John,
I arrived home at 4 AM on Tuesday morning. Safe but tired. Blowout tire on last Sunday in central Wyoming delayed my progress. Total travel was 5123 miles.
To be clear, I do know that you did out-work me to have the Friday event be so successful!!! Thanks!!
About the “blue kiln”. Having seen it (but not in use), I offer the following comments.
1. The extra weight of the thick metal is NOT worth the increased difficulty of mobility. The standard 55 gallon drums will last a very long time, so no need for the extra thickness.
2. For you intended Makita-powered-wheelbarrow unit, I recommend using a standard 55-gallon barrel. Or seek a larger such barrel that is industrially produced and available. Whatever you make, know that it is experimental and will
show you the needed design changes on the first two days of use, so do not put too much money into the kiln cylinder itself. Use the axel-stubs for rotation, not casters.
3. The great utility of a small amount of forced air into the RoCC kiln is to be re-emphasized and is something that I will be mentioning to others. It could be added at the flat end(s) of the current 4-ft diameter RoCC kiln with one
or more air-port(s) that havhave easily attached plugs, but the plug might not even be necessary, especially not until the level of the biochar has reached the height of that port.
4. I suggest having 4 simple wedges (like wooden shims) attached by wire to each of the 4 casters so that the rotation of the kiln can be easily stopped in a desired position.
5. To assure that the kiln does not jump off of the casters even when moving slowly in a field, please consider two “tie-downs” (of wire or chain), one on each end, from the axel of the handles down to the frame. As you know, additional
firm tie-down is needed when towing on a highway.
6. Please discuss with me your design before you begin construction, in case I have other observations. Consider “out-rigger” wheels for 3-point stabilization. Raise the wheels when not needed, but I suspect that you will use them
on the ground most of the time for this self-propelled unit.
Thanks again for everything!!!
Paul
Doc / Dr TLUD / Paul S. Anderson, PhD
Email:
psanders@ilstu.edu Skype: paultlud Mobile & WhatsApp: 309-531-4434
Website:
https://woodgas.com see Resources page for 2023 “Roadmap for Climate Intervention with Biochar” and 2020 white paper, 2) RoCC kilns, and 3) TLUD stove technology.