material has to be buried on a daily basis. Even before that is done, the ground must be prepared first. The bottom of the landfill must be prepared to prevent leeching of material from the dump into groundwater supplies. When this location is filled up, the city must relocate and prepare a new city dump at great costs. Many cities have given up on this expensive method, and pay to have someone else take care of their garbage. Also the land used as a dump is now worthless for most uses. As the ground will settle over time, you cant build on it. Do to what is underground, you cant grow crops on it. It is for the most part wasted land. Using gasification technology to treat garbage has significant savings and low start up costs over traditional landfills. This imaginary city needs two ovens, for the two garbage trucks they have working. The size of the ovens should be larger that the capacity of the garbage trucks in case Joe the Plumber needs to drop off some

furniture for disposal. The ovens are of simple construction. Large steel boxes for a lid. A pipe is attached so hydrocarbon gas can be extracted. This pipe has a valve so gas can be sent to a storage container or the burner. Under the oven is the burner. It has a connection for hydrocarbon gas and another to a propane tank for supplemental use as a heat source. Between the burner and the oven is a metal plate that tar and resins from the oven can drain onto from a hole and a valve in the bottom of the oven. This serves two jobs. It spreads the heat from the burner allowing a more even heating of the oven. The energy in the tar and resins is reclaimed and used as a supplemental heat source. The oven is hinged so it can be dumped to remove any metal or glass that might have gotten in the oven, like from Joe the Plumbers couch and recliner. The fictional city can sell the metal and glass for recycling. The stored hydrocarbon gas can be compressed into tanks for shipment and sale to a processing plant. Little waste is left that has to be disposed of. The city is saving money on by not having a traditional landfill. Less land is required for waste management. The production of hydrocarbon gas takes about the same number of employees as landfills. Operating costs are offset by the sale of metals, glass, and hydrocarbon gas. This simple design can be adapted for many uses. While not as common as it used to be, many businesses still use an incinerator to burn some waste on site like cardboard and broken pallets. These can be converted or replaced with a unit to produce hydrocarbon gas. Instead of selling the gas, it may be more economical to generate electricity from it. Remember that the hydrocarbon gas can run any gasoline engine, this of course includes electric generator engines. Using the electricity generated to off set the companies own electric use might be a better option. Although the hydrocarbon gas can power a gasoline engine directly, cooling and filtering the gas will give better performance and longer engine life.

Closing Remarks There are plenty of business opportunities in this market. Corporations can profit financially, in the view of the public, and the free press of such activities is just an added bonus. Smaller business can profit at the smaller scale is business operations. Design, instillation, and site evaluation are some of the areas smaller companies can enter the market place. Just as in hydro-power, there is room at all levels of the market. By themselves these two technologies, smaller scale hydroelectric and hydrocarbon gas production will not solve all our energy need, but they can make a notable contribution that should be considered. I hope this gives some food for thought, part two coming soon. Charles Laster laster3@bellsouth.net