[Stoves] Re: blue flame observations in TLUD rice husk gas stove

[Roger Samson]

It may be a function of fuel quality and the quality of combustion. The best
blue flame we have gotten with the Mayon turbo stove (MTS) is with cocoa
husk then rice hull, but also we have gotten it with millet husk -peanut
shell mixes. However the cocoa shell is unique, it has no flame above the
fuel bed, then 3 inches above we have dancing blue flames. In the case of
rice hull the blueflame starts at the fuelbed. It maybe that the cocoa shell
releases its gases more readily.

In my gasifer pellet pellet stove that I heat my home with in Montreal, corn
provides one of the best blueflames. I do not know but think maybe somehow
related to the chemical composition such as chlorine and potassium content
of the fuel as the ag residues tend to be higher in these constituents. 

I think the blue flame is sexier to watch at night but may not necessarily
better than a light yellow flame which usually occurs with high quality wood
combustion.  The emissions and combustion efficiency are likely similar.
However a blue flame maybe a good indicator of low particulate load as  the
stoves with blueflame seem to have relatively low particulate load. 


Roger



-----Original Message-----
From: stoves-bounces at listserv.repp.org
[mailto:stoves-bounces at listserv.repp.org] On Behalf Of psanders at ilstu.edu
Sent: Friday, May 05, 2006 12:06 AM
To: alexis belonio; STOVES
Subject: [Stoves] Re: blue flame observations in TLUD rice husk gas stove

Stovers,

The following is from Alexis Belonio.  He is not subscribed to the Stoves
list
serve, so please include his address in any replies that you send.

Alexis, please tell us more about the amounts of primary air that give 
the best
gases.  I suspect that a moderate to strong flow of primary air is best.  If
really strong flow, than what is observed?  And if a low flow, what is
happening?  So far you are the only person who has these observations, so
your
details are important.

Tom Reed, I still do not know why you say that blue flame is not better 
than the
yellow flame, or however you choose to say it.  Please elaborate.

Paul

Quoting alexis belonio <atbelonio at yahoo.com>:

> Dear Paul,
>
> Thanks for the email and the info re blue flame from
> gasification of biomass!
>
> In my previous experiments on TLUD rice husk
> gasifiers, I found the following factors contributed
> in producing a bluish flame color:
>
>   1. The fuel itself - Only rice husk was found to
> have a bluish color in the stove.  I tested wood
> chips, corn cobs, and dried leaves. The rice husk
> produced the bluish color of almost 80 to 90% followed
> by crumbled dried leaves  of about 60 to 70% then corn
> cobs of 30-40%, and wood chips of 5-10%.
>
>   2. The moisture content of rice husk fuel - Based
> on my several tests, drying rice husk in the sun for
> half a day produces a better flame (more bluish)than
> rice husk which is not subjected to drying before
> fuelling.
>
>   3. The type of burner used - The design of the
> burner also affects the color of the flame.  The
> cylindrical type cover produces a better flame than
> the conical cover.  This can be attributted either to
> the distribution of secondary air or the preheating
> effect of air prior to combustion.
>
>   4. Amount of char in the reactor - The amount of
> char also affects the color of the flame. During the
> first few minutes, the color of flame is less bluish
> than on the later stage of the stove operation.  This
> is because more char layer is present in the stove in
> the later part of operation than in the earlier part,
> that improves gas generation.
>
>   5. Amount of air flow - Adjusting the amount of air
> during gasification can provide the right color of the
> flame during gasification.  I observe this in the
> single as well as in the remote burner stoves.
>
> These observations might not be true to other biomass.
> The stove itself should be tested and experiments must
> be done.
>
> Alexis
>


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