[Stoves] Improving Thermal Efficiency (TARP-VE)

[Crispin Pemberton-Pigott]

Dear Frank

There is much to know about particles.

>Where an emissions having none (only CO2) will not be able to form any. 

The problem comes before that: the carbon is available before it becomes
CO2. Carbon can make particles easily because when stripped of, for example,
hydrogen, it is charged and rapidly joins other carbons to make a BC
particle.

Particles rapidly grow by bumping into one another and sticking together.
The bigger, the more likely they are to hit and stick. Tiny ones can avoid
each other a number of times because of 'like charge'.

Aged smoke has a different of particles than fresh smoke.

>If pm is going to form its size and location is very site specific... 

Maybe. PM forms and gets burned in any flame that has visible light coming
off. The light is from glowing particles. There are lots of particles in all
normal flames. "illuminating paraffin' has something added to deliberately
form more particles so as to give off more light from the middle of the
flame.

>...Therefore if we look for particles in a lab and find none  it may be
just the location and local conditions where if we looked farther down the
gas flow or on a cooler day we may find the stove does very poorly.

Approximately.  All that could happen. For example moisture has a large
effect on PM formation. If there is either a lot or no moisture you can get
poor combustion in a stove designed for slightly moist wood. If you have a
known fuel, you can make a burner to cope with it. The single most important
thing to consider, if you have to pick just one, is that there is in
principle no such thing as a 'smoky fuel'. Even rubber tires can be burned
very cleanly, but not in a small wood stove, if you get my drift. Yes, local
conditions matter. Consider how gas furnaces have altitude limits stamped
right on the label.

Regards
Crispin