[Stoves] Simple fan test rig -- expanded

Jonathan P Gill jg45 at icloud.com
Tue Jul 30 14:55:17 CDT 2013


The pictures below illustrate a simple setup for teachers and students to experiment with TLUDs enhanced with variable speed fans.





A variable speed fan is mounted in a section of PVC pipe.  This assembly sits on top of
angle brackets to allow air to be pulled into the pipe section.

The grate above the fan assembly serves as the base for the TLUD.

The TLUD pictured is made from a standard soup can.  The design uses a gap for secondary air
and three washers as "deflectors"  This is as an alternative to a concentrator ring.
My experience is that deflectors work better are promoting turbulence in the fuel/air mixture.




Here we see the the draft enhancing can placed on top of the TLUD reactor can.
The draft can is simply another soup can with both top and bottom removed.
It is a "straight pipe".

This design has been documented in other posts.  It is key that the primary air supply
system be tuned to the fuel type.  I find the fewest and smallest holes in the bottom of
 the TLUD reactor that will allow complete pyrolysis of the feedstock makes a good design goal.

This has the added advantage that hot bits of charcoal are very unlikely to drop thru and damage the fan.
Anything that falls thru will be so small and light that the fan will blow it out of harms way.

This also allows the fan to be a permanent installation that the user does not have to worry about.



Plenum can made from 3 pound Costco coffee can.

Test in process. No smoke. Blended fuel: pellets, rice hulls, coffee chaff 

Above we see a can that was tested as a concentrator repurposed.  It is now inverted.
It surrounds the TLUD and does several things.

1. It captures air from the fan and forces it into the secondary air gap;

2. It captures some of the heat from the TLUD that is lost laterally.
   This  allows the secondary air to be pre-heated;

3. It protects the secondary air gap from external breezes;

4. Offers a degree of safety for the enclosed TLUD and draft enhancer.

Ideally, the top of this outer can would be about flush with the top of the draft can.
This would support a grate for cooking small samples.





View looking into the system during operation.


Pyrolytic carbon harvested from blended feedstock. Low ash is evident.
I start my conversations by telling people they are looking CO2 that used to be in the atmosphere.
i find this to be a very effective "hook" that gets them to start asking questions.





Another top down view of system in operation




Plenum can.  This VERY easy to make.

Locate the center.  Locate the five points of the pentagon - or hexagon.

Drill holes in the center and at the points of the pentagon.  The center hole should
be as large as possible to make it easy to get the snips in.
Use tin snips to cut from the center to the holes at the corners of the polygon.
Bend the flaps back int the can and flatten them out. Done.

Make sure the resulting aperture is not too loose or too tight a fit around the
draft can.  The plenum can has to be easy to add to the system and to remove.

Glad to answer any questions.

Regards,

Jock

Jock Gill
P.O. Box 3
Peacham,  VT 05862

+1 (802) 503-1258


Extract CO2 from the atmosphere!


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