[Stoves] Chinese stove photo sequence

[neiltm at uwclub.net]

On 27 Jan 2017 at 9:59, Frank Shields 
wrote:

> It should rate as 33.5% moisture along with many other characteristics
> (size, shape, carbon densities etc.). and if the combustion chamber is
> able to use such fuel with that moisture (not outside the predetermined
> moisture limits) it should work. We need to pick and set up test methods
> for determining Limits for different common variables for stove types.
> Report the range they work. 

I would find that valuable certainly.  The 
Reed stoves made no claim as far as I 
was ever aware.  I discovered the hard 
way that they were more fuel fussy than 
the Chinese ND camp stoves which are 
more forgiving, but at the cost of sooty 
pans.  Utilising the full fan speed 
compensated to some useful extent 
whereby a moderate cooking heat, 
otherwise obtainable with dry wood on 
half speed was obtainable.

I'm not sure how much anyone might 
consider I have already tested this for 
this particular stove?

I don't believe I could get this stove to 
burn a full load of this wood, as when I 
tried, this was when I discovered the 
benefits of the burn once persistence 
had eventually paid off and that a two 
thirds load is the maximum I have 
managed to consume in it, but only by 
refuelling the top one third of the 
volume with dry, such that migratory 
pyrolysis then progresses slowly 
downwards, but only with further 
progressively reduced refuelling until a 
point is reached where it will self 
sustain somewhere near the bottom.

Different rules apply for a bottom layer 
of this wood where the spike would 
otherwise occur as the bottom of the 
stove reflects the heat back into the fuel 
more than a lower layer of wood. I have 
yet to experiment with 'how wet can it 
get?' It is that potential that asks a 
different question than you appear to be 
asking since it is addressing the 
flexibility to be able to successfully and 
even advantageously burn *some* wet 
wood primarily by exploiting the 
tendency of the bottom layer to flare 
once reached, but also by varying 
overall moisture content as a way to 
achieve the heat and duration desired 
where there is no air adjustment by the 
stove.

I would be interested to hear if anyone 
has successfully burned wood with such 
a high moisture content in a TLUD, or 
what anyone has designed a TLUD to 
tolerate?

'Carbon densities' I would not know how 
to determine other than by reporting 
species and condition of wood.  It 
occurs to me that one third moisture 
achieved through partially seasoned or 
dried green wood might have different 
burn characteristics, perhaps drying out 
more slowly in the stove than seasoned, 
but brittle wood.  Is this what you are 
referring to by 'carbon densities'?

In general I have been surprised by how 
little difference is made by the size of 
the fuel, certainly compared with 
varying the moisture.

Thanks for replying,

Neil Taylor