[Stoves] TEG-TLUD Re: Biochar and Uganda and Char-Making stoves

Sat May 21 10:46:08 CDT 2016

Dear Jock

This list does support photos.

I had a good long talk with the developers of this stove. They have reached the limit of what they can do without much better testing equipment. It is a downdraft stove, hopper-fed, pellet burning of course (it was a letter stove competition) and it can still be improved. The very interesting aspect was the huge TEG’s mounted directly in front of the flame.

Comparing this with Alex English’s cross draft burner seen at the Stove Testing Camp last year, I think Alex would have won the competition, had he entered. That said, both are exceptional and simple.

The unit puts out as much power as a large solar panel so if you are going to heat your house anyway, you might as well run the heat through the TEG. Then the efficiency is immaterial.

The only technology that will out-perform this is the thermoacoustic generator which has maybe 5 times the output (because of a much higher conversion efficiency). They are not yet available in small sizes. The Canadian one is 5 kW and runs at 700°C.

Here is the burner opened. The amount of fuel burning at a time is tiny. The centre plate means the fire is burning in a ring around the edge. This approach is not scalable – be warned – if the power level is altered.  It is difficult to maintain a burning ring. Making it burn in a single point solves that, but it is does in fact work because it is so small. There is enough heat flowing in that tiny space the keep the whole ring lit. The gap between the ring and the outside diameter is small enough to support the pellets.

Generally speaking, you will get less trouble from Alex’s approach which is to burn sideways. Lots of issues disappear.

While I am digging in the folder, Testo demonstrated their version of a TEOM which is a cross between a size-selecting impactor plate and a vibrating microbalance. The PM is collected on the gold plate which slowly rotates. 

Regards

Crispin

A very interesting stove built expressly to drive a TEG was shown in April at the Brookhaven National Lab.  It had one moving part - a fan, burned pellets - could be fed from the top, was clean burning, powered some lights and charged a battery.  It was not configures with a cooking surface, but that would be an easy upgrade.  As designed, it did not produce Biochar.  It was a 100% combustion device.  It was designed for off the grid living and survivalist needs.

The Alliance for Green Heat organized the event. Crispin and I both made presentations.

I would post a photo, but the list does not support photos.  Crispin can tell you more.  Or ask John Ackerly of the Alliance.

Cheers,

Jock

Jock Gill

P. O. Box 3

Peacham, VT 05862

Cell: (617) 449-8111

Extract CO2 from the atmosphere!

On May 21, 2016, at 8:33 AM, Paul Anderson <psanders at ilstu.edu <mailto:psanders at ilstu.edu> > wrote:

Dear Hussein,

Thanks for your thoughtful reply.  As you can see from the separate replies by Andrew Heggie of the UK and Erich Knight in the USA, this topic is of interest to many of us.

I and Nolbert of Awamu in Kampala are interested in your development of a workshop for stove production.   

The use of some of the generated power to operate a small fan on a TLUD-FA stove is of interest, but (as you surely know) natural draft units are also able to give the needed heat.  BOTH avenues are of interest.

How open are you to collaborative efforts about linking the TEG in TLUD stoves?  The "TEG-TLUD" efforts could become collaborative or competitive, depending on the desires of those involved.  I favor collaboration.

Paul

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

On 5/20/2016 6:45 PM, Nsamba Hussein Kisiki wrote:

Dear Prof Paul,

Many thanks for your email. I am indeed passionate about retrofitting TEGs to already existing improved cooking stoves to increase their functions especially for the end user to be able to watch a television, able to treat water (UV treatment), able to listen to radios, provide LED lighting as well as charge mobile phones alongside biochar production.

I assume this will make great contributions to the developing world, considering the fact that about 1.4 billion people have no access to power and since 2.8billion people are expected to be relying on traditional biomass for cooking by 2030.

I assume the above could be achieved if upto 5Wh of power can be achieved from a conventional cooking stove retrofitted with TEG. 

I am proposed to integrating the technology with the fan which could use could use less than a watt to supply more air to the stove and improve on the stove combustion efficiency, to further reduce on the dangers arising from indoor pollution.

I would preferably be keen to succeed with the above initially with  individual households, where of course custom designs can later be scaled up based on need and demand. From a research perceptive, It would be great to compare the performance of TEG retrofitted stoves with and without fans especially in terms of fuel consumption rate, duration of operation, emission levels, difference in costs, etc.

All said, I believe this is something we  can achieve as a team. 

PS: I have built up a centre in Uganda, with fabrication  and welding facility, having capacity to fabricate the preferred stove designs, upto any required volume.  

My contributions towards this have so far been on personal levels,financed from personal savings and with no external funding but I am sure this is something that can be supported, considering the contributions it offers, to the World.

Hussein

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