[Stoves] trying to figure something out

[Marc Pare]

Stovers -- I'm investigating an interesting cook stove phenomenon witnessed
outside of Hanoi, Vietnam.

A stove presented at a workshop was equipped with what was called a
"refractory burner".

The material was in the shape of a cylinder underneath the burner head that
held up the pot. When the stove was turned on, the material would heat up
quickly and retained heat during the run. The interesting result was that
the fan controlling the air supply could be turned way down and the flame
stayed on. This isn't usually the case in gasifiers. Usually, at low air
flowrates, the flame goes out.

I suspect the material was what Dr. Mark Bryden referenced off-hand at ETHOS
this year as a "refractory flame holder". The material surrounds the region
where combustion occurs, increasing the temperature at which the reaction
occurs.

The attached pictures show the device in action. You don't get a good look
at the refractory portion I am describing, but they should give you some
context.

Anyone have any idea what I'm describing? If we can replicate the low
air-flowrate operation, it would allow the addition of a "simmering mode" to
gasifiers, greatly increasing their turndown ratio.

Thanks for your help,

Marc Paré
B.S. Mechanical Engineering
Georgia Institute of Technology | Université de Technologie de Compiègne

my cv, etc. | http://notwandering.com
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