DIY biomass heat generation
 

http://ecorenovator.org/forum/attach...1&d=1418073970

Here is an interesting build. I can't read it very well, but google translate definitely helps. The update looks like they were getting 50-60C (122-140F) water out of this thing. That sounds pretty nice. The link has a fair amount of pictures too.

Biomeiler | Linaria e.V.

I compost all the manure, waste hay, leaves and other bio stuff and the pile does REALLY heat up But only for a few months. Then the pile has collapsed (80% reduction in volume) and I can't imagine digging out all that plastic pipe.

Steve

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Jean Pain: Another Kind of Garden – The Methods of Jean Pain

http://www.linaria-ev.de/another_kin..._jean_pain.pdf




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHRvw...131E58A8C0336C

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGCj7NA0OIs


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Hey guys,

just found your post and thought I have to reply ;)
The "biomeiler" (eco-kiln) construction manual mentioned in the post on the Linaria-ev.de website is already translated to english. The only thing missing is to review and correct some minor errors. I hope I'll be able to finish it by end of the year.
Meanwhile if you got any questions feel free to ask :)

@steve
we are mainly using wood chips. Therefore the eco kiln is running up to 1 1/2 years. The decrease of volume is not that dramaticall. I would say about 30%.
Hehe yeah but you're right. The digging out the pipes need to be done carefully (if you want to reuse it). We added a net on top of the pipes which makes it alot easier ;)

Hello and welcome to the site Aurele! Thanks for coming to update us.

I missed the english PDF. Thanks for pointing it out too.

http://www.linaria-ev.de/another_kin..._jean_pain.pdf

And finally.... it took longer then expected but finally the English translation is ready. You can download the DIY manual for the EcoKiln (still not sure if its the right word ;)) here:

Eco-Kiln brushwood compost - Linaria e.V.

Its open source (CC-licence) so you may spread it to everyone who is interested :)

Thanks Aurele. It is very generous to share all your work.

just amazing how you can get the energy from nothing! Thank you for manual, there is a lot of interesting information for me.

I've long appreciated the work of Jean Pain. Oh to have spent an afternoon or two with him! But, I've never read anything about removing the composted material and maintaining the heat? Is there any way to make this a continuous process or is strictly a long term batch process?

Thanks for sharing your work!
Jimmy

Read once where sod homes of the plains were supplemently heated by piling animal manure against outside walls to compost over the winter to temper, insulate and seal drafts. Good fresh compost for the vegetable garden each spring. Saved on fire wood which was often hard to come bye.

This is awesome to see in practice. Thanks for sharing.

I would imagine that with the application of these methods to modern equipment the results could be even greater.

Has to be / must be a way to turn that heat into mechanical energy to run a generator

The Stirling cycle is the first thing that comes to mind, but in the traditional models, it would require too much of a ▲T gradient for this type of heat source.

Perhaps more applicable to the "slow burn" of compost heat is a large, slow apparatus.

Allow the mound to expand air in a chamber which pushes a small piston to pump water into a tower, or to a drum/tank on a hill. When the piston reaches the end of it's pump stroke the heating chamber is exhausted by the returning piston driven back by weight of the inlet water column. Next, a small volume of cool air is drawn back in to expand again as it is heated.

Essentially this is a simple piston pump (air-over hydraulic) which stores mechanical potential in a water tower. Just dump some of that stored water over a water-wheel to turn a generator when power is needed.

That method disconnects the short high-demand delivery of power from the slow and steady supply. Hydraulic storage of this type is fairly efficient, and if the thermal air-expansion system (a diaphragm, bellows or piston assembly) is buried in the mound and free of pressure-leaks, it should be relatively efficient and long lived too.

This kind of system could be made from common plumbing parts and other hardware-store items. A crankshaft is not necessary if a savvy designer uses linear piston valves, etc. Of course, a natural source of water must be close at hand and some form of elevation change (a hill, a tower, a roof-top vessel) must be nearby too.