[Stoves] (no subject)

[Jessica De Clerck]

Hello,

 

I am looking for some insight into an array of issues around
fuel briquettes and stoves.  I
apologize for the long list!  I am hoping Crispin, Dr. TLUD, Richard and others can answer some of these.

 

Burning Stalks

At Stove Camp 2010, we used TLUDs to burn what I recall were
maize stalks in Dr. Anderson’s TLUD. It worked great.  However, if maize or sugar cane stalks
can be burned for fuel, why are people not already using this fuel in three
stone fires, or are they?  I did
not see this in Uganda, but I do not know about Haiti or elsewhere (where I
will be working soon).  I
understand that a TLUD or other stoves would do a better job of cleaning up
emissions. -But if a person had access to free fuel in their fields, I would
think they must have a good reason for not burning it, even in an open fire.

 

Does the fact that it burns quicker than wood deter people
because it requires more effort to feed it constantly into the stove?  Or does it not burn as cleanly as wood?


 

Consumption Rate

Does burning fuel in a TLUD or other stove slow down the
rate at which fuel burns as compared with fuel burned in an open fire?  It seems to me it would because the
airflow into the fire would be more controlled in a stove.

 

Density

This also brings up the question of the density of a fuel
briquette.  What difference does
density make?  It seems like we pay
a lot of attention to this, but to me it seems the only difference is that the
less dense the briquette the quicker it will burn. Does a less dense briquette
burn hotter (assuming identical material is used in each briquette)?

 

Briquette Stoves

I have recently built another RokStove or Holey Rocket –the
side fed rocket stove for holey briquettes out of clay and sawdust.  I made it to the best specifications I
could come up with after considering rocket stove principles, which was 9” long,
15” tall, and 5” in diameter both in the feeding area and combustion chamber.
Once the stove has been fired, these dimensions will have shrunk approximately
10%.   This will leave a gap
between the stove and my 4”x 2” holey (1” hole) briquettes.  I would like to know if anyone else has
had experience in building or using these stoves so that we may share lessons
learned.  I already speak with Rok
and he’s a great help. 

 

What other stoves have been tested and are recommended for
burning holey briquettes?  I am assuming
unless the hole is used as an air channel as in the RokStove, the hole in the
briquette makes no difference (for example if the briquettes are just put in a
pile, or used in a gasifier, because otherwise a briquette can be broken into
pieces if too large).

 

Green Charcoal vs. Uncarbonized Briquettes

Lastly, has anyone done a study of the emissions from making
“green charcoal”?  I see what Amy
Smith is doing with the kilns to make charcoal and the Adam Retort and there seems
to be a ton of smoke coming off the kilns in the process of making the charcoal.  I understand it is an improvement from
traditional charcoal making, but I wonder if anyone has measured the emissions
so that I can compare it to other processes. 

 

Does anyone have recommendations on what raw materials ought
to be burned in a retort vs. crushed and made into uncarbonized
briquettes?  I’m thinking coconut
shells and other hard materials that cannot be crushed easily, but I would
appreciate more input.

 

Thank you all for you time.

 

Jessica De Clerck 


 









 		 	   		  
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