Kevin Years ago, while I was in the Navy, during a tour of the engine room of a warship, one of the turbine boiler engineers warned us that if we encountered even a tiny high pressure/temp leak somewhere in the steam plumbing, we wouldn't see it, but it would instantly slice cleanly through whatever body part got in the way.. I'd forgotten about how dangerous steam can be. Clearly not an option for small scale set ups, although a small steam engine with a professionally designed boiler with multiple fail safe features probably warrants further consideration. But you obviously wouldn't be building one yourself. Whereas once the tar issue is addressed in an environmentally responsible way, the opportunities to lose life and limb would seem less with a gasifier/ICE approach to using biomass, and is a tinkerers dream. One further question, If the tars stay in biochar from low temp BM pyrolysis, and the soil bacteria/myccorhizal fungi deal with them, (are even beneficial I thought), why is the tarry water from a gasifier scrubber such an environmental hazard? Stuart.
________________________________ From: Kevin <[email protected]> To: Discussion of biomass pyrolysis and gasification <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, 2 February 2013 6:22 AM Subject: Re: [Gasification] mycoremediation of tarry water Dear Tom Certainly, what you say could be true for 2 MW and larger facilities that have the technical and economic economies of scale. Smaller gasifier and engine systems can deliver 1 HP for a heat rate of about 16,000 BTU/hp-hr. If powering a generator, this is a heat rate of about 24,000 BTU/kw-hr. I would doubt that small scale steam or ORC plants could meet this heat rate. Small gasification plants can be operated safely with a conscientious Operator, having very basic training. Steam power plants of any significant size and pressure, usually Stationary Engineers as Operators. With smaller steam Plants, the Operating labour Cost can be very significant. Best wishes, Kevin.
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