WOOD GAS AS A FUEL FOR AUTOMOBILES
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Engine runs neatly and with very low emissions on wood gas. Exhaust is practically odourless. Measurements have confirmed the exhaust to contain about 0,2 % CO and about 15 ppm hydrocarbons with out a catalytic converter. This is only a fraction of allowed emission level that 1979 model year cars need to meet in Finland.  In spite of low emissions, wood gas is banned to power latter model cars. For the time beeing it is not possible to convert latter model low emission vehicles to run on wood gas. Gas equipment may also move a van to higher tax passenger car group, as some load carrying capacity is lost.

Wood gas makes little difference compared to normal driving. Half of power is lost, which makes it difficult to pass slower vehicles on Finnish single lane roads. Performance is however, well enough to keep at the pace of traffic elsewhere than the steepest up-hills.

Before starting op the engine, the gasifyer needs to be preheated to produce decent quality gas.  During a picnic it is possible to fry for example sausage in fire at top of the start-up chimney. For longer trips, it is possible to take fuel enough for 600 kilometres.

            

It is both cheap and exciting experience for anyone to drive a car powered with wood gas. Well built system and logical operation of wood gas system controls make it possible for everyone to run a wood gas powered automobile. Typical symptoms of bad design are hard starting, stalling of engine during breaking down and fluctuating performance in general. It is not acceptable that mixture control needs constant adjusting during the changing driving conditions. All these problems can be solved with correct design and proper implementation.  It is possible to drive with wood gas the whole fuel filling with out any stops and the car works repeatable and reliably with out any extra service. This allows driver to concentrate on driving. It is advisable to design the system so that there are no such switches and devices driver may forget on while parking after a drive.