Field testing and evaluation of a domestic biomass cookstove in rural small household industry

Abstract

This work presents the performance parameters of a solid biomass cookstove for household industrial application to meet the parameters required by the National Standardization Agency of Indonesia (SNI 7926: 2013). The biomass stove design was tested using corncob, coconut shell and wood chips as biomass fuel. Thermal efficiency, combustion efficiency, specific fuel consumption, emission of CO and particulate emissions were evaluated. The combustion temperature, visual flame, combustion air requirement as well as economic evaluation were also studied as additional performance parameters. The average specific fuel consumption rate, Sc of the stove was found 0.57 kg/h. The using amount of biomass variety on this stove could produce the maximum thermal power, Pth of 24,75 kWth and the average combustion efficiency, ηc and the thermal efficiency, ηth of 98.2% and 27%, respectively. The flame temperature of 722-947°C was achieved at equivalence ratio, ф=0.61-0.89. The average CO and particulate production, PM2.5 on this biomass stove were 39.97g/kg and 0.9 g/kg, respectively. The difference of profit margin compared to liquid petroleum gas (LPG) utilization as fuel was about IDR 2,000/kg fish. All these parameters are met to SNI 7926:2013 and corncobs seem the most appropriate biomass fuel on the consideration of this test results.