Adaptive design and development of a modular water hyacinth briquette stove

Abstract

ABSTRACT As a result of exorbitant electricity bills, high cost of obtaining liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), and kerosene or paraffin oil, it has become necessary to develop a modular briquette stove as an alternative source of heating food in rural and urban households, restaurants and other business operations and facilities. This study is aimed at the construction of a modular cookstove for small and medium scale use, electricity generation, the designed stove is specifically developed to be fueled by briquettes produced from water hyacinth (WH). Improvement has been made in the development of the biomass stove to counter previous designs and specifically address the problem of pollution. The major improvements of the biomass stove design are the following: The provision of insulation around the combustion chamber to reduce heat loss through the walls of the chamber; incorporation of smoke rings on the top surface of the stove; provision of adjustable and variable air intake to ensure adequate air for complete combustion of hyacinth briquettes. The performance of the developed stove was evaluated and the results showed that the WH briquette stove has an average thermal efficiency of 70.51%. This indicates a better performance compared to the average thermal efficiency value reported in the literature. The briquette stove is designed with a standard chimney to transport carbon and reduce smoking. In conclusion, the commercial production of the developed product in volume will generate a stream of income and also help to engage young people.