oxygen sensor

[gatfu]

Thanks a million for this info....!!! this is exactly what I was looking for i just couldn't find it. I think I may be able to make sense of this. the two whites are 12v+ Grey is 12v- and black is signal. I can run some preliminary test to see what the signal looks like then maybe get a signal converter if need be.

 

[Eric Nelson]

the two whites are 12v+

Just to clarify, the two white wires are the heater, so they need to have 12V between them, not both to 12V+. One to positive, and the other to negative.



-Eric

 

[gatfu]

AWWW...thanks for the clarification

 

[brstilson]

we are testing a completel different gas to run the natural gas generator engine. biomass gas. wood gasifier. the throttle body on the engine already is controlling the amount of fuel to the pistons. we are trying to control the mixture ourselves for experimental/data logging purposes. The natural gas engine is generally controlled by a pressure venturi system. we have removed that as our system does not function in this fashion. we function off of vacuum. we have already successfully done this on a ford 351 van and run it across the US three times on wood. essentially the same engine minus two pistons. however we manually controlled the mixture via a choke lever. we need to eliminate this and have our automation system handle this completely. in order to do this i simply need to measure the excess o2 for our sweet spot. then input the data for our PID loop for our mixture throttle.

I think I saw this on an episode of Top Gear. I specifically remember them having to be taught how to manually adjust the choke in order to start the car (they had a guy from Sweden who had made a wood-burning car before come down and show them). I also wondered why they were burning the wood on the vehicle. It seems it would be easier to create the wood gas off-site and then store the produced product in a tank on the car.

 

[Lancie1]

It seems it would be easier to create the wood gas off-site and then store the produced product in a tank on the car.

I worked on a wood-gas powered generator back in the 1980's down in Costa Rica. The wood gas is literally a gas, not a liquid but a thin vapor. To practically store it in a tank would require a compressor and a bunch of other stuff to make it work. If you are driving cross-country, you can stop and buy or cut wood, but you can't get a new tank of compressed wood-gas.

We used a diesel engine for the high compression, but added sparks plugs and an ignition system. The village of Horquetas was about 50 miles from nowhere. I had to fearfully tread across two rotten swinging bridges about 50 feet above two different rivers to get to the work site.

 

[gatfu]

Yeah this is for a power generator not for a vehicle. We just did the vehicle for testing and learning. We hauled an entire trailer on the van which was a camper/wood storage area. You are right to store wood gas is really hard to do...not really worth the time. It is better to store the energy you are creating with it in battery banks.

On a side note I would be really interested to here a little more on your experience in Costa Rica. I would love to pick your brain a little on your experiences dealing with wood gas genset. Did you automate any of the system?

 

[Lancie1]

I would love to pick your brain a little on your experiences dealing with wood gas genset. Did you automate any of the system?

Yes, the system was automated, except for having to shovel the wood chips from a storage area onto a conveyor belt. From there they went through a screener because we found that small chips about 1" x 1" worked better and produced more gas. Also we ran the screened chips through a dryer that was heated by the cooling water from the generator. Dry chips produced more gas than wet or green chips. Then the chips went into the burner or "reactor", and gas flowed from there though a filter and then to the engine.

This brings back painful memories. I worked for a government agency at the time, and got "volunteered" to go down and help get this stalled AID (Agency for International Development) project up and running. It was FUBAR from before I got on site, and took many hard weeks in the jungle to finally get it running. The stated goal was to provide and install a German-built wood-fired wood-gas engine and electrical generator to provide power for this little village. It soom became apparent to me that the project was mostly a cover or front for a more insidious affair, now called the Iran-Contra affair. The site was less than 5 miles from the Nicaraguan border - easy walking distance for agents to slip across the border.

About a year after we got it running, I heard that the local power company had run utility lines into Horquetas, and the generator had been abandoned.

 

[gatfu]

Wow....Talk about a cool story! It's cool to find somebody who has been down the road I am on concerning Projects....Only yours has a much more interesting backdrop. This probably brings back memories......

 

[Lancie1]

That is a nice neat gasifier. Thanks for the pictures. Keep us updated on your progress.