[Stoves] Burning charcoal

[Lanny Henson]

This simple two can charcoal burner/starter worked  very well. It was quick
to start and maintained a nice flame above the center hole indicating that
at least some carbon monoxide is being burned to co2. The two can burner's
outer shell stayed cooler. With no center hole the heat/fire flowed up the
sides heating the can. With the center hole the fire stayed in the center
and there was a nice orange to yellow glow. http://www.lanny.us/charf2.jpg



The wire frame turned cherry red or about 700degC but the charcoal glowed a
light orange to yellow color.
See this Color chart for steel when heated.
http://www.westyorkssteel.com/Heat_Treatment/htchart.htm#top%20of%20page

Why the flame?
Maybe some steel is oxidizing or the air flow was just better with the steel
wire frame.
I will carefully maintain the same dia hole, with and with out the frame and
see.
I have often lit my grilling charcoal in a charcoal starter chimney, by
maintaining a hole in the center. The hole allows airflow otherwise blocked
by the charcoal and it starts faster. So I have seen fire in the hole many
times but I have never seen the continuous steady flames before using this
wire frame. Something is different!
It could be: the frame simply maintained a larger hole; or reduced the
friction, or had some sort of catalytic effect or
It could have just been the wind.

Lanny Henson







-----Original Message-----
From: AJH [mailto:list at sylva.icuklive.co.uk]
Sent: Saturday, May 13, 2006 4:53 AM
To: Kevin Chisholm
Cc: Lanny Henson; Stoves at listserv.repp.org
Subject: Re: [Stoves] Burning charcoal


On Sat, 13 May 2006 00:48:18 -0300, Kevin Chisholm wrote:

>Dear Lanny
>
>Would it simply be that there was more charcoal surface exposed for
>combustion and that the difference in flame size and heat release was
simply
>faster burning?

Plus some of the flame is being coloured by material being burned off
the frame making the flame more luminous?

AJH