[Stoves] Fireballs production. was Re: Rocket Fuel?

[Paul S. Anderson]

Dan and Jeff,

The newspaper Dan mentions is dry when you twist it.  But if made wet, it will
not twist well but will compress more when squeezed.  Jeff has a wet process
for fireballs.

Jeff, the package of fireballs you sent me has arrived.  I am impressed by the
number of types (mixtures), but with so few of each type I cannot do much of a
test burning and still have some as demo items.  I hope to test some 
tonight in
a small gasifier.  The shapes and sizes (mixed diameters) are excellent 
for fuel
feeding.

There is a dung-burning rocket stove with nearly vertical gravity feed of fuel
that would probably easily use the fireballs.

How big of a batch could you make in 5 weeks and ship to Stove Camp?  Those of
us there would treat them with respect and give good feedback.  Some with
charcoal included are fine, but pure biomass ones are what we need most.

Jeff, although there are different qualities of fuel, basically fuel is 
fuel is
fuel, and the "value" is in the heat energy of BTU or MJ or kilocalories, etc.

BUT, what you have that is so exciting is a different way to "create" the fuel
from low-value biomass.  Can you direct us to (or do the write-up with photos)
of details about the "agglomerator" and however else you can create the
fireballs (apart from hand squeezing).  When people can shovel in the raw
materials and get fireballs to fall out (and just need sun-drying), THAT is
what can make the fireballs so truly valuable.  How could we make one 
for Stove
Camp?

Low density is less of a problem if the quantities of usable fuels are much
greater.

Pellet machines work that way (raw material goes in, fuel comes out), but are
very expensive, energy intensive, and fussy about the raw materials (mainly
sawdust).  But pellet making has become an industryRichard Stanley's 
briquette-
making methods and presses are major improvements for the low-cost side of
creating a biomass fuel, but the method is somewhat labor intensive (and we
await Richard's peddle-step-powered continual-operation device).  So, the
device for making the fireballs is the hinge-point that will take fireballs
into the mainstream of fuels or keep fireballs on the "backburner" as an
interesting novelty fuel.

We wish you 400% success, and more.

Paul

-- 
Paul S. Anderson, Ph.D., Geography professor - Emeritus
Telephone:  USA-309-452-7072 (residence and office)
Internet site:  www.ilstu.edu/~psanders
For my gasifier stoves info, go to:
http://bioenergylists.org/contributors#Paul_Anderson


Quoting Carefreeland at aol.com:

> The good thing about rods or logs vs. balls out of rough fiber, is that you
> can twist it to the correct density.  I have been impressed with the superior
> combustion of twisted sections of newspaper compared to the rolled balls Dad
> taught me to start fires with. I can adjust density to match chimney draft.
>
>       Dan Dimiduk
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>



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