Jim.
Your explanation for the word "Syngas" being the product of a GEK is of great
commercial value.
There would be no harm in taking this "Synthetic gas", and passing it through
a nitrogen filter.
using such simple techniques as PSA using select zeolites, In this way The
"RAW SYNGAS" might then become No 2 Syngas.
Where as Syngas is sometimes connected to the NG Grid where Co-generation is
allowed, GEKgas,as we know it, could not.
I think Toby is comparing Beer to Champaign.
Flamable Nitrogen enriched with H2 & CO, as to Methane.
Happy New Year.
GF
-----Original Message-----
From: jim mason <[email protected]>
To: Discussion of biomass pyrolysis and gasification
<[email protected]>
Sent: Tue, Dec 28, 2010 4:38 am
Subject: Re: [Gasification] Syngas on Wiki_
On Mon, Dec 27, 2010 at 3:46 PM, Toby Seiler <[email protected]> wrote:
Jim insists that his GEK is making "syngas" in all of his web communications
hat I see, taking advantage of and fostering a misconception and
isrepresentation that a producer gas making machine (GEK) he is selling, will
ake "syngas". I've asked that he market with the correct term, but he
efuses. I feel that this marketing use of "syngas" term is misleading in his
achines capability as a gasifier. Synthesis gas making should be so easy.
The Wiki process to make a change is not one that I have navigated. The issue
ith the "syngas" term is, to date, the biggest disappointment I have had using
iki.
hile the pleasures of lexical fundamentalism are undeniable, i'm not
ure they usually lead to more useful and accurate descriptions of the
orld. i was trying to stay out of this latest round, but as toby has
alled me out for willful misleading, i guess i now need to respond.
he problem here is that none of our terms are good for the modern
earers of them. only a small cult of people know the possible terms,
nd newbies to the terms seem to get quickly confused by the
onflicting/unknown associations in old terms. in this ambiguity,
've found and argued the best option among many admitedly NOT good
ptions seems to be "syngas" as an overarching term for gas made via
hermal conversion of carbonaeous feed stock.
the "syngas" term works for me as a contrast to "natural gas". it has
ll the "its flammable" and "it can do work" associations that we
ssociate with "natural gas" (and we don't associate with methane).
he "syn" part suggests something that is intentionally made, not
aturally occuring. a gas we make that relates to natural gas. the
ercentage of nitrogen dilution in it to me seems one of many
otential clarifiers. for a modern hearing first learning of this
as, its immediate relationship to "natural gas" in naming gets the
rocess of understanding going. all sorts fo clarifiers will build as
he process of learning continues.
i've also argued that what to name this "thing" is already in play.
his is clearly evidenced by the ambiguous usage in the wiki article,
nd elsewhere on the web. this is not simply a conspiracy by me, but
ather the response of many contemporary users trying to find a name
hat works and has the right connotations for current times. it is
appening already and will continue irrespective of our agreement.
more fundamentally, we need to temper our lexical certainties with the
nowledge that woods mean different things in different eras. meaning
rifts and is reassigned as needs require and times change. language
s not providing names for discrete and natural entities in the world.
rather, names bracket off and claim boundaries to an ambiguous
ontinuum of stuff and processes. these boundaries change over time
s their users decide to do different work with them. this process is
alled semantic shift. here's the wiki article:
ttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semantic_change .
if you do not believe wikipedia, google to the 1000s of other pages
hat point out examples of why calling someone "gay" in 1910 is
ifferent than calling someone "gay" in 2010.
i suggest we are seeing this type of semantic ambiguity and
ontestation of meanings happening around the term "syngas". and as
'm interested in getting this tech understandable to other than the
urrent small cult, i'm promoting the term i think hears best to
odern ears. the term that repeatedly works best for me while
eaching this tech to newbies is "syngas". that nitrogen is or is not
nvolved in the matter, or that if over x % we are going to change the
erm, but not if related to y process, is the last issue on their
inds.
et's review the other potential terms.
"synthesis gas".
his term has mostly functional evocations as the feedstock to a GTL
rocess. this historically was always without nitrogen. but many GTL
rocesses these days work with nitrogen diluted gas in a single pass.
ome in fact argue the nitrogen helps their process. should we have a
imilar linguistic protest against these uses of "synthesis gas" by
hese researchers? seems the "synthesis" gas term should be more
bout the feedstock aspect of the gas than its particular composition.
"wood gas"-
om reed's choice and a biggie currently in the english world (but
retty much only the english speaking world). i find this one trouble
or modern ears that think burning wood is bad. you immediately need
o have the "why its ok to use wood" discussion. also, wood is only
ne of many sources to make the unnamed gas. it is unnecessarily
imiting. the gas should cover gas made via coal, peat, ag waste,
sw, etc.
"producer gas"-
he producer part of this does not do much work in helping people
nderstand the gas. that this machine has in the past called a
roducer isn't widely known. it sounds victorian to me. i've never
ad this term work well while teaching this tech.
"generator gas"-
ost who hear this think petrol for a genset. that gas making
achines were called gas generators, and this was shortened to
enerator, so "generator gas" makes sense, is lost on contemporary
ars.
"suction gas"-
ell, that's one way to make it. not one of the more relevant
larifiers i find. should i call gek gas "heat exhanged gas" ?
"water gas"-
gain, a method of making it. a name for a gas from a specific
rocess. not really a general term.
"bio gas"-
his has come to mean anaerobic digestor gas. could also be gasifier
as when using contemporary organic sources. but convention now
oints elsewhere and there seems to be agreement on this one.
finally any participant here knows i've used all and every term for
his (which for now will go unnamed) gas. on our site all terms are
sed in various places, and i find it difficult to believe that anyone
s confused about what type of gas i'm making (particularly the hot
ir type).
probably only 5% of the people who visit the site even know all these
arious terms, and could even hold forth about the implied amount of
itrogen suggested by the term chosen. thus i find this a very
cademic debate, mostly following from toby's specific interest in
his topic, as he plans to make a product with a less nitrogen diluted
as. others find other features of this gas more or less interesting,
nd choose their terms accordingly. maybe we should throw out the
syngas" term altogether for pure co and h2. if we want to be
iteral, "synthetic natural gas" or its abbreviation "syngas" should
ean a majority ch4 gas made by artificial means. co and h2 should
ave little part in it.
like all terms, there are many competing evocations at work. both
ontent and function of the named. meaning in the end is a
conspiracy of convention". there is no wrong answer, only picking
he ambiguity that one thinks does the most work.
nonetheless and in actuality, i try to not use any of these terms so
s to avoid the whole issue. i try to organize sentences so i can say
gasifier" or "gasification", and not name the gas or the machine
therwise. these are much more translatable and accurate and without
ebate i find. if one wants to go do a lexical calculation on our
ite, i think you'll find minimal use of any of them.
jim
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
im Mason
ebsite: http://www.whatiamupto.com
urrent Projects:
- Gasifier Experimenters Kit (the GEK): http://www.gekgasifier.com
- Escape from Berkeley alt fuels vehicle race: www.escapefromberkeley.com
- ALL Power Labs on Twitter: http://twitter.com/allpowerlabs
- Shipyard Announce list:
ttp://lists.spaceship.com/listinfo.cgi/icp-spaceship.com
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