[Stoves] Pressed biofuel - and Fire balls. Testing

[Crispin Pemberton-Pigott]

Dear Frank

>I think first we need to develop simple test procedures that will 
>quantify differences  in air movement etc.

I want a model to understand first.

>First we need a collection of test methods in 
>a manual to pick from. 

Exactly.

>Knowing particle density and weight and volume of 
>combustion chamber you now have the void space and can 
>determine air velocity in the void space of the fuel.

There has been a certain amount of talk about this but because of the
difficulty of measuring it, the actual velocity past certain particle sizes
is a difficult problem. I have been watching coal light and burn during
December. The heating of the adjacent particle, driving off volatiles,
coking the particle (or making charcoal if it is wood) and how and how fast
it happens is definitely affected by the temperature of the air passing
through and, separately, the velocity.

>I am thinking injecting CO2 at the bottom of the fuel 
>chamber and timing the time it takes to get to the top and compare that 
>to what was calculated it should based on total flow and void space will 
>give us an idea of what the void space is like. 

You will have to use something other than CO2 because CO2 is involved in the
reactions going on. It might be split into CO and so on. Also, how would you
know that the combustion rate or efficiency changed and affected the
reading?  You will have to find something else I fear.

>Some how we need to get money to set up a group that will take 
>it on to organize such a methods manual. A University will be perfect.  

That is the general idea of the SeTAR Centre at FADA, Univ of Johannesburg.
Stay tuned.

Regards
Crispin