Personal Energy Robot: GEK v3.0

Here in Berkeley, at ALL Power Labs, in our Oasis of small scale gasification, the team has had our noses to the gridstone manufacturing and testing GEK version 3.0. The new version’s highlights are: A new injector venturi system that replaces our fan/blower system and a new one-nozzle air inlet collar. There are many other updates, like a new cyclone design which allows for easier clean out. But the best upgrade of all; our new Rocket Legs! And if version 3.0 weren’t enough to get you excited, we have also been developing an auger drying/preheating system, which can be used with any GEK version and is available now, just take a look at our purchase page for details, or as always, contact us, we’d love to answer your questions: gek [at] allpowerlabs [dot] org. More Great v3.0 images coming soon. Cheers, The GEK crew

v3.0 MAJOR NEW FEATURES

1. New Ejector/Venturi based gas pumping, mixture and flare.
– No more axial blower or long flex tube to flare
– Flare hard mounts on unit in one of the three points described below
– Variable Air/Syngas mixing for tunable mixture to the flare or attached engine.

2. Three modes of gas routing for start up and/or continued running:
– Full passage through reactor and filtering system
– Early take off and burn on the side of the gas cowling. This prevents potential start up tar fouling the heat exchange tubes, cyclone and filter
– Reversed flow updraft mode via lighting at grate and flaring out the top of the reactor. This mode can also be used to generate char from raw biomass for your first run, preventing the need to prefill with good char. It can also be used to make char for other purposes (i.e. biochar)

3. Automated lighting and startup using electric heating element mounted internally in the char bed.

4. Electric motor driven stirring system to prevent fuel bridging

5. Air manifold neck with single point air intake

Single inlet makes capping on shut down easier. Also enables air intake gas flow measurement or water/steam injection.

6. Downsized Nozzles for default reactor configuration

7. Redesigned filtering system
– Two cyclone size options to better match use needs
– Cyclone completely disassembles for cleaning and easy modification- Larger packed bed filter
– Provisions to run cylone and filter as a recirculating water shower over char system.

8. Removable base on gas cowling.
– There is now a 12″ diameter flange ring on the bottom of the gas cowling that is the same bolt pattern as the reactor lid. This allows reuse of the auger-to-reactor junction lid as an auger based ash removal system under the reactor. The open bottom also supports various biochar reconfigurations that are coming soon.

9. Pyrex looking glass and fuel fill fuel cap.
– You can now see down inside reactor while running. Easy flip hold down bar for fast open and close.

10. Wide stance rocket styled legs.
– Because a “Personal Energy Robot” should look like a rocketship, of course.

MINOR NEW FEATURES

1. Ceramic rope and rubber flange gasketing

2. Kaowool reactor insulation

3. Taller ash bin.
– Increased the space between reactor bottom and support grate, which leaves more inert char under reduction bell to counter overpulls.

4. Circumference fence around grate.
– Prevents char loss off edge of grate.

5. Smaller ash grate holes.
– The 3/16″ holes on the v2.x pass more char than ideal. Now using 1/8″ holes.