Energy Systems

The Technology

The Westwood Gasifier handles most combustible materials with moisture contents up to 60%. Higher moisture content materials
can be processed by blending with drier material such as sawdust
or wood pellet fuel bringing the combined moisture content to below the 60% threshold.

The material is fed into the primary chamber where the material gasifies in a finely controlled oxygen starved environment. During
this gasification process the material goes through a change where
it is converted into ash and “producer gas”.

When the producer gas moves into the oxidizer chamber an exact amount of air is added. The result is a high temperature controlled burn averaging 1,000 degrees Celsius. The high temperature burn produces a clean energy stream with an extremely low particulate emission – typically well below 50 mg/m3, eliminating the need for expensive pollution control equipment typically required on conventional waste combustion systems.

This clean heat coming from the oxidizer chamber can then be used directly in applications such as lumber kilns or building heat or has the potential to be put through heat exchangers to supply heat for indirect fired turbine generators, boilers or absorption refrigeration plants.

Gasifiers have been around a long time and there have been many different designs developed over the years. In the past gasifiers
have often been designed with complicated systems such as augers
and turning floors. These designs presented operating challenges
as well as mechanical breakdowns resulting in downtime and inefficient and un-dependable systems.

Our Westwood Gasifier technology has eliminated many of these complicated systems and fragile components. Some of the improvements designed into our system are:

• A simple and very strong group of hydraulic rams used to
  feed the bio-mass into the primary chamber of the gasifier through a proprietary expansion chamber. After the fuel is gasified and as the gasification process is being completed the fuel makes its way down through the center of the primary chamber becoming 100% ash by the time it reaches the bottom of the primary chamber. Ash is then pushed out into
  a conveyor via another set of hydraulic rams.

• Complete computer control of all temperatures, fuel feed rates, and air mixture fans.

• Natural gas start-stop burners in both the primary and oxidizer sections providing smoke-free start-stop cycles.

The Westwood Gasifier is highly automated. For the most part, all
that is required is loading the waste material into a bin and taking away the ash. The Westwood Gasifier uses a control panel where information is entered about the waste material and your heat needs. The control system automatically feeds the required amount of material into the gasifier so that a constant and level stream of
clean heat is generated. If less heat is required the system can
be adjusted at the control panel to achieve the desired results.

For more information, please contact Darrell Ford.