Micro-gasification: Cooking with gas from biomass - Amper

Micro-gasification: Cooking with gas from dry biomass
2.1.2 Campstoves
These stoves are mainly targeted at an affluent niche market for occasional use and not
very suitable for daily domestic use. They are only suited for reasonably small-size flatbottom
pots and don‘t allow for the often very big pot size used by normal households in
developing countries. They also don‘t provide the stability needed for regular cooking. They
are rather suited for warming food on a camping trip than preparing meals that require vigorous
stirring.
Yet they are important to be included here, as they are ‗a low-cost introduction to microgasification
which allows you to begin experimenting with turning biomass into clean, blueburning
gas’ (source WorldStove).
The value of these campstoves is that they can be ordered via mail, paid for electronically,
and shipped into even remote corners of the world at reasonable costs, because they are
designed to be very light, compact and sturdy enough to endure being carried around in a
backpack. They can use nearly any type of dry biomass fuel that is found outdoors and
picked up without the need for chopping (leaves, twigs, pine cones, straw etc.).
Currently there are two campstoves readily available on the market: a fan-assisted model
with heat control and a natural-draft model without heat control. Another model where the
fan is powered by a thermo-electric generator unit is envisaged to come on the market in
2011.
The„Tom Reed Woodgas Campstove‟
Top-lit updraft campstove with a fan that allows heat control by choosing
between high and low speed of the fan. The fan serves primary
and secondary air supply at the same time. It is powered by a separate
battery pack for 2 AA-batteries. Two sockets on the stainless steel
stove body allow heat control. It is calibrated to reproduce the heat of a
normal kitchen stove.
It can be used as a batch-fed pyrolytic TLUD when fuelled up to capacity,
or as a continuous-feed when ideally only filled in the bottom
third.
Two different models can be ordered from the Biomass Energy Foundation:
http://www.woodgas.com/bookSTOVE.htm (source of photo above)
WoodGas LE: Weight: 23 oz, Height: 6.25", Diameter: 5‖, mail order price: US Dollar 55
Woodgas XL version: US Dollar 75.
HERA – GIZ Manual Micro-gasification Version 1.01 January 2011
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