[Stoves] New document from ESMAP

[Crispin Pemberton-Pigott]

Dear Friends of Big Reports

 

There is a document you can get at 

https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/bitstream/handle/10986/21878/96499.pdf?s
equence=1

 

which is from ESMAP

 

It makes for very interesting reading, from great observations to howlers.
It appears to have been written mostly by policy makers but makes many
technical claims as well.

 

Some points are really worth debating here:

 

"LPG is a clean, non-toxic fuel that emits little particulate matter and
burns efficiently. Compared 

to kerosene, it delivers double the heat for the same quantity used."

 

Which quantity would that be? Certainly not per $.  Mass? LPG has about the
same energy content per kg as kerosene so this claim surprised me. A good
kerosene stove is going to be above 45-50% efficient, fuel heat to pot heat.
LPG is about 65% efficient on a good day. I would say that is 30-45% better.

 

Maybe they meant LPG with a modern good condition burner compared with an
old wick stove. In that case if could be more than double. If we compare
really good kerosene stoves with LPG there is no difference. Peak efficiency
at, say, 1.25 kW is comparable though I have seen a cheap wick stove from
China that outperformed a new LPG stove at that power level (71% v.s. 65%).

 

Why is anyone so certain kerosene is such a bad fuel? Is it perhaps bad
stoves that cause the problem?  The long term answer is low pressure stoves
because they avoid all sorts of pressure-related problems and does away with
wicks at the same time (they lose effectiveness over time). We need some new
inventions.

 

One of the objections raise against kerosene compared with LPG in South
Africa was from the fuels industry. With LPG they control the distribution
right to the last mile. With kerosene, all sorts of people are involved in
micro trading fuel in plastic bags (!) and bottles.

 

Unlicensed people! Ordinary folks!  

 

Anyway, have fun reading. There are contributions from all the usual
suspects. There are lots of great charts you can cite.

 

Regards

Crispin

 

PS I see they once again have omitted the stellar performance of the
super-clean TLUD coal stoves rolled out in Ulaanbaatar, the most expensive
and most successful externally funded stove project ever.  It is also the
first time a city's air pollution has been substantially improved (-63%)
without changing the fuel. Eat that, London.

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