[Stoves] ETHOS Conference

[Tom Miles]

All,

 

As you could tell from Ron's notes we had a lively ETHOS conference. Ron
will probably have more complete notes but they may be delayed since he will
be travelling South tomorrow to visit Burn Lab and then to join an Open
House at Aprovecho Research Center where he will be testing some new design
concepts. 

 

8:30-9:20 Today opened with another fascinating series of US DOE funded
research projects:

Jessica Tyner, Colorado State University, on modelling and testing TLUDS.
Very advanced models validated by extensive testing. The first extensive gas
analyses that I have seen with changes in gas compositions with different
wood species. Cool simulations and video images of gas patterns in different
configurations. Conclusions about how refueling TLUD affects performance.
This stimulated a lot of discussion about fuels, fuel geometry, and
operating conditions. 

Michael Johnson, Berkeley Air, described various special purpose sensor used
as part of  a "Platform for Integrated Cookstove Assessment.   

Dean Still, Aprovecho, presented a critical summary of a year's worth of
testing and development that culminated in a publication on stoves. Dean
showed TLUD and rocket stoves under development with chimneys (to comply
with WHO standards) and catalysts.  

These presentations generated a lot of discussion, not only about the
content but also about methods of delivering the content to the stoves
community. We will link to the information as it is put online. The
presentations will be on the ETHOS site and the  USDOE papers will be
available online through Open Access sites. 

 

There were lots of questions about fuels. At the formation of the Global
Alliance for Clean Cookstoves some of us participated in a working group on
fuels in which we set out a series of needs and priorities for research and
development. I have been told that GACC has done quite a lot of work on
fuels. We'll see what we can find out about that work.  

 

10:11-20. Sessions on Design/Performance, Emissions Equipment, and User
Research/Adoption. 

In the User Research/Adoption category Paul Means, Burn Lab, presented
results of surveys and visits in a presentation titled "Beyond the WBT: User
Research and Cookstove Development." This study covered many  aspects of
user adoption that we are familiar with, such preferred stove height,
weight, diameter, and performance in the lab vs in the field. Paul described
several problems with surveys that they solved through simple demonstrated
rather than questions that led to useless information.    

Elisa Derby described a "Consumer Research Toolkit for Improved Cooking
Technology Options." This was a clever adaptation of a survey tool developed
by the US Census that conveniently analyzes survey data for you. She showed
examples of how the tool works with some simple analyses. It was suggested
that we have surveyed stove users to death and that we should just get the
product out there and see if it sells, IF it doesn't then do something else.


Danny Wilson, Berkeley Lab, demonstrated a tool for analyzing SUMS data.
Custom programming has been developed as part of a PhD thesis to
substantially reduce data crunching.

Nordica MacCarthy demonstrated "Engineered Systems Modelling and Decision
Based Tools and Their Applications for Village energy". Using data from Nate
Johnson's work in Mali, she showed how household cooking energy is
interrelated with other energy uses and needs such as lighting and water
heating, and how solar or other devices could be used in combination with
stoves to meet energy needs while increasing capacity to increase household
income, improve health, and reduce climate impacts of alternative practices.


 

Design Performance, Modelling presentations included:

Sam Bentson , Stovetec,A planning Tool for Stove Developers With
Indoor/Outdoor Air Modelling

Dale Andeatta, Pot skirts as a Means of Improving Efficiency of Plancha
Stoves 

Pundle, Predicting Natural Draft Rocket Stove Performance Using
Computational Fluid Dynamics.

Allawatt, A Simple Heat Transfer Model and Applications to Stove Design

 

Emissions Equipment

Seidel Hatfield New Equipment Development at Aprovecho

Caubel, Recalibration of Dustrak for Biomass Cookstove Emissions

Ebeola-Martial, Quartz Filters as a reliable and Economical Alternative to
Teflon Filters for Measuring Gravimetric PM2.5

Thompson, Emissions Measurement Equipment: Behind the Lies

 

11:30-12:30 pm

 

New Applications

Peter Schwartz, Cal Poly, Solar Electric Cooking: Coming Soon?  - student
projects at Cal Poly

Larry Winiarski, Rocket cyclone incinerator

 

Combustion Products

Michael Johnson, Berkeley Air, In-field black carbon emissions from
cookstoves in Asia and Africa. Michael showed results of black carbon
emission  from many stoves and locations compared with standards. This was
BC only and did not include organic carbon (White) emissions, inorganic
components or gases such as CO.             

Erin Rasmussen, Natural Charcoals, So Much More Than  A Cooking Fuel. Erin
described biochar and how it is used for water filtration and as a soil
amendment. She showed how it can be made in developing countries with a
Jolly Roger or other carbonizer with examples from Josh Kearns work in Asia.


Francesco Tortorici stepped in to fill a no-show and described a project in
Port Townsend, Washington, in which biochar is being used to filter zinc
from boatyard effluent to demsontrate how biochar sould be used as a filter.


 

Expanding Our Impact

Ross, Empowered Entrepreneur Master Trainer Program

Crystel Cheong, Malawi, Building 2 million stoves by 2020

Lipp, Fire That Talks: Exploring the Connection Between Ethnolinguistic
Identify and Clean Cookstoves

 

2:00-3:30 Discussion - What We Want from ETHOS going forward

This was a lively discussion about the conference, what we liked about it,
what we though was lacking, and how we want to continue as a "conversation".


 

We had 140 plus attendees in our 16th year. Many participants were
enthusiastic newcomers there from all parts (Zimbabwe, Malawi, South Africa,
etc.) for  the first time. We lacked some of the foreign participants and a
few manufacturers/project developers. Some attendance was affected by the
recent attendance in Ghana and in the ISO working groups. Seve3ral people
concluded that it was the best stoves conference that they attend. There
were many suggestions. 

 

3:30 - Lighting of the stoves

Lots of great examples this year of rockets and TLUDs in many different
configurations from tincanium to sleek stainless steel models. Paul Anderson
demonstrated the Mimi-motto along with other designs. Seachar had a new
estufa finca design that sported a water cooled TEG by a third party.

 

Ryan and Clark(?) of Mountain Air Technologies (Aprovecho) tested a compete
air quality sampling that they developed with PM, CO, etc. Cool stuff!    

 

Leon Johnson brought out a "Kon Tiki" bio char maker that will reduce 3 m3
of biomass to 1 m3 of charcoal in 2-4 hours. His company recently built it
and is using it to make biochar for their organic soil blends.  

 

We'll put pictures of these devices up on the stoves website. 

 

Kind regards,

 

Tom

 

T R Miles Technical Consultants Inc

tmiles at trmiles.com <mailto:tmiles at trmiles.com> 

www.trmiles.com <http://www.trmiles.com> 

 

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