The Fab Shop

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Comment by Paul Drieman on October 16, 2009 at 12:58pm

Just got done test firing a J rocket stove thinking about using a mass heater to use in the house for these cool not cold days where a little heat is welcome. I had 4" boiler pipe tore out of a job 15 yrs. ago that I used, that and a 12" pressure tank, first burn went great with NO SMOKE when I got to temp. and I could hold my hand on the final exhaust pipe while I boiled water quickly on the top of the 12" heat downdraft section. I'll try to get pics up as this stove utilizes gasification to burn all the tars!

Comment by john wayne blount on October 16, 2009 at 8:58am

There are companies that do refactory castings (not refactory cement), but they are a little pricey. I've been trying to figure out how to do it myself, but haven't had the time yet to really dig in. I was just thinking the castable refactory cements might serve, but they just might not hold up to hearth temps. The regular refactory material would. I think you will find out that all the mega-buck gasifiers have ceramic hearths and liners, mainly to keep from replacing burned out or corroded parts.
I did have (hope I saved it) info from India that specified the oxides that must be in the clays to make them refactory. I'm crazy enough to try doing it myself. Time permitting, that is.

Comment by Daniel on October 15, 2009 at 10:23pm

mike,
there is no easy answer hearth and nozzle sizing... for starters check this out http://victorygasworks.ning.com/notes/Imbert_Dimensions........this topic deserves much more discussion....you should start a Discussion Forum above i will not have time for much input for the next week, work is kicking my ass! trying my best to get caught up!

Comment by mike hartsgrove on October 15, 2009 at 8:44pm

thanks paul ....i too have thought about.using cement or ceramic slip...or even sheetrock mud as an insulating component....but im still tring to get the basic stuff nailed down ,specifically the cyclone ,and the ejector system, that ben and beamer use .....i have rolled a cone ,and will get the cylinder done this weekend,i have the basic principal down on it but dont know about sizeing and if it is too small /large for my unit.....and i have no idea about the ejector....any info on these would be greatly appreciated....

Comment by Les Carter on October 12, 2009 at 3:34am

In links on main page Kurts woodgas site He uses refractory to build his gasifier.

Comment by Paul Drieman on October 11, 2009 at 10:07pm

Does any one have a site that compares poured refractory types and use applications? I would think a refractory that had properties that made its surface harder like ceramics would be better than the softer style I used.

Comment by john wayne blount on October 11, 2009 at 12:22pm

I've seen it "specked" in designs as a cylinder liner which would probably work. Hearths might be a different animal. Before I burned out my last thermocouple playing with shavings as fuel, I was regularly hitting 1300+ centigrade and this stuff claims to go only as high as 1200. But it is used in blast furnaces.

Comment by Paul Drieman on October 11, 2009 at 8:04am

I know there is some refractory casting going on. I used to do some on a low pressure boiler I helped maintain and it is nice to work with. In this application I wonder how it will hold up to the wood's prescence? The refractory we used seemed to crumble away from too much handling. The unit was nat. gas fired.

Comment by john wayne blount on October 11, 2009 at 4:57am

I know this isn't metal fabrication, but only you do-it-yourselfers would find this interesting.
Don't know if anyone has tried castable refactory cement for linings or hearths, but I think it is supposed to withstand a little over 1200 centigrade, mixes with water, and is castable in any shape. Here's the link: http://www.woodmanspartsplus.com/50386/16156/Furnace-and-Refractory-Cement/Castable-Refactory-Cement.html
It's cheap enough for experimentation, and so found its way into my long list of "to-do's".

Comment by Tom Lambert on October 10, 2009 at 8:22pm

I want to thank the people on this site for there inputs& how pleased I am to find You all. I like to put about 1 gal of water in tanks that have explosive potental & heat them away from the vents very gently untill steam appears @ the vent hole..s then turn up the heat for 10 minutes to be sure there safe for open flame,I have seen what happens when safety is ignored as I worked the oil patch for 25 years. BE SAFE MY FREINDS

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