[Stoves] Pressed biofuel - and Fire balls. Testing

[David G. LeVine]

Crispin Pemberton-Pigott wrote:
> Dear Frank
>
> We learned from Tom Reed that the superficial velocity (average, as if there
> is no fuel) through a combustion bed is a number to watch. There is in the
> coal stove a need to track the actual velocity of air through the pile of
> fuel because it affects the cooling of the particles (coal lumps) and how
> the volatiles are brought to the flame.
>
> I was talking to a student yesterday who is interesting in modelling coal
> combustion in a CFD project with some others.  There is extremely little
> work like this going on. At the Univ of JHB we are also going to offer a
> couple of scholarships for modelling because there is basically nothing to
> start working with.
>
> The air speed through the voids is going to be very important to the heat
> transferred from particle to particle which determines a lot of things about
> how coal burns.  The voids and packing density and air velocity are no doubt
> going to be as important to wood burners as well.
>
> We should sit with a pencil and paper in ETHOS. Are you coming?
Might I be so bold as to suggest that examining the combustion with both 
ambient and preheated air would make sense?

Given that the preheated air might make the fuel hotter and combust more 
fully, would it suggest better combustion?

-- 
David G. LeVine
25 Forge Drive
Nashua, NH  03060

"0x29A is the hex of the beast."