Part 4: Garbage In-Fuel Out (GI-FO) Power Plant - Finally, We Saw The Light

by Jack D Majik Dragon on Sunday, October 9, 2011 at 5:05pm

This is a series of articles on GI-FO which chronicles a humble development of proto-type Gasifier powered Electric Generator Power Plant.

The project is solely privately funded and no politics involved. This endeavor has no Memorandum Of Agreement (MOA) that binds, but the players are trusting by just looking on each others' eyes.

There was no need to setting a work time frame, but the inspiration and honor of pioneering this effort as Agricultural Engineers, our common Professions, is enough energy to propel a timely and swift realization of this true and workable renewable energy project.

Looking back, Planning, Fabrication and Performance Test become a leisurely passage of time.

Talks begun on April 8, 2011. We deliberately kept our talk simple. It already includes exploratory talks, formal talk, and final talk, in one night alone. Thereby, saving a lot of money on lavish representation expenses. We only consumed one regular meal on a kitchenette in Banawe, Q.C. and a couple of beer in front of Aberdeen Court, not inside.

By April 14, Alexis Belonio started sending via email the Schematic Diagram of Plant set-up. And more drawings flows constantly to the R&D (review & duplicate) Department of Suki Manufacturing.

The period of May to July 2011 is the fabrication period of GI-FO project by Suki Manufacturing on a spare time basis only, in such a way, that the regular production of SUKI products are not hampered.

On July 16, 2011, Alexis Belonio flew to Cebu for preliminary inspection and test of reactor components.

Few people witnessed this seemingly unremarkable event, but one of them, are a group of Technocrats, who were impressed how this Belonio's brainchild work amazingly. It's because, the reactor feeds on assorted Garbage materials without the benefit of sophisticated sorting machine and most of all, not in pellets form.

That preliminary test took at least two days to complete due to minor difficulties.

On the first day, the reactor won't ignite.

At night, Alexis prayed hard, for tomorrow is a make or break situation for our GI-FO project.

On the second day, Alexis knew he can make it, because he had already done it in Vietnam and Indonesia. This time, it is for his countrymen, how can he fail?

Suddenly, all the shop workers cheered when finally, a fire of hope burst into Gaseous Flame coming out from the pipeline which will later be fed into a 4 stroke cycle Engine that will eventually drive a Dynamo which will then produce electricity.

What remains to be done is to look for a gasoline feed Engine and matching Dynamo.

For practical purpose and intent, the choice is a Used or Surplus Engine and cheaper Dynamo, because of budget constraint and its wide availability.

Hence, a 3 cylinder Suzuki multicab engine was set-up with some minor retrofitting of carburator.

Then, a China Brand 10Kva, single phase Dynamo was installed.

Everything was ready by then, the final day of seeing a light bulb glow from out of the garbage is at hand.

August 29, 2011 is the judgment day for GI-FO project because this is the day Alexis Belonio will test the whole system.

In this finale performance of Alexis Belonio, I feel like worshiping him at his feet in bended knees and at the same time saluting him left and right. Yes, the bulbs are lighted out of transformation from Garbage to Fuel to electricity.

But what is really overwhelming, is the generous heart of Alexis Belonio, who unselfishly and unconditionally shared his time and talent, literally and figuratively just for a song.

Actual GI-FO Power Plant set-up