[Stoves] Reducing smoke with steam

[frank]

Dear Crispin,

Crispin Pemberton-Pigott wrote:

<sniping lots of good stuff>

>I just saw a paper from the 15th European Biomass conference where the CO is
>measured 'per MJoule energy provided'.
>
>What do people think of that for the testing/rating of a stove?  I liked the
>idea then tilted towards 'per kg of dry coal' because it is easy. Coal would
>have to be rated for heat content before doing a test.  On the other hand we
>want a 'real' answer with respect to efficiency and emissions.
>
>Ideas anyone?
>
>Regards
>Crispin
>
>  
>
Lots of ideas :)

You asked for ideas.......
Working with small stoves (batch-like) a lot of the ASTM, ISO test 
methods do not apply to us. That is good because to do them one needs 
expensive equipment. We are working on a smaller lower heat systems and 
ones that are greatly prone to small changes in conditions. We have 
unique testing requirements and we can make our own test procedures. My 
thinking is we need to first look at and quantify the fuel and fuel 
packing constituents that effect combustion. Then under very controlled 
conditions pass air through the fuel bed and measure the results from 
combustion we are interested in. We can answer a lot of the questions we 
have about moisture, sulfur, what happens if etc. etc. and the 
requirements we need to get what we want. But first we need to design a 
biomass fuel burning chamber for the testing and test procedures to 
measure the fuel, fuel packing and emissions. They need to be simple and 
ones we all can make, do and afford. We need more people doing the real 
testing.  A suggestion for stove camp this year is to design and build 
fuel testing chambers and use them to test different fuels that we 
collect and  take measurements. We would need compressed air, vacuum 
pumps, and lots of flow meters and all the emissions equipment.  Just a 
suggestion.

Regards
Frank




-- 
Frank Shields
Soil Control Lab
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