[Stoves] Clarification: Re: Open-source adam retort design?

[Crispin Pemberton-Pigott]

Dear Jeff and Kim

The first link:

COMPARING SIMPLE CHARCOAL PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGIES FOR THE CARIBBEAN
http://www.cd3wd.com/cd3wd_40/vita/charcprd/en/charcprd.htm

Has this sentence in it:

" When wood is converted to charcoal, over half of the energy value is
lost."

We have to get people to start putting numbers on things. The statement is
only true form time to time and when looking at decent charcoal making, is
not true. A direct comparison between the (not dry) wood going into the kiln
and what comes out, 63% of the energy remains.

We need to put an end to old inaccurate memes.

Further, when the cooking device is considered, charcoal stove cooking (55%)
is much more efficient that wood stove cooking (35%), given state of the art
for both technologies. The result of 55/35*0.63 = 1.00 meaning there is no
loss of cooking overall. The difference is that charcoal is much cheaper to
transport, cleaner to work with and needs far less attention.

It is not an accident that people prefer cooking with charcoal. 

And further, Peter Coughlin's work with short chimneys shows that one can
ignite a charcoal stove in 10% of the time by using a starter chimney. That
save quite a bit of fuel and a great deal of smoke.

Kim, note that the Jamaican gas vent was about 2/3 of the way along the
body. 

Regards
Crispin