[Stoves] Central channel combustion stoves. Was RE: Henson CenterFiure Burner System

[Kevin Chisholm]

Dear Crispin
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Crispin at newdawn.sz" <crispin at newdawn.sz>

>
>>Not to be argumentative, but what Lanny has configured in a raw form is
>>really a Side-Lit Updraft Gasifier, a S-LUD Gasifier Stove.
>
> I have a problem with this description because it is not a gasifier any 
> more
> than a JIKO isa gasifier.  As I have said before, all coal fires are gas
> fires.  All charcoal fires are gas fires.

It would appear that the T-LUD is called a gasifier stove, because the fuel 
is "gasified", and subsequently, it is burned out of contact with the fuel 
bed, so that the final products of combustion don't (or are unlikely) to 
re-contact the fuel. If this constitutes a "gasifier stove", then the Henson 
Centerfired Burner also fits the definition..."the fuel is gasified, and 
subsequently, it is burned out of contact with the fuel bed, so that the 
final products of combustion don't (or are unlikely) to re-contact the fuel 
bed..." I would thus suggest that Lanny's S-LUD fits the same basic 
definition as a T-Lud, and therefore conclude that both are "gasifier 
stoves." This conclusion is only as valid as the definition that I posed. 
Perhaps someone can pose an alternative definition that clearly seperates 
the S-LUD from the T-LUD.

BTW, Lanny's S-LUD in some respects more versatile, in that it can be lit at 
the top, middle, or bottom, and has the central air column into which the 
gases can escape the fuel bed for combustion. It is at the very early stages 
of development, and would appear to have great "upside potential." It 
appears to have a fundamental advantage, in that it can be refuelled from 
teh top without smothering the active combustion face.

> A charcoal fire is not going to burn from the inside to the outside like a
> sawdust stove does.  Nor will it burn from the top down like Reed's stove.

If we take a very simplistic position, we have a hot irregular vertical 
charcoal surface with air flowing by it. This is a basic recipe for a fire. 
:-) At the present early stage of development, it might work poorly on 
charcoal, but with furtrher development work, it might work very well as a 
charcoal burner.

> It will be burn like John Davies' packed bed coal stove, which is more
> technically a gasifier than Lanny's burner is.

Regrettably, I am not familiar with John Davie's packed bed stove. Would you 
have a URL for where I could get some background and understanding of it?
>
> The interesting thing about Lanny's fire is that it has a hot metal 
> ignitor
> maintained at a high temperature by convection and radiation to light 
> gases
> and sometimes come from the right and sometimes the left.

There is a lot more to the bent coathanger wire spiral than would first 
appear.
>
> I have not gone into detail about the downdraft coal stove I have made for
> JHB but while investigating it I found that it the 'grate' is made from
> sheet metal punched with lots of holes, it smokes.  When the grate is made
> from thin wires, they stay hot enough and ignite what passes through them.
> Lanny has built a center-fire system that uses the wire grate of the
> downdraft stove rolled into a tube.

Is it possible that with a small wire, the Reynolds Number is high enough 
that turbulence results with the wire grate, but that it is too low with the 
punched plate grate to create a turbulence effect that might be the key to 
an igniter effect?
>
> It is OK, it is as far as I know his idea first, but making a hole in the
> middle is not new at all, packed, unpacked, whatever.

The Henson Center Fire Burner System seems to pull together a number of 
principles, to permit an end result that is perhaps superior to when the 
principles are applied separately.
>
> It might turn out to be a surprisingly effective way to get the CO down,
> though I suspect it is not at the moment because of a lack of air through
> the center.  That still have to be investigated.

That is a good point. One way to deal with this problem would be to use a 
hollow "spider" or pot support through which air necessary to complete 
combustion could be supplied from above the fuel bed, in addition to the air 
passing up through the center fire region.

As far as I know, Lanny is doing all this work in his spare time. He has a 
lot of interesting fun work ahead of him. :-)

Best wishes,

Kevin
>
> Best regards
> Crispin
>
>
>
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