Rice Technology Bulletin

Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) ISSN 0117-9799 2011 No. 71

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System
Engine-Pump
Rice Hull Gasifier
 Rice Technology Bulletin Series
No.
1 Released Rice Varieties (1968-1994)
2 Pagpaparami at Pagpupuro ng Binhi 39 Use of Indigo as Green Manure
sa Sariling Bukid
3 Paggawa ng Maligaya Rice Hull Stove
4 PhilRice Micromill
5 PhilRice Flourmill
6 PhilRice Drumseeder
7 PhilRice Rototiller
8 Rice Food Products
9 PhilRice-UAF Batch Dryer
10 Integrated Management of the Malayan Black Bug
11 SG800 Rice Stripper-Harvester
12 Dry-Seeded Rice-Based Cropping Technologies
13 Maligaya Rice Hull Stove
14 10 Steps in Compost Production
15 Rice Tungro Virus Disease
16 The Philippine Rice Seed Industry
and The National Rice Seed Production Network
17 10 Hakbang sa Paggawa ng Kompost
18 10 nga Addang ti Panagaramid iti Kompost
19 Characteristics of Popular Philippine 55 Bakanae: The Foolish Disease of Rice
Rice Varieties
20 Rice Stem Borers in the Philippines
21 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 Processing
26 Use of 40kg Certified Seeds per Hectare
27 Rice Wine
28 Management of Field Rats
29 Controlled Irrigation: Saving water
while having good yield
30 Minus-one Element Technique:
Soil Nutrition Deficiency Test Made Easy
31 Management of the Rice Black Bug
32 Management of Zinc-deficient Soils
33 Management Options for Golden Apple Snail
34 Use of Evaporation Suppressant
35 Pagpaparami ng Purong Binhi ng Palay
36 Management of Sulfur- Deficient Lowland Rice Soils
34 Use of Evaporation Suppressant
35 Pagpaparami ng Purong Binhi ng Palay
36 Management of Sulfur- Deficient Lowland Rice Soils
37 Management of Planthoppers and Leafhoppers
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38 Management Options for Ricefield Weeds
40 Management of Salt-affected Soils for Rice
Production
41 Wet-Seeded Rice Production
42 Matatag Lines
43 Hybrid Rice Seed Production
44 Metarhizium anisopliae: Microbial Control Agent
for Rice Black Bug
45 Integrated Nutrient Management for Rice Production
46 Management of Armyworms/Cutworms
47 Carbonized Rice Hull
48 Rice-based Microbial Inoculant
49 Integrated Farm and Household Waste Management
50 Rice Postproduction Practices
51 Ecological Rice Farming
52 Modified Dry Direct Seeding Technology
53 Palayamanan: Making the Most out of Rice Farms
54 Practical Guidelines in Predicting Soil
Fertility Status of Lowland Rice Soils
56 Management of Rice Blast Disease
57 Root-knot Management in Rice-Onion
Cropping System
58 Management of Yellow and White Stemborers
59 The PhilRice Dapog Technology
60 Rice Straw-Based Nutrient Management in
Irrigated Lowland Rice
61 Biofertilizer Production:
Vesicular Arbuscular Mycorrhizae (VAM)
62 Trichoderma: Biofungicide for vegetables
63 Barayti ng Palay handog ng
PhilRice 2007-2009
64 Management of Zinc-deficient
Soils (revised edition)
65 Soil Series: Improving Agricultural
Productivity in Pampanga
66 Soil Series: Improving Productivity
in Tarlac
67 Laboy tiller: Improving deep
muddy and swampy rice lands
68 B&S Rice mini-combine harvester
69 Rice Disease Diagnostic Kit
70 Reducing Methane Emissions from Irrigated
Ricefields
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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Why Develop Gasifier?

►► 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;

►► Increasing price of fuel

(diesel, gasoline)
►► Alternative water pumping
for farmers using rice hull
as fuel for engine;

Prices of gasoline and diesel

as of February 2011

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Gasifier History

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

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 Stationary Gasifier Model

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

Outstanding Features
►► 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

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Mobile Gasifier Engine Pump System

Design Features

►► 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

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Field Performance

Behav ior of Engine Speed

2500

2000 Behav ior of Engine Speed

2500
1500
2000 average line
1000
1500 rpm
500 average line
1000
rpm
0
500
1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17
0
Time @ 5 mins interv al
1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17
Time @ 5 mins interv al

►► 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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 Operation of the System

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

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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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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

►► 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
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 Socio-economic Benefits

►► 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- Gasoline Diesel pump

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

Discharge capacity, li/s 7 11 13

Cost of water pumping, 0.96 1.52 1.72
P/m3; (Savings, %) -
Feb. 2011 (36.58) (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.

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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 System

Rice Technology Bulletin No. 71: 20p., December, 2010.

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