[Stoves] Testing and Development Laboratories

[Tom Miles]

Crispin,

 

Good examples and great ideas. 

 

Thanks

 

Tom

 

From: stoves-bounces at lists.bioenergylists.org
[mailto:stoves-bounces at lists.bioenergylists.org] On Behalf Of Crispin
Pemberton-Pigott
Sent: Wednesday, January 19, 2011 2:01 PM
To: 'Discussion of biomass cooking stoves'
Subject: Re: [Stoves] Testing and Development Laboratories

 

Dear Tom

 

We need a bigger testing footprint. Many many stove are promoted without
people have a real clue as to their fuel saving or emissions profile and the
reason is primarily no access to any testing or the testing was not
relevant, not even to mention its accuracy.

 

>The reason for asking is that one way to stimulate stove improvement might
be enable producers to access and get support from labs. 

 

I believe the progress made by John Davies, on his own, was in good measure
because  real time testing could show him what was and was not better,
sifting through his hunches about how things should work. Maybe he can
support that. It certainly helped me. I was stuck in 'visual land' until I
was handed a small combustion analyser.

 

>I have seen situations where a design gets "stuck" without being further
developed due to lack of technical support. 

 

That support is the sort of thing you get at the SEET lab: bring it I, make
it perform, we will let you know what we think would make it better, then
demonstrate it to convince you. Emissions reductions by a factor of 10 are
routine with this method.

 

>Organizations involved in production and dissemination often don't have the
appropriate resources. 

 

It is a good use of Global Alliance funds because perhaps 100 new products
are needed.

 

>What would labs need funding support for? Equipment? Personnel? Conducting
tests, design and development? Or all of these?

 

All those and post-grads. I have been trying to get 5 physics students into
the SEET lab for more than a year with no success. No one will look ahead 5
years to the time when we need a new coterie of people skilled at testing
and familiar with the issues of standard setting and certification (implying
legislation and inspection).

 

Design and Development has to be backed up by access to real time emissions
and thermal efficiency testing. The task-based approach often used till now
hides too many thing and can waste a great deal of effort. 

 

Take a look at the attached charts. There is only one small difference
between these two tests (same stove) something detected in a real time
examination of the emissions.

 

Regards

Crispin

 

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