[Stoves] Stove Definition

[Kevin]

Dear Tom
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Tom Miles 
  To: 'Discussion of biomass cooking stoves' ; 'Frank Shields' 
  Cc: 'Jim Jetter' ; 'Hugh McLaughlin' 
  Sent: Tuesday, April 30, 2013 11:00 PM
  Subject: Re: [Stoves] Stove Definition


  Kevin,

   

  Lofty ambitions need to be tempered in the field. 



  # I can buy an Oil Furnace,  or a Wood Furnace, that includes an honest "Performance specifications" that report on what the Oil Furnace will do. I can look at several such units and decide what is best for my application. What I want to know is Fuel Burning Efficiency, that is, of the fuel energy I provide, how much comes out as useful heat. If I choose to run my wood furnace appropriately, I can cause it to produce char. The Manufacturer does not say, 

  "Oh, since you don't completely burn the fuel in the furnace because you want to put the char in your Garden, you can subtract 1/2 of the energy in the char from the energy content in the fuel supplied, and recalculate the efficiency in a manner that suits your purposes." What he would say, if asked, would be: "Sure, you can do that, but you will burn more fuel to get the same heating performance."



  # My "Lofty Ambition" is to provide the Stove Customer with a clear, transparent, understandable, and correct report on the performance of stoves, to assist him in making a rational purchase of a system relevant to his needs, similar to what he gets when he buys a wood or oil furnace, but suitably modified for cooking situations.



  You have been on this list for several years. Unless you have been completely ignorant you should have a clear idea of what organizations we all have been contributing to and what they have accomplished or are attempting to accomplish. Do your homework and study the definitions and test protocols that are in use and under development. If you want to adapt a test procedure to “Customer” needs then get into the field: volunteer for a stoves program, test stoves using various protocols, and install and monitor stoves in the field. It is by no means as clear are you portray it. You will understand why many very talented people are still working to meet the challenges.



  # While there are indeed many very talented people working on "challenges", an Engineering Student could could put together a competent and meaningful  "Stove Testing and Reporting Protocol" as a Class Project. I would suggest that the biggest of the "challenges" being addressed by many of the very talented people are not of a technical nature.  



  # "To solve a problem, first define it." 



  Kevin

   

  Tom    



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