PortableWood/BiomassStovesfromIndianInstituteofScience

(IPOBIS=IndianInstituteofSciencePortableBiomassStoves)
Abstract:
Anumberofportablewoodandbiomassstoveshavebeendesigned,builtandtestedatIndianInstituteofScience
over the last decade. The fuels considered are firewood/tiny sticks/sawdust/other fine and pulverisable agro
residueslikecoirpith,bagasse,leafyresiduesandevendriedurbanwasteinawelldefinedmanner.Theaimofthe
designistoprovideacombustionbehaviorclosetowhatisobtainableingasstoves,withtheuseofablowerof1
50Wcapacityforstovesdelivering350kWthcapacity.i.e.,about1to12kg/hroffuelconsumption.
Theaimofthedesignistoburnthesolidresiduewithafacilitytohavesomecontrolonpower,reduceemissions,
maximize the efficiency of heat transfer into the vessel, minimum tending and low first cost. While it would be
impossibletoachieveallthesefeaturesinasingledesign,particularlyatlowpowerlevels,alsoincludingtheability
of the stove to perform with loss of electricity. it is possible to generate designs that meet one or more of the
objectivesmoresignificantlythanothers.
Thedocumentpresentsthedesignsofvariousstovesandmethodsofoperationofeachofthemtogetthebest
outofthedesign.Italsoprovidesdrawingsforfabricationandtypicaloperationalpresentationofthesystem.

Introduction:
ManyhouseholdsincitieshaveLPG(LiquidPetroleumGas)stoves.Normallytheseareprovidedwithtwoburners
of1and3kWthmaximumcapacityrespectively,withoperatingefficienciesofabout65%.Thewicktypekerosene
stovesandthepressurefedstovesarealsoof13kWthcapacitywithoperatingefficienciesof6065%.
Avarietyofwoodstovesofsingle,twoandthreepanshavebeenconceived,designed,builtandtestedbothin
India and abroad. The best efficiency of commercially available single pan stoves that are available in India has
beenabout30%(Mukundaetal1988).Mostofthesinglepanstovesdesignedsofarusetoalargeextentthe
diffusiveflamebetweenairandfuelforcombustionandtotransferheatdirectlytothevessel.
Stovesunderconsideration:
The stoves first discussed here are the stoves for use of firewood/sticks somewhat conventional in design, but
aimedatenhancingtheefficiency,requiringloadingofthefuelperiodically.Figure1showstheschematicofsucha
stovecalledSWOSTHEE(SinglepanWoodStovesofHighEfficiency).Combustionisdesignedtooccuroveragrate:
theheightofthestoveabovethegrateislimitedtotheheightofthediffusionflameattheaveragepowerlevelso
that hot gases, with temperature close to adiabatic temperature expected in a diffusion flame are obtained.
Furtheraperforatedcylindricalchamberaroundtheflameisaddedsothattheflamecandrawairfromseveral
points,thusreducingthedependenceforcombustionontheairflowdrawnfromthefuelloadingport,whichmay
varywithchargeloaded.Thediameteroftheperforatedchamberissochosenthatitlimitsthelengthofthefuel
pieceswhichinturnlimitsthepower.Thusiftheusertriestopackthefuelloadingregion,thepeakpowergets
limitedbythesizeofthefuelsticksonthegratewhichisequaltothediameteroftheperforatedcylinder.


Thehotburntgasestransfertheheatontothecookingvesselbyallowingthegasestoflowbetweenthevessel
andatopplate.Theconvectiveheattransferenhancedbysuitablychosenpassagewidthbetweentheplateand
the vessel helps in the higher levels of efficiency. Fundamental studies, both computational and experimental
(Sangeetaetal,1997andMukundaetal,1990)haveshownthatgettingashighatemperatureoftheburntgases
is essential for higher efficiency. It was determined that this is the single most important factor for limiting the
waterboilingefficiencytoabout45%inwoodstoveswithtypicalgastemperaturesof850to1000C.Itmustbe
realisedthatliquidfuelbasedstoveslikekerosenestovesgivewaterboilingefficienciesof65%becausethesteady
flametemperaturesareashighas1500C.Inthecaseofwoodstoves,typicalpracticalefficienciesare30to40%
dependingonthepowerlevelandtheratiooftheexitdiameterofthehotgasfromthestovetothevesselsize.
The other principal reasons for lower efficiency lie in the restriction imposed by the vessel shape and size, very
rarelyrecognizedinstovedesign.Familycookingwhichtypicallycallsforapowerlevelof3to5kWisexpectedto
allowcookingonvessels200to400mmdiameter,eitherflatbottomedorcurved.

Figure2.ShowsthetypicalvesselsavailableinmarketsinIndiaessentiallymeantforcooking.

Optimizationofstovedesignforefficiencyleadstoadesignwiththeratioofvesseldiametertoburnergasstream
exit diameter of 2.5 or better. This choice leads to efficiencies better than 25 %. However, in many practical
applications the nature and size of the vessel does limit the achievable efficiency. For instance, the choice of a
curvedvessel,prevalentinsomeruralsocietieslimitstheefficiencytoabout20%,eventhoughthesamestovein
anotherenvironmentusingflatbottomedvesselleadstoefficienciesinexcessof25%.Theoutershellmadeof
thin metal sheet in the stove is of minor importance for the functionality of the stove. Increases of 1 2 % in
efficiencycanbeobtainedbyprovidingathininsulationontheinsideofthecylindricalshellbutthisaddstothe
costofthestove.

Thewidth,heightoftheopeningoverthegrateandtheloadingportarea,allcontrolthepeakpowerofthestove
by limitingthe amount of fuel loaded onto thegrate. Users housewives generally think that larger the flame
implyinghigherfuelloadingisanallowedpracticeforstoveoperation.Unfortunately,suchapracticeimplieslotof
sootingandlossinefficiency.Hence,itisimportanttorecognizethatalowerpeakloadingisdesirabletoobtain
the same output with better efficiency. This is the reason for limiting the fuel loading on the grate. There have
beendemandsfromsomestoveuserstorelaxthis;butsuchanactiongoescountertotheobjectivesofthedesign.
Duetotheabovementionedrequirements,thereareimplicationsonthenatureofthefuel.Largestocksofwood
needtobecutintopiecesforuse.
Alternatelyonecanusethinnercottonstock,cornstock,andothersmallerfragmentsforthepurposeafeature
thatisuserfriendlyforthosewhocanrecognizethebenefits.
Figure3istheplotshowingtheefficiencyofthestoveasafunctionofthevesselsize.Stovesoflargerpowerlevel
were designed and tested. They are not recommended for use since their efficiencies are about 25 % and are
consideredinadequateforstovesofthispowerlevel.

PulverisedFuelStoves
Pulverisedfuelsareseveralsawdust,coconutcoirpith,pulverisedurbanwaste,leaflitterinurbanenvironment
whichisconsideredwaste(asdistinctfromthoseinvillages,whereitisconsideredasapartofhumus;evenhere
thisviewiscorrecttoalimitedextent).AtypicalsketchofthisstoveisshowninFig.4.Thesestoveshavebeenin
use in various parts of India or elsewhere. The systems considered are made of any waste cylindrical container
witharbitrarilychosendimensionsfortheheightandcorediameterofthefuelblockinsidethecontainer.Someof
thesestovestakealongtimetolightupwithheavysmokeduringthisperiod.Therehasbeennoseriousscientific
studyonthesystemaimedatdeterminingparametersthatleadtogoodstartupandsteadycombustion.These
weredealtwithinastudyatthelaboratory.Theexplorationinadditionistowardsotherconfigurationstodesign
thesystemforagivenpowerandknownburntime.Oneoftheprimaryfeaturesdistinguishingthisdesignfrom
SWOSTHEEisthatwithagivenstove,thetotalenergydeliveredisfixed.Oncelit,onehastoallowalltheenergyto
be expressed. While it may not be impossible to design some quenching device, it would be complex and also
addingtothecost.Assuchthisclassofstovescanbecalledfireandforget.

The advantage is that for the housewife, cooking can be managed as a chore and as being part of the other
activitiesshemaybecompelledtobeinvolvedin.Forcookingpurposes,typicaloperationaltimeistakenasone
andahalfhourandpowerlevelas3kWth.Forothersemiindustrialpurposes,likewaterboilinginsilkindustries
(forcookingthecocoons),onecanusethisdeviceforoperationaldurationaslargeas5to10hourscontinuously.

DesignProcedure
ThedesignofthestoveisbasedonthepowerlevelP(inkW)andtheburntimetbrequired.Theburntimeand
thepowerlevelcanberelatedtothegeometryofthestoveusingtheequationsgivenbelow.

wheredo,dp,andhareasindicatedinfigure5.Figure6showsthestovedesignchartforvariouspowerlevelsand
burntime.

GasifierStoves
Dr.ThomasReed(Golden,Colorado)iscreditedwiththeprinciplesassociatedwiththisstove.Thisstovefunctions
on'fireandforget'principle.IthasbeendemonstratedbyDr.Reedforwoodchips.Theessentialprincipleisthat
byusingreversedowndraftprinciple,onecangeneratecombustiblegasesmuchlikeinatypicaldowndraftgasifier.
Thesegasesareburntabovethefuelcharbedwithadditionalairtoproduceintensecombustion.Hehas
demonstratedthata2Wattblowercandelivercleanthermalenergyofabout3kWth.Fig7showsaschematic
sketchofagasifierstove.

AdaptabilityofGasifierStoves
Inthecontextofdemandsfromdevelopingcountries,itisimportanttoexaminehowonecancreateoptionsin
whichunavailabilityofelectricityistakencare;howtheoccasionalavailabilityofelectricitycanbeusedtoenhance
thequalityofcombustion;howtoarrangecombustionofpulverisedfuelsinthesamestovedesignandindoingall
thesehowtokeepstoveinitialcostdown.
Atypicalcookstoveburns1.5to2kgbiomasswoodchips/sticks/coconutshellpieces/piecesofhusk/about10%
pulverisedmaterialofanybioresidueinaboutoneandahalftotwohoursleadingtoapowerlevelof3.5to4
kWthfor75%oftheburntime.Theremainingcharburnsupsubsequently,albeitatalowerpowerlevel.Thestart
upmethodisincontradictiontotradition.Thebiomassisfilledintothestovetillalocationjustbelowtheairentry
zone. The filling technique must be such as to uniformly load the material. Then one can sprinkle kerosene or
alcoholpreferably,ifavailable.Thesystemcanthenbeignited.Afteraminuteduringwhichtimethecombustion
processgetsstabilized,airfromtheblowercanbeturnedon.Thismakesthecombustionprocesscompleteina
smallvolumeandpermitstopcovertobeplacedoverwhichcookingvesselcanbeplaced.Themostvitalpointis
thatifoneusesalcohol,onecannoticethattheflamefromthestoveiscomparabletothatfromagasstove.Ifthe
cookingrequirementiscompleteevenbeforethestovehasstoppedfunctioning,theflamecanbesmotheredby
insulationblanketandcoveringofthetopcompletely.
Iftheblowercannotbeoperatedbecauseoflackofelectricity,thecombustionofthegasestakesmorevolume.
Thisimpliesthatwhencookingvesselisplacedonthestove,theflamewillappearsootyonoccasionsintheearly
partofthestoveoperation.Afterabouttenminutesbywhichtimetheinnerwallwouldhaveacquiredheatfor
pumpingairforcombustionthroughfreeconvection,thequalityoftheflameismuchbetter,perhaps,notasgood
as one would get with blower on. The control of the air through the fuel section will alter the power level.
Increasingtheairflowthroughthefuelbedwillraisethepowerlevelsubstantially.Closingitcompletelywillbringit
toaminimum.

Thisstovecanbeconvertedtooperateonpulverizedfuellargely;someamountofsolidstockcanalsobeincluded
aslongasitgetsembeddedintothepulverisedfuelblock.ThemethodisshowninFigure8.TypicaltoolsarePVC
tubesofappropriatediameterandlength.Thesecanbeplacedintothecontainerafterliftingthegratestructure.
Thenonecanfillinthepulverizedmaterialalongwithsolidstockandtampedtobecomearigidframework.The
PVCtubesarethentakenoutandthestovelitbothatthebottomandthetopzonebysprinklingsomeliquidfuel
bothintothebottomandtopzones.Thiswillensurecompletecombustionofvolatilesinthesystemrightfromthe
beginning.
Figures 9,10,11,12 show geometric drawings for these to be manufactured. The component that ensures good
combustionistheblower.Suchblowersoflowpowerlevelareusuallyunavailableandifavailableareexpensive.
EffortsarebeingmadeatIISctopermitmassmanufacturesothatindividualcostscanbebroughtdown.
A comparative statement of the performance of various stoves is presented in Tables 1 and 2. This will help in
decidingthechoiceofthestoveforspecificapplications.

Step1:Removethetopcoverandthegrateplate
Step2:PlacethetwoPVCtubes,loadthefuelandpressitsothatitstaysfirm.
Step3:RemovethePVCtubesandreplacethetopcover.
Lightthestovefromthebottom.

Table1:Comparisonofdutycyclesofvariousstovedesigns

Table2:Comparisonofperformanceofvariousstovedesigns

References:
1)Mukunda.H.S.,Shrinivasa.U.,andDasappa.S(1988)
"Portablesinglepanwoodstovesofhighefficiency"
2)Mukunda.H.S.,Shrinivasa.U.,B.SwatiandDasappa.S(1993)
"Studiesonstoveforpowderybiomass"
3)Reed,T.B.,andLarson,R.,Awoodgasstovefordevelopingcountries,pp985993,
Developmentsinthermochemicalconversion,Blackiesandprofessional,1997
4)Kohli.S,Ph.D.Thesis,IndianInstituteofScience,Bangalore,1992.
"BuoyancyinducedflowandHeattransferinBiomassstoves.