[Stoves] Conceptioal Errors and possible pitfals.

[Erin Rasmussen]

Hi all, I'm distracted by one point out of Crispin's last email, and I renamed the subject because I'm hoping you'll help me explore it a little. 

 

I think the point of confusing heat transfer efficiency with fuel efficiency is a good conceptual error to point out because it can, and often does, confuse people who are new to thinking about these things.  And I think it would be a good idea to pull together maybe a  'top 10' of cognitive errors that are out there along with a reasonable explanation.   

 

What are some common cognitive errors that are waiting, like traps, for the unwary stove builder? Do they have relatively simple explanations that we could post on the web site and then use in our own presentations etc.  or direct new people to?

 

Thanks,

Erin Rasmussen

Cooking Stove Website Admin and List Admin

erin at trmiles.com

 

From: Stoves [mailto:stoves-bounces at lists.bioenergylists.org] On Behalf Of Crispin Pemberton-Pigott
Sent: Monday, May 06, 2013 11:03 AM
To: 'Discussion of biomass cooking stoves'
Subject: Re: [Stoves] Definition of char-making appliance

 

It does not require a change in the WBT4.2.1 formula which correctly calculates the heat transfer efficiency (or a reasonable proxy for it). The problem with the WBT 4.2.1 is that it assumes (or did) that the heat transfer efficiency tells you the fuel efficiency. In fact in old documents from VITA and Aprovecho and others the terms are used interchangeably. The UNFCCC current regulations for CDM projects also reflect this thinking. It is a conceptual error, not a mathematical error. As we are not holding talks on conceptual errors it may, I fear, continue to be a problem – one of several.

Regards

Crispin

 

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