Gasifier Cookstove Research Articles

Self-aligned shadow masking for antimony telluride growth: Novel advancements in single-leg thermoelectric array design

In the present study, a fabrication technique using self-aligned shadow masking was employed to create a state-of-art thermoelectric single-leg array of Antimony telluride (Sb2Te3) thin film via thermal evaporation technique. The thermoelectric (TE) performance of the array was evaluated using an in-house developed measurement setup. The TE characteristics of the developed p-type Sb2Te3 based TEGs with single-leg configurations, having 5-TE legs, exhibits a highest Power factor (PF) of ∼5173 μW/mK2 at RT along with thermoelectric voltage generation of 70 mV. As compared to planar configuration these segmented single-leg array-based TEG of Sb2Te3 exhibit higher efficiency (∼10 %) under a near-ambient temperature gradient. Also, the 3ω-method is utilized to assess the thermal conductivity of fabricated thin films of Sb2Te3, yielding a value of 0.41 Wm⁻1K⁻1. Furthermore, these thermoelectric generators (TEGs) showcase their versatility across various applications, efficiently harnessing near-room temperature waste heat from a range of sources such as tea coasters, the human body, and gas cookstoves into useable energy near room temperature.

Effect of a Liquefied Petroleum Gas Cookstove and Fuel Intervention on Food Insecurity and Maternal and Infant Dietary Diversity: A Multi-center Randomized Control Trial

Effect of a Liquefied Petroleum Gas Cookstove and Fuel Intervention on Food Insecurity and Maternal and Infant Dietary Diversity: A Multi-center Randomized Control Trial

Design and performance evaluation of inverted downdraft biomass gasifier cook stove for improving the kitchen environment of rural area

The use of biomass is becoming increasingly important as an alternative energy resource for developing countries. In India, various Chula or biomass Gasifier stoves are utilized in various restaurants, including kitchens and roadside tea stands. These Chula or existing biomass Gasifier stoves have higher smoke emissions as well as lower thermal efficiency. Therefore, sustainable design and performance evaluation of biomass Gasifier cookstoves are required. IDBG cookstove has an inner diameter, outer diameter, and height of 19 cm, 21.5 cm, and 45 cm used for experimentation. Wooden blocks, Charcoal, and Animal dung were used as feedstocks with three repetitions of experimentations. The present case study illustrated the design and analysis of an inverted downdraft Biomass gasifier (IDBG) cook stove. It was tested in climate conditions of A D Patel Institute of Technology, Anand, Gujarat, India. Animal Dung found outstanding performance compared to other feedstocks, such as wooden blocks and Charcoal, with a thermal efficiency of 11-20% from the experiments. It has also been found that smoke emission of up to 20 to 40% is reduced using the IDBG cookstove. The current research has concluded that the IDBG cookstove reduced smoke emissions and improved thermal efficiency.

Predictors of Households’ Adoption of Gas Cooking Stove in Some Rural Communities of Abia and Ebonyi States, Southeast Nigeria

This paper aims at the factors that predict household’s adoption of gas cooking stoves in selected rural communities of Southeast Nigeria. Leaning on theories of Knowledge gap, Groupthink, Technological determinism and Innovation Diffusion, it explores the theme of adoption as a selective process while interrogating the idea of an energy ladder. The paper probes the factors that accentuate poor energy choices in the face of availability of the better domestic energy source, gas. Based on data from 600 respondents, 300 from each of the southeastern Nigeria states of Abia and Ebonyi, an ordinal regression in the form of a Generalized Linear Model was used to predict the proportional odds of the dependent ordinal variables. Parameter estimates of the regression model predicting ordinal likelihood (odds) of using cooking gas indicate that none of the categories underage bracket were significant. The odds of households with male heads having very high usage of cooking gas stove were 1.563 (95% CI, .882 to 1.830) times more than that of households with female heads. The odds are against larger households; households with heads that are of lower education levels; households that regularly cook with fuelwood and those with lower income. The study recommends advocacy to bridge the knowledge gap and a subsidization regime that can overcome the income challenge.

Design and simulation of a novel top-lit downdraft gasifier cookstove and performance comparison with a conventional top-lit updraft cookstove

This study designed and fabricated a novel top-lit downdraft gasifier stove (TLDDGS), which was compared with a traditional top-lit updraft gasifier stove (TLUDGS) in terms of modeling and performance. The experimental and simulation results demonstrated that the novel TLDDGS exhibits a downward-flow configuration. The average fuel consumption measured in the experiments was 4.57 ± 0.933 g/min. The average flame temperature from the experiment was 608 ± 43 °C. The TLDDGS mean flame temperature remained stable throughout the experiment. The O2, H2, CO2, CO, CH4, and N2 in the diluted syngas from the experiment were 16.07, 0.33, 0.66, 2.56, 0.34, and 80.04% by volume, respectively. The total suspended particulates and CO in TLDDGS and TLUDGS were 15 and 28 mg/m3 and 335 and 69 ppm, respectively, which are within the limits specified by the local standard. Thus, the developed TLDDGS is a promising alternative for sophisticated cooking applications because of its superior performance in terms of flame stability.

Clean cooking with downdraft biomass gasifier cookstove: Effect of gasifier performance

Two downdraft gasifier cookstoves, one of 4 kWth and another of 2.5 kWth input power ratings have been developed by the authors for domestic cookstove application. The downdraft gasifier cookstove has a gasifier unit followed by a partially aerated burner. Thus, the efficiency of the gasifier cookstove is the product of the gasification efficiency of the gasifier unit and the burner efficiency. The present work reports the effects of the output parameters of the gasifier, viz. gas flow rate, gas composition as reflected by the lower calorific value (LCV) of producer gas, and the gas temperature, on thermal performance and emissions of the cookstoves. Laboratory-based water boiling tests were conducted on both the cookstoves to study the effect of these parameters on cookstove efficiency, burner efficiency and emission factors of CO and PM2.5. The turn down ratios of 4 kWth and 2.5 kWth gasifier cookstoves were 2.2 and 2.8 respectively. The maximum efficiency for 4 kWth cookstove (44.6%) occurred at input power of 4.4 kW whereas that for 2.5 kWth cookstove (45.1%) occurred at 3.2 kW. Average CO emission factor for 4 kWth and 2.5 kWth cookstoves was 4.2 g/MJd and 2.84 g/MJd respectively.

Effects of a liquefied petroleum gas cookstove and fuel intervention on preterm birth and gestational duration: the multi-country Household Air Pollution Intervention Network (HAPIN) trial

Effects of a liquefied petroleum gas cookstove and fuel intervention on preterm birth and gestational duration: the multi-country Household Air Pollution Intervention Network (HAPIN) trial

Effects of a liquefied petroleum gas cookstove and fuel intervention on fetal and neonatal outcomes: a multi-country randomized controlled trial conducted by the Household Air Pollution Intervention Network (HAPIN) trial

Background and aim Household air pollution (HAP) from cooking with solid fuels used during pregnancy has been associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. The HAPIN trial is a randomized controlled trial of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) stoves and fuel distribution in 3200 households conducted across Guatemala, India, Peru, and Rwanda. We describe the effects of the LPG intervention on fetal/infant stillbirth, neonatal mortality and congenital anomalies. Methods Pregnant women (18-35 years of age; gestation confirmed by ultrasound at 9-20 weeks) were randomly assigned to an intervention arm (n=1593) or control arm (n=1607). Participants were monitored for stillbirth (fetal death ≥ 20 weeks gestation), neonatal mortality (death of any live-born infant in first 28 completed days of life), and congenital anomalies (any structural/functional anomalies that occur during intrauterine life). Analyses were performed according to intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis, and binary outcomes were compared between the two arms using log binomial models. Results Pregnant women were enrolled in the study and received their LPG stoves at 15.4 (SD 3.1) weeks gestation. We recorded 47 congenital anomalies (23 intervention, 24 control), 56 stillbirths (28 intervention, 28 control), and 41 neonatal deaths (20 intervention, 21 control) between enrollment and 28 days of live of the infant. Compared to the control arm, the relative risk among women randomized to the intervention was 0.96 (95% CI: 0.55, 1.70) for congenital anomaly, 1.01 (95% CI: 0.60, 1.70) for stillbirth and 0.97 (95% CI: 0.53, 1.77) for neonatal mortality. Conclusions We did not find a significant reduction in incidence of stillbirth, neonatal mortality and congenital anomalies. The small number of cases may have contributed to the lack of power and the intervention was introduced after the first trimester, which may be too late to find a protective effect. Keywords: household air pollution; congenital anomalies, stillbirth, neonatal mortality. intention-to-treat, HAPIN trial

Emissions and efficiency of an improved conventional liquefied petroleum gas cookstoves in Pakistan

Emissions and efficiency of an improved conventional liquefied petroleum gas cookstoves in Pakistan

Correction to: Energy and exergy analysis and emission reduction from forced draft gasifier cookstove models: a comparative study

Correction to: Energy and exergy analysis and emission reduction from forced draft gasifier cookstove models: a comparative study

Design of a Biomass Micro Gasifier Cookstove by CFD Modelling

"ENGINEER", established in 1973 by The Institution of Engineers, is a Journal for dissemination of Engineering knowledge, published quarterly.Cover DescriptionCover images show a schematic diagram of a Pumped-Storage Hydroelectricity (PSH) facility and one of the promising sites for PSH in Sri Lanka. The latter image was obtained from the publicly available JICA report on “Development Planning on Optimal Power Generation for Peak Demand in Sri Lanka”. The Institution of Engineers, Sri Lanka acknowledges JICA for the image.If you are interested in contributing an Original Technical Paper based on research by the author(s) (intended for Section I) or an Original Article of Professional or Technical interest related to Engineering. (Section II) to this journal please go through the publication checklist which can be downloaded from here.

Rice straw open burning: emissions, effects and multiple benefitsof non-burning alternatives

Rice is one of the most important staple foods not just to people in Asia, but around the world. To meet domestic and export demands, farmers in Southeast Asia (SEA) grow 2-3 crop cycles per year, which leaves only a short period for land preparation. Field open burning of rice straw has been widely practiced to quickly clear the surface biomass for the next crop planting. However, this uncontrolled open combustion of rice straw releases large amounts of toxic air pollutants including key conventional pollutants along with carcinogenic compounds like dioxins, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and benzene, as well as major climate forcing agents. Emissions from rice straw open burning (RSOB) have been shown to significantly elevate ambient levels of PM2.5 and surface ozone in adjacent urban areas. During the dry season, when stagnant meteorological conditions are prevalent, intensive open burning activities further intensify haze episodes. Rice straw, however, is a valuable resource that should be recovered and not disposed of by open burning. Indeed, several non-open burning alternatives are available that would bring in multiple benefits to air quality, climate, health, and economy. For example, the production of rice straw fuel pellets for cooking in clean gasifier cookstoves is one promising option. For the successful elimination of RSOB in SEA, technology development along with formulation and implementation of appropriate policies should be in place to mobilise active participation from all stakeholders.

Energy and exergy analysis and emission reduction from forced draft gasifier cookstove models: a comparative study

Energy and exergy analysis and emission reduction from forced draft gasifier cookstove models: a comparative study

Emission minimization of a top-lit updraft gasifier cookstove based on experiments and detailed CFD analyses

Around 2.7 billion people worldwide have no access to clean cooking equipment, which leads to major health problems due to high emissions of unburned products (VOC, CO and soot). A top-lit updraft gasifier cookstove with forced draft was identified as the technology with the highest potential for reducing harmful emissions from incomplete combustion in simple cookstoves. The basic variant of the stove was equipped with a fan for efficient mixing of product gas with air and fired with pellets to increase the energy density of low-grade residues. The development was conducted based on water boiling test experiments for wood and rice hull pellets and targeted CFD simulations of flow, heat transfer and gas phase combustion with a comprehensive description of the reaction kinetics, which were validated by the experiments. Emphasis was put on the reduction of CO emissions as an indicator for the burnout quality of the flue gas. The optimisation was carried out in several steps, the main improvements being the design of a sufficiently large post-combustion chamber and a supply of an appropriate amount of primary air for a more stable fuel gasification. The experiments showed CO emissions <0.2 g/MJdel for wood and rice hull pellets, which corresponds to a reduction by a factor of about 15 to 20 compared to the basic forced draft stove concept. Furthermore, these values are between 5 and 10 times lower than published water boiling test results of the best available cookstove technologies and are already close to the range of automatic pellet furnaces for domestic heating, which are considered to be the benchmark for the best possible reduction of CO emissions.

Evaluation of the thermal efficiency and a cost analysis of a new rice husk gas cookstove for the rural areas of Northern Thailand

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was the design and creation of a gas stove that is able to use renewable biomass as an alternative to liquefied petroleum gas. In the research, the representative sample group was located in the rural area of Lampang province of Thailand, It was found by the survey that the average time of cooking the food was 1 hour and a quantity of 1.5 kg of rice husk was used. Following this, the data was analyzed in order to determine the ideal dimensions of the combustion chamber of the rice husk gas stove, which included a height of 60 cm and a diameter of 16 cm. The copper heat exchanger tubes were installed and the air flow rate in the heat exchanger tubes was determined at five levels, which are 0.008, 0.012, 0.016, 0.020, and 0.024 m3s−1. Following this, the rice husk fuel gas test was conducted in order to compare the performance of the rice husk gas stove (RHGS) furnace using the flow rate of the boiling water. It was shown by the results that the optimal air flow rate in a copper tube for the heat exchange area and the reactor of the rice husk gas stove was 0.024 m3s−1, which refers to the RHGS-5. Under this ideal condition, it was determined that the thermal efficiency of RHGS-5 was 34%. It was also found that the levels of emission of pollutants from the rice husk fuel during the burning of the rice husks for the gas stove are suitable for use of the stove in a rural kitchen. Furthermore, the actual payback period of the RHGS-5 was calculated as approximately seven months and 28 days. In addition, the criteria for the design and operational procedures of the rice husk gas stove are also described in this article.

Women's experiences with mixed use of wood and gas cookstoves and fuels in rural Lambayeque, Peru

Introduction: Despite program efforts to encourage use of clean cookstoves and fuels to mitigate climate change, many communities continue to use wood-fueled open fires. Objectives: Describe experiences of participants with mixed use of cooking and fuel technologies (e.g. open fires and chimney stoves using wood and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) stoves) in rural Lambayeque, Peru in 2018. Material and methods: Fifteen participants were interviewed using a qualitative exploratory research design. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using thematic content analysis. Results: Four categories emerged: decisions about acquiring cooking fuels are primarily based on cost; plastic trash is used to light wood-burning stoves; decisions to use gas over wood are based on quick food cooking time; and benefits and health problems are recognized, but mixed use of fuels persist. Conclusion: Use of both traditional wood cookstoves and plastic trash to ignite fires were used frequently because both are free or cheap. The environmental impact of cutting down trees isn't considered important, but interviewees did notice detriments to their wellbeing. Although gas stoves are used and benefits were mentioned, use of traditional stoves persists. We recommend that policy makers in Peru begin to address barriers to full adoption of new clean cooking technologies and consider governmental subsidies to meet families' spending priorities.

Comparison of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Cookstoves and Wood Cooking Fires on PM2.5 Trends in Brick Workers' Homes in Nepal.

Prior studies document a high prevalence of respiratory symptoms among brick workers in Nepal, which may be partially caused by non-occupational exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) from cooking. In this study, we compared PM2.5 levels and 24 h trends in brick workers’ homes that used wood or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cooking fuel. PM2.5 filter-based and real-time nephelometer data were collected for approximately 24 h in homes and outdoors. PM2.5 was significantly associated with fuel type and location (p < 0.0001). Pairwise comparisons found significant differences between gas, indoor (geometric mean (GM): 79.32 μg/m3), and wood, indoor (GM: 541.14 μg/m3; p = 0.0002), and between wood, indoor, and outdoor (GM: 48.38 μg/m3; p = 0.0006) but not between gas, indoor, and outdoor (p = 0.56). For wood fuel homes, exposure peaks coincided with mealtimes. For LPG fuel homes, indoor levels may be explained by infiltration of ambient air pollution. In both wood and LPG fuel homes, PM2.5 levels exceeded the 24 h limit (25.0 µg/m3) proposed by the World Health Organization. Our findings suggest that increasing the adoption of LPG cookstoves and decreasing ambient air pollution in the Kathmandu valley will significantly lower daily PM2.5 exposures of brick workers and their families.

Design Features and Performance Evaluation of Natural-Draft, Continuous Operation Gasifier Cookstove

Biomass cookstoves are used as a common source of heating and cooking in developing countries with most improved cookstove design focusing on developing efficiency in thermal conversion of fuels and safer operation than open flame fires. A top-lit-up-draft (TLUD) cookstove utilizes a gasification process similar to pyrolysis where the solid biomass fuels are heated within a oxygen-limited environment and the syngas are burned which reduces carbon content and particulate matter being introduced into the air. The new continuous-operation design is described to have features for: (1) safe addition of solid fuels during combustion of syngas, (2) removal of biochar at the primary air inlet to manage gasification location, and (3) temperature control of the cooksurface through adjustable exhaust paths. The designed cookstove is found to have a diameter to height ratio 0.42-0.47 in order to offer the cleanest burning of the biofuel. The cooking surface is experimentally studied and the thermal gradient is found for compressed wood pellets. Tracking of the coal-bed is studied as a function of time in order to better understand when additional fuel should be added to ensure constant cooking temperature and operation. Numerous exhaust paths explore the cookstove user’s ability to control the temperature contour of the cooksurface.

Biochar from cookstoves reduces greenhouse gas emissions from smallholder farms in Africa

Biochar produced in cookstoves has the potential to contribute to negative carbon emissions through sequestration of biomass carbon while also providing other benefits for sustainable development, including provision of clean renewable energy and increased yields in tropical agriculture. The aim of the reported research was to estimate effects on food production, household energy access and life cycle climate impact from introduction of biochar-producing cookstoves on smallholder farms in Kenya. Participatory research on biochar production and use was undertaken with 150 Kenyan smallholder farming households. Gasifier cookstove functionality, fuel efficiency and emissions were measured, as well as biochar effects on agricultural yields after application to soil. Cookstoves provided benefits through reduced smoke, fuel wood savings and char production, but challenges were found related to labour for fuel preparation, lighting and refilling. On-farm trials with varying rates of biochar inputs, in combination with and without mineral fertilizers, have led to a sustained increase of maize yields following one-time application. The climate impact in a life cycle perspective was considerably lower for the system with cookstove production of biochar and use of biochar in agriculture than for current cooking practices. Climate benefits from biochar production and use are thus possible on smallholder farms in sub-Saharan Africa, through reduced use of biomass in cooking, reduced emissions of products of incomplete combustion and sequestration of stable biochar carbon in soils. Biochar-producing cookstoves can be implemented as a climate change mitigation method in rural sub-Saharan Africa. Successful implementation will require changes in cooking systems including fuel supply, as well as farming systems, which, in turn, requires an understanding of local socio-cultural conditions, including power relations and gender aspects.

Design, Fabrication and Evaluation of Non-Continuous Inverted Downdraft Gasifier Stove Utilizing Rice husk as feedstock

Gasification technology has been proven to be an effective conversion technology for biomass resources. Despite the existence of gasifier stoves, its utilisation and adaptation has not been extensive in Ghana mainly due to its high cost and inefficiencies. The paper presents design, fabrication and performance analysis of an inverted downdraft gasifier cookstove utilising rice husk as feedstock at laboratory level. Non-continuous inverted downdraft gasifier cookstove was designed for a family size of five with energy requirement for cooking of 5,333 kJ/hr. Laboratory test for the cookstove was performed to determine thermal efficiency and other performance parameters as well as CO, CO2 and particulate matter emissions using Water Boiling Test (WBT) version 4.2.3. The Portable Emission Monitoring System was used to conduct the WBT experiment. Inverted downdraft gasifier of height and diameter of 0.88 m and 0.22 m respectively was designed and fabricated. Evaluation of the gasifier stove revealed thermal efficiency varying between 30.5-38.1%. Emission analysis of the stove revealed low emissions compared to traditional cookstoves as well as other improved cookstove with high Power CO and PM2.5 emissions found to be 19.35 g/min/L and 932.73mg/MJd respectively. The average CO/CO2 ratio was also determined to be 0.055. The findings indicate that, the developed inverted downdraft gasifier stove is very efficient, however, the CO, CO2 and PM2.5 emissions can be improved further to meet recommended levels presented by the World Health Organization (WHO).