[Stoves] Low CO Charcoal Stove

[Sam Bentson]

Hi Ron,

I agree that there is a lot of work to be done to making charcoal more efficiently. We’ll leave that for somebody else to solve!

Take care,

Sam
> On Apr 13, 2016, at 8:20 AM, Ronal W. Larson <rongretlarson at comcast.net> wrote:
> 
> Sam and cc List
> 
> 	1.  The key item I found below was your sentence:  “Making charcoal wastes about 5/8ths of the energy in the wood”.     I have seen even larger values for the wastage - and this (wastage and saving forests) was my main initial reason for an interest in the development of charcoal-making stoves.  (Now more interested in taking carbon out of the atmosphere, but forest-saving is an unchanged part of that.)
> 
> 	2.  But with TLUDs or other forms of char-making stoves, the above “wasted” sentence can be completely voided - zero wastage is possible when making char.  
> 
> 	3.  So I offer big congratulations for the multiple “4’s” below  (8 or 9?).  
> 
> 	4.  I urge modifying this sentence to emphasize that pairing this stove with char-making stoves can offer large advantages.  I especially like your statement about a TDR of 10.   The lower door is serving much like the control of primary air in a TLUD, but we shouldn’t call it primary air - there is no secondary.
> 
> 	5.  To help with sales of this sort of stove combination, I would enforce the law in many countries against the making of charcoal in wasteful ways.
> 
> 	5.  I urge list members to get on the Apro mailing list - for valuable messages like this from Sam and others at Apro.
> 
> Ron
> 
> 
> 
>> Begin forwarded message:
>> 
>> From: "Sam Bentson" <sbentson at aprovecho.org>
>> Subject: Low CO Charcoal Stove
>> Date: April 13, 2016 at 7:03:47 AM MDT
>> To: rongretlarson at comcast.net
>> 
>> 	 
>> 
>> 
>> Low CO Charcoal Stove
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Well-made charcoal that has no wood remaining in it burns without making appreciable amounts of smoke. ARC has been studying charcoal burning for many years. Ryan Thompson and Sam Bentson, ARC Lab Manager, worked on the new charcoal stove for two years. It is surprising that a charcoal stove was the best performing stove in the DOE funded R&D project achieving nine ‘Tier 4’ scores.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> The DOE funded Charcoal Stove Prototype achieves Tier 4 ratings on all ISO/IWA metrics by quickly raising the combustion chamber temperature above 609 C.
>> 
>> 
>> While pure charcoal doesn’t smoke it often makes a lot of carbon monoxide (CO). The ARC team super insulated the combustion chamber resulting in temperatures above 609°C (the auto-ignition temperature of CO) about four minutes after ignition. Secondary air jets of pre-heated air also seem to assist CO combustion. A large airtight door is used to increase firepower for boiling when fully open and to reduce firepower (10 to 1 Turn Down Ratio!) for simmering when the door is almost completely closed.
>> 
>> Making charcoal wastes about 5/8ths of the energy in the wood. But the wood causes smoke that results in human respiratory diseases. Urban cooks frequently buy charcoal to minimize their exposure and to reduce fire tending. Dr. Rob Bailis, a student of Dr. Kirk Smith at UCB, suggested in his 2005 thesis that switching to charcoal could reduce exposure to PM2.5 which is also the current intent of switching to natural gas, a cleaner burning fuel.
>> 
>> 
>> The post Low CO Charcoal Stove appeared first on Aprovecho.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> About ARC
>> 
>> Aprovecho Research Center (ARC) is a non-profit organization dedicated to solving the problems of indoor air pollution and fuel scarcity in developing countries related to preparing food on biomass cook stoves. ARC has been helping people with stove design and testing since 1976, and since 2007 has helped to create Regional Testing and Knowledge Centers (RTKC) with its emissions equipment and training programs.
>> 
>> An internship program is available to people from the RTKCs, or to highly qualified individuals who want to enter the field. The program is designed so that the intern gains valuable skills, helps ARC in its work, and so that a lasting partnership is built.
>> 
>> ARC's work is supported through the sale of its emissions equipment, testing, training, and design services, through the sale of StoveTec products, and by donations. Donations help to cover costs between sales and free the staff to pursue topics that are pertinent to ARC's mission. Some of those topics include developing the testing standards that make stove evaluations repeatable and accurate, learning the design principles of stoves so that anybody can make an improved stove, and supporting internships for people from developing countries.
>> 
>> Aprovecho Research Center is 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Your giftis tax deductible.
>> 
>>  	 
>> 76132 Blue Mountain School Road
>> Cottage Grove OR 97424
>> USA 
>> 
>> Unsubscribe | Change Subscriber Options 
>> 
>> 
>