[Stoves] Two problems regarding WHO Guidelines ....was Re: A "Cut and Paste" Summary of the 2014 WHO Guidelines

[Paul Anderson]

Stovers,

Five days and no comments?  So I will re-state the two issues that are 
presented in the original messages (below):

1.  EVEN WITH CLEAN STOVES, the CO and PM levels are higher than 
expected, with probable causes being the uses of multiple stoves, lamps, 
etc.

Therefore, regarding health, we could be finding that the efforts to 
have ULTRA-CLEAN stoves (LPG, Solar, Electricity, biogas, alcohol) could 
be sufficiently undermined by household/ambient conditions that the 
improvements of the health of individuals are not being attained, 
regardless of the cost of those stoves and their fuels.

This is NOT a reason to stop efforts for clean stoves, but it could be a 
reason to focus more on getting better "stove stacking" with several 
reasonably improved stoves instead of putting too much 
emphasis/financial resources on having an ultra-clean stove placed in an 
setting without other improvements.

In other words, the recent increased recommended strict reduction of 
emissions for health purposes might be sooooo tight that broader changes 
in societal issues (life-styles such as stove stacking, windows open, 
different light sources, etc) become more important than having the 
ultra clean stoves.

2.  Chimneys are insufficiently understood and/or insufficiently 
consistent in operation  concerning emissions.   And there is an 
expectation of (or allowance of, or the modelling for) 25% of emissions 
coming into to room.

That this value (25%) is arrived at as the average value between 1% and 
50% seems very crude.   IMO, a stove with a chimney that lets more then 
40% of emissions enter the room is hardly deserving to be even called a 
chimney stove.  Not even 20% should be entering the room!!!!!

Such an expectation or assumption in a model clearly works against a 
stove with a good chimney arrangement and can favor a stove with a bad 
chimney arrangement.

There could be more to this chimney story than is currently evident.   
But until it is clarified, questions will continue to be raised.

Paul

Doc  /  Dr TLUD  /  Prof. Paul S. Anderson, PhD
Email:  psanders at ilstu.edu
Skype: paultlud      Phone: +1-309-452-7072
Website:  www.drtlud.com

On 12/2/2014 9:07 PM, Crispin Pemberton-Pigott wrote:
>
> Thanks Dean -- that is very helpful.
>
> Stovers: there are some issues really worth discussing in this document.
>
> *Levels of CO and PM higher than expected in clean fuel studies*
>
> **
>
> 9.)Even allowing for variability and differing circumstances, it is 
> clear that the measured levels of PM and CO in homes using clean fuels 
> are much higher than predicted. This does not undermine the model, but 
> points towards other explanations. These include continued use of the 
> traditional stove (even in stove/fuel evaluation studies), along with 
> the new one (known as stacking), other emission sources in and around 
> the home (kerosene lamps, waste burning), and external sources such as 
> fuel combustion from other homes and other sources of combustion 
> contributing to outdoor air pollution entering all homes. (pg.123)
>
> That is of great concern to me because if the model is not predictive, 
> it means predictions of improvement are also not going to be 
> reasonably accurate. It does however open up a new possibility which 
> we are exploring at the moment in Indonesia: the use of specialised 
> solid fuel cookers for dedicated tasks. TLUD stoves are highly suited 
> to boiling water in a single-function device. The use of such a 
> 'kettle' combined with LPG would make for a very clean combination. 
> This should be explored as an intervention strategy that can achieve 
> much faster results than that anticipated by 'replace the stove and fuel'.
>
> *Model based on 75% of pollution going up the chimney*
>
> **
>
> 10.)The emissions model allows for ventilation (with a flue or 
> chimney) by assuming (based on empirical data from several studies and 
> countries) that the fraction of total emissions entering the room lies 
> between 1% and 50% with a mean of 25% and standard deviation of 10%. 
> On average, therefore, it is expected that emissions entering the room 
> from vented stoves are 75% lower than with unvented stoves. (pg.123)
>
> Twenty five percent? This is an unreasonable assumption. Good heavens. 
> No chimney stove operating like that would be used in any 
> self-respecting traditional home in Mongolia or Indonesia or South 
> Africa or Canada for that matter. No wonder the chimney stove 
> 'forecast' of their model emissions into the home has such a poor result.
>
> Was this perhaps deliberate in order to argue that only LPG and 
> electricity can suffice? Seriously -- why would such an assumption be 
> adopted, followed by a claim that chimney stoves 'can't meet the 
> emissions requirements into the room'?  They could easily be met by 
> using a proper chimney.  I hope this is not the beginning of a trend 
> to misrepresent the performance of clean burning solid fuel stoves. 
> Gasifiers burn solid fuels -- anything from peat to wood to pellets. 
> To label everything as inherently 'dirty' is unreasonable. Charcoal is 
> a very clean fuel in terms of PM even in a bad stove. In a good one, 
> the CO is really low as well.
>
> I was already worried when I saw in several places references to 
> 'clean fuels' as if the stove was not an inseparable element of clean 
> combustion. There is no such this as a 'clean fuel'. Any fuel can be 
> burned badly if it is put into a crummy stove.
>
> As always, if a stove is tested out of context, the results are suspect.
>
> Regards
>
> Crispin
>
> +++++++++++
>
> Hi All,
>
> I've attached a "Cut and Paste" Summary of the new WHO Guidelines.
>
> Best,
>
> Dean
>
>
>
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