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The development of low cost fuel-efficient woodburning stoves appropriate to underdeveloped areas of South Africa

Bibliography: leaves 154-160.

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Main Author: Baldwin, Susan Anne
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: Energy Research Centre 2014
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author Baldwin, Susan Anne
author_browse Baldwin, Susan Anne
author_facet Baldwin, Susan Anne
author_sort Baldwin, Susan Anne
collection Thesis
description Bibliography: leaves 154-160.
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institution University of Cape Town (South Africa)
language eng
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:32:36.207Z
license_str Not specified — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
publishDate 2014
publishDateRange 2014
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spelling oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/7576 The development of low cost fuel-efficient woodburning stoves appropriate to underdeveloped areas of South Africa Baldwin, Susan Anne Stoves, Wood Bibliography: leaves 154-160. In light of the dependence of the majority of rural South Africans on fuelwood as their major energy source and the rapid diminution of this resource, the aims of this thesis were to investigate the design of a fuel-efficient woodburning stove, appropriate to and acceptable in the underdeveloped areas of South Africa, and to assess the potential for woodstoves in the mitigation of the fuelwood crisis and deforestation in these areas. This involved a review of international experience in stove development and dissemination from which the relative successes of differing designs and dissemination strategies were assessed. Stove design guidelines were also gleaned from the literature survey. Information on existing fuelwood usage and cooking patterns in the target areas was collected and incorporated in the design criteria for two prototypes. It was decided to develop light-weight metal prototypes that could be manufactured in minimally equipped rural workshops, since user constructed heavy-mass mud stoves were deemed to be inappropriate for warm climates and relatively short cooking times, and their dissemination was inhibited by hidden difficulties and costs. The two prototypes developed included a chimneyless bucket type (Onepot) which supported one, either three legged cast iron or flat bottomed aluminium, pot of maximum diameter 280 mm, and a chimney stove (Twopot) accommodating two cooking pots and one hot water container. Both stoves were lined on the inside with a 2 cm thick layer of vermiculite/firebrick mixture. These stoves underwent testing in a specifically equipped laboratory, to determine their efficiency versus power performance and to identify the main heat losses. At a nominal power input of 3 kW, the Onepot had an efficiency of 55% and at a nominal power input of 5 kW, the Twopot had an efficiency of 40%. The power range of both stoves was limiting, as the efficiency fell sharply with increasing power input. In the Twopot this was probably due to the under sizing of the grate area, as the combustion intensities on the grate were much less than those used in the design (37,5 W/ cm2 compared to 50 W/ cm2 ). A number of each prototype underwent field trials for six months in two rural villages in KwaZulu namely Biyela and Scheepersdal. In the assessment open discussions and interviews were held. It was found that the Onepot stoves were not used regularly because of their limitation of heating only one pot at a time. The Twopot stoves were more popular, however the main areas that still required attention were durability, incorporation of an oven and aesthetics of appearance. A theoretical model was developed and, for the Onepot stove, predicted that increasing insulation thickness would not result in significant increase in heat transferred to the pot in the burning rate ranges investigated. In conclusion, recommendations were made for re-design of the Twopot stove, mainly to increase durability and acceptability. It was felt that more work on combustion characteristics in the firebox was needed for better modelling of the stove. However, it was deemed that the greatest challenges for attaining the broader goals of this project lay with proving fuelwood savings in the field and devising successful dissemination strategies. 2014-09-22T07:47:36Z 2014-09-22T07:47:36Z 1986 Master Thesis Masters MSc http://hdl.handle.net/11427/7576 eng application/pdf Energy Research Centre Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment University of Cape Town
spellingShingle Stoves, Wood
Baldwin, Susan Anne
The development of low cost fuel-efficient woodburning stoves appropriate to underdeveloped areas of South Africa
thesis_degree_str Master's
title The development of low cost fuel-efficient woodburning stoves appropriate to underdeveloped areas of South Africa
title_full The development of low cost fuel-efficient woodburning stoves appropriate to underdeveloped areas of South Africa
title_fullStr The development of low cost fuel-efficient woodburning stoves appropriate to underdeveloped areas of South Africa
title_full_unstemmed The development of low cost fuel-efficient woodburning stoves appropriate to underdeveloped areas of South Africa
title_short The development of low cost fuel-efficient woodburning stoves appropriate to underdeveloped areas of South Africa
title_sort development of low cost fuel efficient woodburning stoves appropriate to underdeveloped areas of south africa
topic Stoves, Wood
url http://hdl.handle.net/11427/7576
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