Development of Advanced Biomass Cookstove and Performance Comparisons Using the Modified Star Rating Methodology

Abstract

A disruptive approach to a fundamental process has been applied in a biomass combustion device with two variable speed fans to supply air for gasification and another for combustion processes, separately. Besides, the preheating of secondary air, required for combustion process was also ensured through annulus chamber before being fed into the combustion chamber. The turbulent flow and homogenous mixing were also ensured by controlling the flow rate resulting in the reduced emissions of carbon monoxide (CO) and fine particulate matter (PM 2.5, particulate matter having aerodynamic diameter <2.5 micron). The design approach applied here has also ensured the homogeneous mixing of preheated air with the volatiles, resulted in cleaner combustion. This arrangement has led to the emissions of PM2.5 and CO much better than those of the earlier cookstove models, and very close to that of a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) stove. Further, the comparative analysis based on the modified star rating of total 15 (14 are biomass and another LPG) cookstove models tested using the same standard methodology has been done and presented in this study. Based on the star rating, the performance of the LPG stove was found to be best and assigned as a 5-star product followed by the IITD model (4-star), while the other 13 models got different ratings starting from 1-star to 3-star, respectively. Also, the thermal performance of the IITD cookstove model is found to be the highest, while the emission characteristics are found to be the least among all biomass cookstove models, presented here. KEYWORDSStar rating; biomass pellet cookstove; thermal performance; fine particulate matter (PM2.5); carbon monoxide Nomenclature A duct :Cross-sectional area of duct (m 2 ) CO 2e :Carbon-dioxide equivalent (tone) CV:Calorific value of fuel (kcal/kg) D:Diameter of cookstove (m) E s : Specific energy of food (kcal/kg) FCR:Fuel consumption rate (kg/h) H:Height of cookstove (m) H d :Total energy delivered to pot (kcal)

Utilization of Agro-Residue Wastes Through Clean Combustion for Sustainable Energy Solutions in Jaggery Production

“…The majority of jaggery plants are being fabricated by semi-skilled workers without having much knowledge of combustion mechanism, air-to-fuel ratio and heat transfer, leading to incomplete burning of fuel in the furnace, which is responsible for the release of harmful pollutants into the environment. It is evident from the previously published literature that the intensity and type of pollutants released from the traditional jaggery plants are similar to that of the traditional open 129-4 fire stoves being used by more than 40% of the global population [1,25]. The emission characteristics of the traditional stoves using agro residues are available in the literature and have been used in this study to estimate the annual of CO, CO 2, and PM2.5 for different multi-pan jaggery plants.…”

“…being burnt in the open field. Therefore, there is an urgent need to replace the traditional open-hearth furnace with a more scientifically designed modified furnace that can burn the processed agro-residue thereby, reducing not only the fuel consumption but also burning it cleanly similar to gas burner [25] and reducing the burden on the environment [1].…”

Performance assessment of an improved gasifier stove using biomass pellets: An experimental and numerical investigation

“…Fuel consumption rate refers to the amount of fuel consumed per hour in the cookstove and it may also be defined as the amount of fuel fed to the cookstove per unit time. This depends on the power output (Qn), calorific value (CVf) of biomass fuel, thermal efficiency (η) of the cookstove and can be calculated using the following formula (Gupta et al, 2020, Himanshu et al, 2021:…”

“…It is one of the important parameters that need to be decided carefully to achieve high-performance in terms of thermal efficiency and emission characteristics for an appropriate power level. The diameter of the combustion chamber impacts the fuel consumption rate (FCR, kg/h), specific gasification rate of the fuel biomass (SGR, kg/m 2 -h), and it can be estimated for certain types of stoves using the following formula (Gupta et al, 2020, Himanshu et al, 2021:…”

“…The forced draft cookstoves are a promising design as they can improve thermal efficiency while reducing CO and PM2.5 (MacCarty et al, 2010, Sharma and Dasappa, 2017, Himanshu et al, 2021. The secondary air supply above the fuel bed in forced draft cookstoves has improved air mixing with volatiles and reduced PM2.5 emissions (Jetter et al, 2012, Kirch et al, 2018).…”