[Stoves] Retted Switchgrass Fireball Test

[Tom Miles]

We have often heard from the reports of rocket projects in Central America
that part of the wood savings is due to people burning corncobs and other
non-wood fuels along with the wood in a rocket stove. That will work in any
well designed combustor. The more the grass and stalks (annual growth) the
more ash dusting you'll get. But it extends the wood supply.

Tom
   

-----Original Message-----
From: stoves-bounces at listserv.repp.org
[mailto:stoves-bounces at listserv.repp.org] On Behalf Of Roger Samson
Sent: Tuesday, September 12, 2006 8:00 AM
To: 'Paul S. Anderson'
Cc: stoves at listserv.repp.org
Subject: Re: [Stoves] Retted Switchgrass Fireball Test

Paul

We can and likely need to change either or both. From the point of
annualized cost of cooking probably changing the stove as you suggest is the
cheaper option. However processing fuel has real advantages for urban
cooking applications. It offers much greater convenience and also can offer
greater fuel flexibility with some stoves. Densified agri-fuels used in
clean combustion appliances have a tremendous opportunity to replace
declining fuelwood supplies in developing countries for the masses. Alcohol
fueled stoves will replace kerosene and LPG in the medium to higher income
households as the economical fuel of convenience.

In North America this winter, there will be hundreds of thousands of wood
pellet stoves with no fuel to burn by the end of the winter. However if they
had a pellet stove that also burned densified grass fuels and crop milling
residues and feed grains they would have an unlimited supply available. This
winter we will have a hard lesson on having a stove only suitable for one
fuel. The wood pellet fuel shortage this winter in North America will make
it evident that it is imperative we develop agrifuels to create genuine
energy security from biofuels. 

In developing countries my bet is that densified solid fuels and small scale
gasifier appliances is one of the most promising fuel/stove options that
will emerge (Its already emerging in Canada as the new low cost heat option
for commercial heating applications). The annualized cost of cooking is
going to be well below fossil fuel options and traditional charcoal. Stovers
on this list can make it happen in the next 10 years. 


Roger Samson
www.reap-canada.com
   




-----Original Message-----
From: stoves-bounces at listserv.repp.org
[mailto:stoves-bounces at listserv.repp.org] On Behalf Of Paul S. Anderson
Sent: Thursday, September 07, 2006 11:17 PM
To: Roger Samson
Cc: stoves at listserv.repp.org
Subject: Re: [Stoves] Retted Switchgrass Fireball Test


Quoting Roger Samson <rsamson at reap-canada.com>:

>> I have had some feedback from commercial boilers users that herbaceous
fuels
> like switchgrass need to be fairly dense to burn effectively. 
> ..snip...  It maybe that herbaceous fuels, unlike wood are too quick 
> to
> release their gases and then it's difficult to control the combustion
> process.

Roger and others,

The rate of releasing of the gases is an interesting issue.  But rather than
altering the fuel, perhaps the combustion process can be better controlled.
I
am thinking of the gasifiers and their ability to control the entrance of
primary air separate from secondary air.

What do you think about this? and what and how could something be tested

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



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