Smaller fires are often cleaner burning compared to larger fires, and higher heat transfer efficiencies allow the use of smaller fires while the time to boil stays acceptable. A pot skirt which creates a narrow channel gap reduces fuel use and time to boil. Dr. Sam Baldwin recommended 10mm to 11mm channel gaps for household cook […]
As with any tool, the skill of the operator determines how well the work is accomplished. It takes years to learn how to use a hammer or shovel. The Three Stone Fire can be effective and clean or it can be very dirty and wasteful. In some kitchens, large fires use a lot of wood […]
The ARC/EPA 2011 book “Test Results of Cook Stove Performance” compares performance and emissions, including turn down ratio and firepower, from survey of 18 stoves. Firepower is a measure of how much energy is released per unit of time. More energy is required to quickly boil water. Less energy is needed to simmer food. The […]
The Chitetezo Mbaula cookstove is distributed by United Purpose in Malawi with the goal of combating deforestation by replacing the traditional charcoal/firewood cooking stoves. In an effort to assist, ARC worked with stakeholders to see how small changes in the stove might translate into fuel and emissions reductions in lab tests. Of course, this information […]
Several articles have pointed out that using biomass-heating stoves can result in health problems in densely populated areas. We are working with friends at the EPA to think about how we might define PM2.5 emission rates for residential biomass heating stoves that would protect health in densely populated cities. When the population density goes up (more […]
What happens if a bunch of sticks are bundled together, lit at the tips, and inserted into a well-insulated horizontal enclosure that enters a Rocket stove providing draft? Well, it’s hard to get everything to work well. As Dr. Winiarsky pointed out “Gasifiers are finicky.” But, when all of the tips of the bundle of […]
I recently read a Time article that pointed out that shipping accounts for 2.2% of annual global greenhouse gas emissions. To put it in perspective the writer, Aryn Baker, suggests that if shipping was a country, it would be the sixth largest CO2 emitter in the world, on par with Germany. In her reporting from […]
I didn’t realize that natural gas is mostly methane which is about 84 times worse for climate change compared to CO2. As reported in the recently published study “Methane and NOx Emissions from Natural Gas Stoves, Cooktops, and Ovens in Residential Homes,” methane leaks are bad news for both environmental and personal health. (Lebel, et al, […]
Could biomass energy reduce the increased demand on electricity for home heating? Could the clean burning of biomass make a greater percentage of electricity partially replacing coal and natural gas, powerful climate forcers? As seen above, renewable energy now makes 20% of the electricity generated in the USA. Residential and commercial energy use makes up […]
Last week we wrote about using the LEMS to tune up a stove, so it makes sense to share the actual results of a recent test series with you this week. When ARC makes an Open Fire, we often use three bricks on end to hold up the pot. The bricks are 16cm high. It […]