I haven't checked the board for a while,
Very busy these days. We are focused on bringing the Million BTU version to market first, getting a couple of rev rolls in on it this summer. Building, testing, etc. 3 units by about August.
Sorry to break it to you, I think all 3 have homes already. We are getting calls everyday from people who need this product. People with dry kilns are really feeling Propane prices. Spending literally hundreds of dollars per day on gas.
The current design of the large burner does not blow the fuel the same way that the small one does and can therefore handle up to 1" screening from a chipper. We are perfecting the controls that already allow more flexibility of fuel. It automaticly adjusts fuel rate to achieve and maintain a constant burn temperature. And the heat exchanger is a different design allowing better operation at idle (gas consumption goes to zero after startup even if you idle for long periods). Some of these improvements will carry over to the small burner in future revisions.
It is common on the small burner, like KEA mentioned, when you get a new (spieces, moisture content, whatever) fuel you need to manually adjust fuel and air rates (seperately) to re-optomize the system. Too little air and you have smoke, too much air cools the burn chamber robbing BTUs causing you to use more fuel to do the same job.
Fuel is quite variable also. It is some number of BTUs/lb dry (there are subtle differences between species, a bucket of hickery is heavier than a bucket of spruce, but BTUs/lb is about the same, the density is different), if the moisture content is up, it takes some of your heat to boil off that water. Sawdust from a bandsaw is pretty dense, plainer shavings are fluffy (needs to be augered in much faster). We are working toward a system that is mostly self adjusting.
Sorry to be so dry and long winded.
I will be at the Richmond Show next month with our big new saw, the 4250SCH, at the AWMV booth. Anybody who happens to be there please stop by and say hello
