Mobile applications
The use of down-draught gasifiers fuelled by wood or charcoal to power cars, lorries, buses, trains, boats and ships has proved its value and at least one European country (Sweden) maintains plans for large-scale production in case of an emergency, (see Chapter 3). This technique is currently being studied for powering of tractors (Switzerland, France, Finland, Netherlands) as well as small vans and boats (Philippines) and lorries (Sri Lanka).
However mobile applications present a number of additional difficulties as compared with stationary units.
In the first place the construction needs to be as light as possible in order not to reduce excessively the hauling capacity of the vehicle. Because the filter installations described in Chapter 3 tend to be fairly heavy and voluminous, exacting demands are put on the engineering skills of designers of mobile equipment as well as on the choice of materials.
In the second place mobile applications tend to operate with fairly large variations in engine (and gasifier) load. Under a given set of circumstances (especially long idling periods) this can lead to tar formation and clogging of cooler/cleaners and engines, as commonly occurred during the Second World War.
Applications on trains and boats suffer less from weight and load constraints, and for this reason give better results.
Engines retrofitted with gas producers show an appreciable loss of maximum power, and it will depend very much on the geographical situation (flat or hilly terrain) as well as on the skills of the driver whether the vehicle can be operated satisfactorily.
Whether these disadvantages will be balanced by the better economy of gasifier fuelled transport vehicles depend entirely on the local situation, especially on the cost and availability of petrol and diesel oil.