[Stoves] [Biochar] New Bob Wells TLUD

Tue Dec 15 10:31:56 CST 2020

Dear Bob

It seems that the chimney is acting as an inducer of sorts, and eductor, pulling hot gases away from the fuel quickly enough to maintain a self-heating retort (without primary air).

I suspect there is a small amount of air circulation within the fuel load.  At 17” diameter it would be difficult to prevent it.

Very interesting device.  The workmanship looks good!

Regards
Crispin

From: Stoves <stoves-bounces at lists.bioenergylists.org> On Behalf Of Bob Wells
Sent: Tuesday, December 15, 2020 10:45
To: main at biochar.groups.io
Cc: Discussion of biomass cooking stoves <stoves at lists.bioenergylists.org>; Biochar at groups.io
Subject: Re: [Stoves] [Biochar] New Bob Wells TLUD

Ron,

    In answer to your questions:
    When in biochar making mode I have the primary air completely closed after the initial start up which gets the gasses flowing.  This is very counterintuitive since people always want to open the primary air in order to give the fire more air but what really happens is that the primary air makes more gas and therefore a richer mix not a leaner one.  Thus more smoke not less.  If it starts to smoke, I simply adjust the chimney and the smoke disappears.
 RWL1)  The one pictured is not very large.  It's aimed at being homeowner/backyard size.  It weighs about 30 lbs.  The barrel is 20 inches high and 17 diameter.  We have built them all the way up to 36 inches tall and 30 inch diameter.
 RWL2)  This mode is actually where it works the best.
RWL3)   I never use primary air after startup unless I need a huge amount of heat and am willing to sacrifice the char.  The chimney and the grill are strongly mounted on a square shaft with holes.  One hand easily raises or lowers either one and a pin sets it's height.  It's no problem to switch from one to the other, even without gloves during a burn.
RWL4) Incoming air does not mean primary.  The chimney does all the work of pulling the secondary only to the level needed to burn the gas.  Pyrolysis is taking place from the radiant heat of the flame and not the air hitting the char.  That is why we can make lots of char in a short time and it has very little ash in it when we are done.  The great thing is that you can see it all happening.  Black char forming under gas forming under clean flames.
RWL5) I'll try to get you some more pictures that will show the scale.  Also an earlier version made in carbon steel is shown in this video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czmthbaS3uE<https://eur05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DczmthbaS3uE&data=04%7C01%7C%7C060c1b4878eb4da0bd9c08d8a115182e%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637436459336989444%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=QcNhWJaEWo%2BDgcOr1TcyGDNZg7UtsGM4OpyTEHUg5U4%3D&reserved=0>
RWL6) With very little skill and experience it can be run smoke free.
RWL7)  I'll try to remember to get you all video when it's done.

On Mon, Dec 14, 2020 at 5:52 PM Ron Larson <rongretlarson at comcast.net<mailto:rongretlarson at comcast.net>> wrote:
Bob:  cc list and Kevin Mclean.    I have also added the stoves list - which should be very interested.

Note change in thread name.

Nice product and nice response.  Thanks.  Few questions inserted below.

On Dec 14, 2020, at 2:09 PM, Bob Wells <bob at newenglandbiochar.com<mailto:bob at newenglandbiochar.com>> wrote:

Hi Ron,

    Yes this is a New England Biochar TLUD that we build out of heavy duty stainless steel.  I designed it for the backyard scale of making biochar and also for cooking.  It's kind of aimed at the upscale market as opposed to so many stoves that are meant to be very inexpensive.
[RWL1:  Expense is my reason for adding Kevin Mclean.  Knowing your interest in getting more char in the world, any lessons (not thinking about this model) for Kevin and others in the low-cost market?
I couldn’t see any way to tell the diameter and height.  Maybe weight also.
Blowing up one photo a lot, I think I saw maybe two rows of maybe 30 holes close to the top.  Being so  close to the top  explains your added chimney - which was a surprise too.

We burned through about a dozen different prototypes over a couple of years before I settled on this design.  It makes great biochar and is very controllable and powerful without having to use any electric fan.  There are a number of features that make this really work.  First off the primary and secondary air are kept completely separate.  That makes it possible to control the ratio between the two.  The primary air has a valve that you can see in the lower left of the bottom picture.  I start the fire with this open and get a quick hot start.  I can then turn down or even turn off the primary air and add fuel steadily. Kind of like a flame cap kiln at that point.
[RWL2:  Most interesting. - don’t recall anyone reporting on use of a TLUD for flame cap operation.   Plenty on adding fuel - but not with a closed primary air supply.

The secondary air returns much of the fire heat by passing through the annular space before coming into the top of the burn chamber.  My biggest innovation in this design is the adjustable height chimney.  By raising and lowering the chimney in relation to the secondary air holes it is amazing how much control you can achieve over the combustion.  It acts kind of like a carburetor and you can really tune your mixture in order to get a clean, hot, smokeless burn.
[RWL3:  Yes - I don’t recall any other (TLUD or otherwise) stove with an adjustable chimney.  That is seen in the second photo - so there has to be a clever way of getting in and out securely.  Which means that you see a strong use of the grate that be rotated  in and out for barbecuing.  I don’t recall seeing that ever either with a TLUD.   Probably means you have to operate barbecuing  with some primary air?  Or maybe not.

With the primary air closed off, you can keep burning inside, and even burn in the chimney very nicely.  As soon as anything that you put in burns off it's volatiles, it's char crumbles into the bottom where it is below the incoming air and therefore it doesn't burn.
[RWL4. “Incoming air" here obviously means primary.  Any way of knowing how much secondary air might be moving downward to meet the hot coals?

If you continue to add feedstock the biochar continues to pile up until the whole thing is full up to the secondary air holes.  You then put water on it until it's out and using the built in handles, you simply roll the whole thing over to empty it out.  Roll it upright again and you are now ready to start another batch or to go use your biochar.
    Alternatively, at any point you can stop making char, remove the chimney, insert the grill and cook lunch.  It makes the best burgers that I have ever tasted.  I use mine a lot for boiling lobsters.  I just put my pan on top of the chimney while I'm making biochar.  It's plenty strong and steady and with the holes in the top of the chimney the heat flows perfectly.
[RWL5:   So I’m now better understanding this is a BIG unit!!
Nice looking handles.  I see something like a step between the handles (and the third handle behind)  Is the “step" for holding raw hamburger meat?  Or it is for added strength?
I also now better understand the shape of the “roll-bars”.

    The down side?  It's heavy and therefore expensive to ship.  It's stainless steel and expensive to build but like biochar it will outlast us all.  Of course everyone wants to know how much it costs.  With adjustable chimney and grill, F.O.B. Eastham, MA $1200.

    I have dozens of burns on my demonstration unit with no changes in geometry or ware that I can see.  I think that I could run over it with my tractor without hurting it.  It's really fun to explain to people that I have a charcoal grill that makes charcoal while it cooks your food instead of just burning charcoal.  It's also the perfect tool for teaching young people (of all ages) about biochar, fire, energy, gasification, etc...  When it's going strong, you can pull the chimney off and clearly see through the flame to where the gas is being generated through pyrolysis below the flame.  At that point the secondary air holes look like gas jets in a propane burner but it is the hot air being injected into the gas instead of the other way around.
[RWL6:  it is amazing to me that the two flame geometries look so similar.   And yet all (most) of the (outside) pyrolysis gases do somehow get consumed.

I'm pleased with the design, I just wish that I could build it for $1 and send one to every family around the world that needs one.  But for now I have to be happy with supplying those that can afford them but still want to play with fire and biochar.  We are working on videos and an instruction manual.
[RWL7;  Beautiful work - thanks for sharing.
Well explained.  Much here to ponder.
Please let us know when the video is out.

Ron

Bob

On Sat, Dec 12, 2020 at 11:24 PM Ronal Larson <rongretlarson at comcast.net<mailto:rongretlarson at comcast.net>> wrote:
Bob:  cc list

Thanks for your comments that mostly relate to the first of three figures you supplied in your 10 Dec, message.

Can you add some comments on the stove shown in the last two photos.  These are very attractive!    Probably. TLUD - but maybe not.

 I’ve snipped most everything else below as they don’t relate to these two stove photos.  I couldn’t find anything similar at your website.

Ron

Begin forwarded message:

From: "Bob Wells" <bob at newenglandbiochar.com<mailto:bob at newenglandbiochar.com>>
Subject: Re: Biochar production is a system and staged process RE: [Biochar] Farmer who built a Kon-Tiki that was tractor mounted and fitted with spreader.
Date: December 10, 2020 at 1:22:25 PM MST
To: main at biochar.groups.io<mailto:main at biochar.groups.io>
Reply-To: main at Biochar.groups.io<mailto:main at Biochar.groups.io>

<snip>_._,

_._,_
<TLUD ss 9 20.jpg><TLUD ss 9 20 with chimney.jpg>

[cid:image001.jpg at 01D6D2D5.AC7F4FE0][cid:image002.jpg at 01D6D2D5.AC7F4FE0]
--
Bob Wells
Biochar Systems

New England Biochar LLC
Box 266 - 40 Redberry Ln.
Eastham, MA 02642, USA
T:  (508) 255-3688
bob at newenglandbiochar.com<mailto:bob at newenglandbiochar.org>
www.newenglandbiochar.com<https://eur05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newenglandbiochar.org%2F&data=04%7C01%7C%7C060c1b4878eb4da0bd9c08d8a115182e%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637436459336999442%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=FpusojucRfpVPYiiOagTa1zISW8l%2FlVklYwNy588sLE%3D&reserved=0>

[https://docs.google.com/uc?export=download&id=0B0TYdoSucnAPNUVFQ2ZVV2hycEU&revid=0B0TYdoSucnAPM2Z0SFFPNVR0OU9sQnFTMWdXN25NbjJyYW5nPQ]

_._,_._,_
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_._,_._,_

--
Bob Wells
Biochar Systems

New England Biochar LLC
Box 266 - 40 Redberry Ln.
Eastham, MA 02642, USA
T:  (508) 255-3688
bob at newenglandbiochar.com<mailto:bob at newenglandbiochar.org>
www.newenglandbiochar.com<https://eur05.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newenglandbiochar.org%2F&data=04%7C01%7C%7C060c1b4878eb4da0bd9c08d8a115182e%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637436459337029422%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=2JTfuRf5DAHug6z4hLMq3efPSaTXuFa1lUTAXIVgdi8%3D&reserved=0>

[https://docs.google.com/uc?export=download&id=0B0TYdoSucnAPNUVFQ2ZVV2hycEU&revid=0B0TYdoSucnAPM2Z0SFFPNVR0OU9sQnFTMWdXN25NbjJyYW5nPQ]
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