Modifications in Improved Cookstove for Efficient Design

Abstract

In India, majority of the population (around 85 %) living in rural areas still use traditional biomass fuels in form of wood, agriculture residues, animal dung, etc., for meeting their energy needs. These fuels are burnt in mud (traditional) cookstoves for cooking and other thermal applications. Inefficient burning of biomass in traditional cookstoves poses serious health hazards. Experiments have been carried out on low cost, improved forced draft cookstove, and modifications were made to increase the thermal efficiency and to lower smoke emissions by varying parameters such as height of grate from base, variations in air flow rate, height between top plate and vessel, etc., without making major changes in the structure of cookstove such as diameter and air inlet points. Modification in air flow rate leads to increased thermal efficiency with low smoke emissions. All measurements were made according to the Bureau of Indian Standards (IS 13152: Part 1-Portable Solid Bio-Mass Cookstove (Chulha).