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Rice

Tec

hnol

ogy

Bulle

tin

Phili

ppin

e R

ice

Res

earc

h In

stitu

te (P

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ISSN

011

7-97

99

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011

No.

71 R i c e H u l l G a s i f i e r

E n g i n e - P u m p S y s t e m

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Rice Technology Bulletin Series

No.1 Released Rice Varieties (1968-1994)2 Pagpaparami at Pagpupuro ng Binhi sa Sariling Bukid3 Paggawa ng Maligaya Rice Hull Stove4 PhilRice Micromill5 PhilRice Flourmill6 PhilRice Drumseeder7 PhilRice Rototiller8 Rice Food Products9 PhilRice-UAF Batch Dryer10 Integrated Management of the Malayan Black Bug11 SG800 Rice Stripper-Harvester 12 Dry-Seeded Rice-Based Cropping Technologies13 Maligaya Rice Hull Stove14 10 Steps in Compost Production15 Rice Tungro Virus Disease16 The Philippine Rice Seed Industry and The National Rice Seed Production Network17 10 Hakbang sa Paggawa ng Kompost18 10 nga Addang ti Panagaramid iti Kompost19 Characteristics of Popular Philippine Rice Varieties20 Rice Stem Borers in the Philippines21 Rice Food Products (revised edition)22 Leaf Color Chart (English)23 Leaf Color Chart (Ilocano)24 Leaf Color Chart (Filipino)25 Equipment for Rice Production and Processing26 Useof40kgCertifiedSeedsperHectare27 Rice Wine28 Management of Field Rats29 Controlled Irrigation: Saving water while having good yield30 Minus-one Element Technique: SoilNutritionDeficiencyTestMadeEasy31 Management of the Rice Black Bug32 ManagementofZinc-deficientSoils33 Management Options for Golden Apple Snail34 Use of Evaporation Suppressant 35 Pagpaparami ng Purong Binhi ng Palay36 ManagementofSulfur-DeficientLowlandRiceSoils34 Use of Evaporation Suppressant 35 Pagpaparami ng Purong Binhi ng Palay36 ManagementofSulfur-DeficientLowlandRiceSoils37 Management of Planthoppers and Leafhoppers

38 ManagementOptionsforRicefieldWeeds39 Use of Indigo as Green Manure40 Management of Salt-affected Soils for Rice Production41 Wet-Seeded Rice Production42 Matatag Lines43 Hybrid Rice Seed Production44 Metarhizium anisopliae: Microbial Control Agent for Rice Black Bug45 Integrated Nutrient Management for Rice Production46 Management of Armyworms/Cutworms47 Carbonized Rice Hull48 Rice-based Microbial Inoculant49 Integrated Farm and Household Waste Management50 Rice Postproduction Practices51 Ecological Rice Farming52 ModifiedDryDirectSeedingTechnology53 Palayamanan: Making the Most out of Rice Farms 54 Practical Guidelines in Predicting Soil Fertility Status of Lowland Rice Soils55 Bakanae: The Foolish Disease of Rice56 Management of Rice Blast Disease57 Root-knot Management in Rice-Onion Cropping System58 Management of Yellow and White Stemborers59 The PhilRice Dapog Technology60 Rice Straw-Based Nutrient Management in Irrigated Lowland Rice 61 Biofertilizer Production: Vesicular Arbuscular Mycorrhizae (VAM)62 Trichoderma: Biofungicide for vegetables63 Barayti ng Palay handog ng PhilRice 2007-200964ManagementofZinc-deficient Soils (revised edition)65 Soil Series: Improving Agricultural Productivity in Pampanga66 Soil Series: Improving Productivity in Tarlac67 Laboy tiller: Improving deep muddy and swampy rice lands68 B&S Rice mini-combine harvester69 Rice Disease Diagnostic Kit70 Reducing Methane Emissions from Irrigated Ricefields

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Foreword

Gasoline-fueled water pumps consume as much as P1.52 to P1.72 per cubic meter of water pumped. With the increasing price of gasoline in the market, a substitute for fuel is a sound alternative.

This technology bulletin promotes the use of the rice hull gasifier- engine pump system as an alternative water pumping method for rice-based communities in rainfed areas. A gasifier engine-pump only requires less than a peso to generate a cubic meter of water. Users can save up to 37% of cost in water pumping using gasoline and 44 % using diesel. With use of rice hull as the power source, farmers are better off with the system simply by utilizing their farm wastes instead of using gasoline or electricity for water pumping. I hope that with this bulletin, the importance of rice hull will be realized.The rice hull gasifier engine pump system will not only generate savings for farmers but also reduce hazard to environment.

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Introduction

With the increasing price of fuel in the market, operating petrol engines became prohibitive to farmers that rely heavily on engine-powered pump for water supply. Thus, a similar system of tapping the energy from rice hull for small-scale applications such as the gasifier engine pump system is a sound alternative for farmers.

PhilRice developed the rice hull gasifier-engine pump system that operates with minimum fuel requirements. The local design of the stationary rice hull gasifier- engine pump system was conceptualized based on the working designs of University of California (UC) Davis in the United States for the batch-fed throatless combustor component and the New Energy Development Organization (NEDO) project of Japan on the gasification.

The system is a cost-reducing technology that can be used as an alternative water harvesting method to provide irrigation water in the rice-based communities with limited access from grid water source for irrigation. The unit can also be used for generator set (for lighting,fan,TV), household ricemill, and others.

Stationary model of gasifier system was proven effective in the field. However, it requires a big area and limited application. Thus, a mobile ricehull gasifier engine-pump system was also developed for easier transporting from one field to another.

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► Abundant sources of rice hull in the Philippines (about 2.9M metric ton/year);

► Ricehull is sold at P1kg; or can be free;

► One ton of rice hull is equivalent to 360 L of diesel fuel or 408 L of gasoline;

Prices of gasoline and diesel as of February 2011

► Increasing price of fuel (diesel, gasoline)

► Alternative water pumping for farmers using rice hull as fuel for engine;

Why Develop Gasifier?

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PhilRice adopted a local stationary model of rice hull gasifier adapted from UC Davis design of USA and NEDO design of Japan as results of collaboration.

Schematic Diagram of the Gasifier System

Gasifier History

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Height of stationary gasifier model is 2.5 meters with 2x3 meters floor area

Stationary Gasifier Model

► Uses rice hull biomass as source of energy to replace conventional petrol fuel

► Sustainable and environment friendly

► Can be used for other stationary applications (rice milling, generator set, battery charging)

► Carbonized Rice Hull by product can be used for making organic fertilizer and other applications (as soil conditioner, for mulching, briquette, etc)

Performance data of stationary gasifier system

Parameters Open water source

Ricehull load requirement 6.5 kg per batch

Ignition time, min 3

Start up time, min 3

Operating time, hr 1.5

Discharge rate 6.5-9.0 L per sec

Temperature inside the reactor 350-800oC

Engine rating 6.5 kw

Pump size 3 inches diameter

Labor requirement 1 person

Outstanding Features

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► Cheap alternative for pumping water which can save 34-44% on fuel cost

► Mobile: can be transfered from one location to another

► Compact and lightweight

► Designed for small farmers

► Made of local and available materials

► Simple design and easy to fabricate

Mobile Gasifier Engine Pump System

Design Features

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Field Performance

Behav ior of Engine Speed

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17Time @ 5 mins interv al

average line

rpm

Behav ior of Engine Speed

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17Time @ 5 mins interv al

average line

rpm

► Can work in an open source and Shallow Tube Well

► Quality of rice hull used significantly affected production of gas for engine running

► Maintaining intake gas temperature to 30-35oC range is necessary to maintain the rpm speed of the engine

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► With 2,000 rpm average engine speed

► With average discharge rate of 7.5 L/s and 5.1 L/s for open source and shallow tube well, respectively

► Produces clean natural gas suited for gasoline engine

► Can be used for pumping water in different locations

► For different applications such as water pumping, rice milling, and power generation

Performance data of mobile gasifier system

Parameters Open water source Shallow tube well

Loading capacity, kg 4 4

Ignition time, min 3 3

Gas production, min 3 3

Operating time, min 80 81

Engine speed, rpm 2085 (1910-2180) 2000 (1860-2170)

Ground water table, m 1.3 2.15

Average discharge rate, L/s 7.5 5.1

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1. Set up the water pump. Connect the suction hose from its water source to the inlet of water pump. Fasten the connections with tie rubber and seal it with mud ensuring that there are no leaks in the connection to facilitate continuous discharge of water.

2. Start up the engine and the water pump.

a. For non-self priming pump, fill initial amount of water in the pump before starting the engine to prevent it from damage. Open the gasoline valve and start up the engine in full throttle rpm. The valve of the producer gas should be closed while the air control valve is half open to initiate the engine to start.

air valve

producer gas valve

Operation of the System

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b. Set the engine speed of about ¾ of its maximum engine rpm (about 2500 rpm). Use the air valve to manage the engine speed. Feed water in the outlet pipe of the pump until discharge of water is started.

3. Check and fill water in the water shield basin of the reactor, gas tank and scrubber. Use the water discharged from the pump. Make sure that the water to be filled in the scrubber is free from dirt to avoid clogging of its sprinkler.

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4. Load and ignite rice hull inside the reactor.

a. Load an initial amount of about 1 kg of rice hull in the combustor. Ricehull must be dried and cleaned. Use rice hull that is freshly obtained from rice mill (not old stock) when possible.

b. Ignite a piece of paper and drop it inside the reactor. Once the rice hull is initiated to burn, gradually fill the reactor with rice hull until it is fully loaded.

5. Shift producer gas to fuel the application unit. When excess gas is observed in the top of the gas tank, close the gasoline valve of the engine and initially open a little the producer gas valve (about ¼ of its maximum opening). Once engine rpm is observed declining, adjust the gas valve about ½ of its maximum opening. Gas feeding to engine is done manually until proper mixture of gas and air is attained. Normally, one batch of the gasifier will last for about 80 min of continuous operation.

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6. Unloading of consumed rice hull and re-firing of another load of rice hull. It is done when burned rice hull is already observed on the top of the reactor.

a. Loosen the lock securing the reactor

b. Detach the flexible hose/ pipe connecting the gas channel from reactor to scrubber and tilt it downward in such a way that it could not touch the system when unloading utilized rice hull.

c. Moisten the unloaded burned rice hull with water so that it will not turn to ash but CRH. This can be good as soil conditioner.

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7. Others to consider

a. Gradually adjust the gas valve when engine rpm is observed declining during the operation.

b. Load additional rice hull after 40 to 50 min of operation upon depletion in the initial content of the reactor to maximize the continuous running of the system.

c. Change water in the scrubber every batch of operation to maintain the temperature of the intake gas to 30-35oC range to have stable rpm speed of the engine. You may put a continuous inflow and outflow of water to the scrubber to make it more convenient to the operator.

For continuous operation of the system using gasoline fuel within 6 min of unloading CRH and loading of rice hull, a small hose can be connected to the water pump outlet and to the scrubber intake to replace water released after one batch of operation.

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► Operated 103 hrs for pumping operation

► No tar content, only carbon deposit at piston top

► Oil has to be change after 80-hr operation

► two major improvements incorporated (reactor, engine)

► 2 modifications were done to the prototype (scrubber with hose, reactor pipeline)

► Replacement of mechanical seal of pump after 292-hr operation

8. Repeat procedure 4 to 7 for the next batches of operation. Continuous water pumping operation is possible by switching fuel use during unloading of consumed rice hull and re-firing of another load of rice hull.

9. After irrigating the area, let the system consume all the loaded ricehull in producing gas to power the engine. Switch off the gasifier system (closing gas valve) and run the engine using gasoline fuel for 2 min to remove dirt inside the engine.

Switch off the engine. Clean and adjust the components safe for storage. Collect the CRH waste for other uses.

Endurance Test Results

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► Greenhouse gases emission to environment is reduced.

► Rice hull hazard to people and environment is eliminated.

► Burned rice hull waste can be used as soil conditioner for seedbed, and filler for organic fertilizer.

Parameters Gasifier- engine pump

Gasoline pump

Diesel pump

Investment cost, P 65,000.00 15,000 60,000

Discharge capacity, li/s 7 11 13

Cost of water pumping, P/m3; (Savings, %) - Feb. 2011

0.96 1.52

(36.58)

1.72

(44.22)

Assumptions: Open source of water; 5-year lifespan for gasifier, gasoline and diesel pump system; annual use of 557, 354.5, and 300 hr for gasifier, gasoline, and diesel engine, respectively; fuel consumption of 1L/hr for gasoline and diesel engines and 0.1L/hr of gasoline for gasifier; P1/kg of rice hull; fuel price of P51.6 –regular gasoline & P40.7 – diesel as of February 2011.

Socio-economic Benefits

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Notes

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Subject Matter Specialists Arnold S. Juliano Dr. Eulito U. Bautista Leo Moliñawe

Managing Editor and Layout Artist Christina A. Frediles

Technical Advisers Ronilo A Beronio Andrei B. Lanuza

For more information, text the Farmers’ Text Center 0920-911-1398

write, visit, or call:

Rice Engineering and Mechanization Division (REMD) Philippine Rice Research Institute Maligaya, Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija 3119 Tel. No. (044) 456-0285; -0113; -0651 local 309.

Readers are encouraged to reproduce the content of this bulletin with acknowledgment. Suggested citation:

PhilRice Rice Hull Gasifier Engine-Pump SystemRice Technology Bulletin No. 71: 20p., December, 2010.

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