[Stoves] Fwd: RE: Explaination of downdraft in TLUD updraft stoves ---was--Re: Mis-information

Paul Anderson psanders at ilstu.edu
Sun Apr 1 09:12:11 CDT 2018


Dear Kirk and all,

Kirk wrote to "All" but it seems to have come only to my address. So I 
am sending to the Stoves Listserv Kirk's message (including his 
attachment drawing), to which I provide my response after his message 
has been read.
PSA
-------- Forwarded Message --------
Subject: 	RE: [Stoves] Explaination of downdraft in TLUD updraft stoves 
---was--Re: Mis-information
Date: 	Sun, 1 Apr 2018 00:13:11 -0700
From: 	Kirk H. <gkharris316 at comcast.net>
To: 	Paul Anderson <psanders at ilstu.edu>


All,

I have been trying to think how down-draft might be possible in this 
stove.  I am not convinced that the Venturi effect alone could do it 
working against the draft. The attached drawing might explain how it is 
possible.  What do you think?

Kirk H.

Sent from Mail <https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=550986> for 
Windows 10

________________________________________

Reply by Paul is below:


Kirk and all,

I have previously posted my thoughts that the co-mingled 
primary/secondary air (two purposes of air that are not with separate 
entrances) means that the venturi effect is causing a lowering of air 
pressure inside the bottom part of the sealed fuel chamber.


To test that hypothesis on paper, take your diagram and place a number 
of small (2 - 3 mm) holes into the bottom of the fuel chamber (and 
therefore with access to ambient air).   It will be functioning as a 
normal TLUD stove, not as a downward sucking (DS) stove.   To test that 
hypothesis in the real world, have a functioning DS stove with maybe 6 
holes in the bottom, closed off with screws.   Remove one screw.  
observe.   Remove a second screw and observe. Remove more and more 
screws.   That is one test.


Prediction, the DS function will weaken with the removal of each screw, 
until there is an equilibrium of air pressure inside the bottom of the 
chamber, and then (maybe with one more screw being removed) the primary 
air will rise through the fuel.  Be alert that there might not be any 
glowing pyrolysis (normally at the MPF) to allow the creation of a MPF 
(pyrolytic front) as in a normally operated TLUD stove.  Be prepared to 
re-gnite the upper flame (if needed) to prevent a smoke event.

The second test is to have a cold start of a "DS stove with open 
bottom-holes" that is loaded with fuel, and do a standard top ignition. 
   And watch to see if the TLUD or DS  process occurs.

I think that I am correct.   The venturi effect on those lower side hole 
can still be operational, but it will be pulling out sideways some of 
the true primary air that is entering from the bottom.   The result will 
be no reduction of the air pressure inside the fuel chamber, and TLUD 
operation will dominate.

Paul

__________________________

*From: *Paul Anderson <mailto:psanders at ilstu.edu>
*Sent: *Saturday, March 24, 2018 6:34 AM
*To: *Discussion of biomass cooking stoves 
<mailto:stoves at lists.bioenergylists.org>; gkharris316 at comcast.net 
<mailto:gkharris316 at comcast.net>
*Subject: *Re: [Stoves] Explaination of downdraft in TLUD updraft stoves 
---was--Re: Mis-information



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 3/24/2018 7:39 AM, Ronal W. Larson wrote:

    Kirk et al

    You have it partially correct - but we are not talking about a TLUD.
      There is no MPF (Moving Pyrolysis Front).  Rather, the pyrolysis
    gases are created by the downward flowing (very) hot gases..

Incorrect.   There is no way for the very hot gases that are the flame 
at the top to go downward WITH O2 through a substantial layer of hot 
charcoal and then reach the raw biomass fuel at temperatures that are 
going to cause full-fledged pyrolysis (at least above 400 C) and 
continue downward to exit through what are called "primary air inlets" 
(but are claimed to be outlets).

    Besides N2, there is a fair amount of CO2  - but no O2.  Much more
    gas comes out the bottom than enters (all valuable pyrolysis gases)
    . Possible only because of the Venturi effect - not iimportant in TLUDs.

    See http://www.charcoalproject.org/2010/05/a-man-a-stove-a-mission/ .

My very quick look at this did not find speciic content about proving 
the downdraft issue.    (If anyone finds specific content, please call 
it to my/our attention.)

    and:

    https://foodtank.com/news/2017/05/nathaniel-mulcahy-worldstove-talks-clean-cooking-stoves/

Also an Info item, not a science item.

    and

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsH_Gh-n2Mg

This is the FORCED AIR Lucia stove and is not relevent to the current 
conversation.

See further down my reply to Noil (or was the Neil), and Crispin and Kirk.

    I will look for more technical descriptions.   Note these above
    emphasize the biochar part of cooking.

    Ron

        On Mar 24, 2018, at 1:52 AM, Kirk H. <gkharris316 at comcast.net
        <mailto:gkharris316 at comcast.net>> wrote:

        All,

        I like Noll’s remarks.  If down-draft was occurring the gasses
        would cool as they pass through the unburned fuel and so the
        vapors would condense and become smoke.  There would be lots of
        smoke exiting the primary holes.  This is not happening in the
        video.  Creosote would soon coat the entire bottom and annulus
        portions of the stove and clog the primary air openings. 
        Creosote may also coat the unburned fuel and so restrict the air
        flow.  Also the unburned fuel would get hotter and hotter and
        possibly begin pyrolysing in mass.

VERY good point.   Something that can be studied via observation without 
lots of expensive equipment.

        Paul’s question about how air would get to the MPF from above is
        unanswered.  The air would have to pass through the flame.  This
        may be possible because the flame is a gas and gasses are
        permeable.  But as the air passes through the flame, the oxygen
        would get used up so only nitrogen would descend into the fuel
        and the MPF would go out.

        Crispin remarks that it would have to be an air restricted
        situation for down-draft to occur and only around the edges. 
        This sounds true, and you would not get much fire power in an
        air restricted situation.  And remember how TLUDs go out when
        turned down too much?  Would whatever this is have the same problem?

Yes, such a flow is to be considered.   I visualize it as a donut.  
Primary air upward through the donut hole and then some pyrolytic gases 
downward as an annulus (the sides of the donut.  Also to be studied.

        With adequate primary air to keep the MPF going, adequate
        secondary air, and an open top the gasses inside would be
        actively interacting with the outside atmosphere.  All the
        gases, including near the edge of the chamber are hotter than
        the atmosphere and subject to rising via buoyancy, although
        perhaps at different rates.

        It is unlikely that it is down-draft.

CLARIFICATION:  Downdraft has at least two meanings.   One can be the 
movement of gases, such as some pyrolytic gases moving downward in the 
fuel column (what we are discussing).  The other is as in a downdraft 
gasifier there the hot gases exit the gasifier by going downward THROUGH 
the bottom layer of red-hot (white hot) charcoal.

So the wording could be        It is unlikely that it is down-draft 
[gasification]    Which it is not in this case.   OR It is unlikely that 
[there] is down-draft [of some gases within the column of fue.].  (which 
is what is being discussed.)

NOTE:  This is te the most vigorous TECHNICAL-BASED DISCUSSION on the 
Stoves Listserv for quite some time.   I like it!!

Paul

        Kirk H.

        Sent fromMail
        <https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=550986>for Windows 10

        *From:*Paul Anderson <mailto:psanders at ilstu.edu>
        *Sent:*Friday, March 23, 2018 6:09 PM
        *To:*Hugh McLaughlin <mailto:wastemin1 at verizon.net>;Stoves and
        biofuels network <mailto:Stoves at lists.bioenergylists.org>
        *Subject:*Re: [Stoves] Explaination of downdraft in TLUD updraft
        stoves ---was --Re: Mis-information

        Hugh,

        Thanks for the reply.  I am forwarding it to the Stoves Listserv.

        The impact of the air being drawn in (creating a draft onto the
        ignited stick) should be able to be checked by shielding the
        flame from the direct draft.

        To all:   How can we get copies of these messages to Heath
        Putnam for his input?

        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 3/22/2018 5:41 PM, Hugh McLaughlin wrote:

            Paul,

            I am unconvinced. One of the comments (the first - Arthur
            Noll) provides an explanation - it is the air being drawn
            into the base (primary air inlets) that stimulate the
            burning at the bottom.

            Hugh

            Noll's comment is copied below:

            That is interesting, but I'm not convinced that pyrolysis
            products are coming out of the bottom.  You don't see any
            smoke coming out the bottom until you put the flaming stick
            in there.  The stick could be producing the smoke that hits
            the bottom of the can, turns sideways and joins the flow of
            air, much of which is rising up the sides between the
            containers, while smaller amounts are going in to the wood.
              If it were correct that products of  pyrolysis  were going
            down and then up, I would expect to see a significant amount
            of smoke coming out the bottom and up the sides all the
            time, not just when the stick was put in.  And I would
            expect to see soot and tar precipitating out on the surfaces
            between the containers. Pyrolysis produces a combination of
            gases, smoke, soot and tar. It is messy.  I have built these
            stoves and this area is always clean, even after many burns,
              just like what you have is clean.  I have always felt that
            the smoke, tar and gas from the pyrolosis was rising up, and
            the preheated air coming out the secondary air holes,  going
            into this mixture of flammable gas and vapor, made the jets
            of flame.  I don't think it makes any difference whether you
            have a jet of air going into a mass of flammable gas or if
            you have a jet of flammable gas going into a mass of air,
            both can give you a jet of flame.

            On Thursday, March 22, 2018 9:05 AM, Paul
            Anderson<psanders at ilstu.edu> <mailto:psanders at ilstu.edu>wrote:

            *Explanation of downdraft in the fuel chamber of TLUD (UP
            draft) stoves.*

            Paul S. Anderson, PhD     21 March 2018

            Stovers, Previously I wrote:
            *******************
            This link takes you to  [what I am calling Video A.)
            https://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_1962734105&feature=iv&src_vid=wzN-cYR84_Y&v=b0vM9aD78XY
            Same fellow.   and showing clearly UPdraft.   Side by side
            comparisons.  Well worth watching.
            That is dated 2015.  I hope that somebody will delve into
            this further.

            *****************************

              First, we all should thank Heath Putnam for his research
            and for reporting it publicly.   He also provided an earlier
            video that lh cheng saw and called to our attention:
            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzN-cYR84_Y

            This I am calling Video B.  Although dated earlier, it is
            better to watch Video A first.

            After sleeping on this question last night, I think I have
            an explanation.   And it also would explain what Nate
            Mulcahey presented as the "Everything Nice Stove" which he
            claimed was not a TLUD stove and claimed to be a downdraft
            flow of the pyrolytic gases (or Opposite draft).   Putnam's
            work shows (but does not explain) the answers about
            downdraft in updraft TLUD stoves.

            The big clue (revealed in video (A) above) is the difference
            between the two trial units. The difference is a sealed
            bottom that enables a "co-mingled air supply zone" for
            somewhat restricted primary and secondary air versus
            abundant secondary air that arrives separately from the
            supply of primary air.

            If the primary air entry is direct or very nearly direct and
            sufficient even with a small, restricted flow, it will
            sustain the migratory pyrolytic front (MPF), and all the air
            and gases will flow upward.   This is the CLASSIC
            description of TLUD operation.

            But consider the case of a TLUD-design stove that has a
            closed bottom (or is sitting reasonably tightly on a flat
            surface that prevents entry of abundant air)  AND also has
            somewhat limited entry (via 4 holes in Putnam's glass outer
            cylinder) of air for*_BOTH_*primary and secondary air into a
            space (a "co-mingled air supply zone") from which BOTH types
            of air must be drawn. Therefore, the only exit is upward. 
            The only DRAFT for the stove is powered by the flame of the
            burning gases at the top.

            Consider the case of a functioning TLUD stove when the MPF
            is below a layer of charcoal about 3 to 6 cm down from the
            top, with another 7 to 12 cm of raw fuel below the MPF.  The
            pyrolysis occurs, and the hot gases tend to rise upward
            through the layer of char and into the zone of the cooking
            flame.   But the flame requires secondary air, which can
            only come up in the ring (annulus) between the two
            cylinders, and it does come up.  This is the vast majority
            of the total supply of air (about 5 units for secondary to 1
            unit of primary air).   In fact, that natural draft by the
            flame is pulling the air from the "co-mingled air supply
            zone" (that one place of air supply which is also feeding
            the primary air).   There is therefore a reduction of air
            pressure below the MPF, and that means less movement of the
            primary air upwards.

            The result is that there is sufficient lower pressure that
            SOME of the pyrolytic gases move downward.   Probably some
            swirling also, or some channels of gases going down but with
            SOME (at least some) primary air (the O2 is the important
            part) moving to the MPF.
            With a little bit of time, some of the pyrolytic gases reach
            the entry holes of the primary air and leak outward into the
            "co-mingled air supply zone" where there is fresh air
            entering and where those gases can be combusted (as shown in
            the Putnam demonstration in Video B).   Impressive.  And if
            there is no flame down there, those pyrolytic gases can be
            pulled upward to become part of the upward flowing secondary
            air THAT IS NOW PRE-MIXED (-but rather diluted to some
            unknown amount -) WITH COMBUSTIBLE GASES.   Nice trick, and
            you can see Putnam's demonstration of a taller, stronger
            flame (Video A).  This is important. Pre-mixing is to be
            encouraged.   But it should be understood and done
            intentionally to attain consistent results.

            BUT in the described simple setup, production of the
            pyrolytic gases is suffering. There is a somewhat deficiency
            of primary air.  That could be forgiven (or overlooked or
            ignored) except for one very important factor:

            When the downdraft is occurring, the stove user loses some
            control over the fire.   The draft from the burning gases is
            now regulating (in part) the operations of the TLUD stove.
            The normal control of a TLUD fire is by closing off some
            primary air, or using a small fan, but these are no longer
            as effective because of the co-mingled air.   As the flame
            at the top changes when there is downward flow (shown by
            Putnam), there is a ripple effect to the air flows.  
            Adjust, then adjust again, and then adjust again.

            You can look at the Champion TLUD (only one hole for primary
            air entry) or the Quad or the Troika (by Awamu) with only
            one entry for primary air, or some of the other more
            established true TLUD stoves.   The Peko Pe by Wendelbo also
            keeps the two air sources separate. Then look at Putnam's
            variation and at the Everything Nice stove and see how the
            primary and secondary air are comingled and subjected to the
            draft created at the top of the stove.

            Also consider what would happen if there actually was
            sufficient downward draft for the FULL reversal of the air
            flow in the fuel chamber.   At the top there is flame.   And
            how is there any O2 surviving in that flame so that it could
            go downward enough to go through the 3 to 6 (and deeper)
            layer of hot charcoal in order for O2 to reach FROM ABOVE
            the top side of the MPF and to sustain that MPF for sending
            gases further downward?  And then those pyrolytic gases
            would need to go out through what were the primary air inlet
            holes, and then be mixed with secondary air (but never
            catching fire because somehow there was not a spark there,
            even at the end of the batch with red-glowing coals????),
            and then rising in the annulus between the two cylinders,
            and only when entering the area of the main flame would
            those gases combust.  But this supposition of FULL reversal
            of the air flow is impossible because there are no pyrolytic
            gases moving upward from the MPF.

            Conclusion: In a TLUD stove, there can be PARTIAL downward
            drafting of the created pyrolytic gases when caused by
            natural draft of secondary air to counteract the flow of
            primary air.  This is educational, but what is possible is
            not necessarily desirable or practical.
            --
            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/>

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