[Stoves] RE Retted Switchgrass Fireball Test

[Jeff Davis]

Dear Crispin,

I think you are correct, it's more a stove/air issue. I simply lack a stove 
that has adjustable inlet air controls (and preheat).

Jeff


On Sunday 03 December 2006 08:18 am, Crispin wrote:
> Dear Jeff
>
> I thought about this for a while and I think you need more draft for this
> to work.
>
> Everything about the characteristics of the fuel and fire points to an
> insufficient burn rate, not an excess of carbon or even a moisture problem.
>
> My view is that when you can get a fire eventually, and it is smokey, and
> it works well for a short time if you blow on it, it will work with a
> modified air supply.
>
> When you are facing moisture, preheating with recycled heat is needed, and
> when blowing on it makes things better, you need more draft.  If that camp
> stove is fan driven, you may have to fiddle the primery/secondary ration
> but the principle remains.
>
> In my limited experience burning low density briquettes cleanly requires
> preheated promary and secondary air, plus more frequent feeding due to the
> low total mass inside the fuel chamber.
>
> As fireball are easy to make, perhaps you should 'rate' the stove not the
> product!
>
> Regards
> Crispin
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Jeff Davis" <jeff0124 at velocity.net>
> Sent: Saturday, September 02, 2006 6:27 AM
>
>
> Dear List,
>
> [snip]
> I had this evening to burn some of my small switchgrass fireballs. Big
> disaster. They just made smoke. I oven dried them and all my burn tests are
> in the Woodgas Camp Stove. All I could think of was, I sent this stuff to
> Stove Camp! But then I told myself that I also sent some paper fireballs
> and they burn good.
>
> Desperate I loaded up the tools of my demise and rushed off to the place
> where
> the larger switchgrass fireballs are (Lanny's sample). I'm now hoping that
> this compost like agglomerations are to high in carbon and the larger
> particle size will help (stronger bed). Also, like charcoal, this could be
> a poor fuel for the inverted down draft gasifier.
>
> I loaded the stove up with my somewhat damp larger fireballs and fired up
> the
> propane torch to start the stove. Still mainly just smoke! I put a few
> paper fireballs on top and for a short time some nice flame. Then I added
> some peat
> fireballs on top, I'm still desperate at this point. Well, the peat did not
> seem to help.
>
> After somemore time went by the smoke started to clear!
>
> [snip]
>
>
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-- 
Jeff Davis
Somewhere 20 miles south of Lake Erie, USA
http://www.velocity.net/~jeff0124