Engineers Aim To Make Cleaner-Burning Cookstoves For Developing World 147
vinces99 writes in with news about a new cookstove design for developing countries. "About 3 billion people, or 42 percent of the world's population, rely on burning materials such as wood, animal dung or coal in stoves for cooking and heating their homes. Often these stoves are crudely designed, and poor ventilation and damp wood can create a smoky, hazardous indoor environment day after day. A recent study in The Lancet estimates that 3.5 million people die each year as a result of indoor air pollution from open fires or rudimentary stoves in their homes. More than 900,000 people die from pneumonia alone, which has been linked to indoor air pollution. University of Washington engineers hope to make a dent in these numbers by designing a cookstove that meets a stringent set of emission and efficiency standards while still being affordable and attractive to families who cook over a flame each day. The team has received a $900,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to design a better cookstove, which researchers say will use half as much fuel and cut emissions by 90 percent."
Similar project (Score:3, Informative)
This reminds me of this project: Potential Energy (formerly The Darfur Stoves Project) [potentialenergy.org]
Popular Mechanics covered it in this article: Low-Tech Stove Saves Lives in Sudan's Darfur Region [popularmechanics.com]
Re:We already hae better stoves (Score:5, Informative)
Actually TLUD stoves would create char coal and burn the pyrolysis gases, now they are just wasted. The article is low on detail, here is a free ebook about stoves and their use in 3rd world countries:
http://www.biochar-international.org/sites/default/files/Understanding-Stoves-okt-10-webversion.pdf [biochar-in...tional.org]
and a slide show that explains the principle:
http://www.bme.gouv.ht/ugse/TCharbon%20Kara%20Grant%20-%20English.pdf [bme.gouv.ht]
I haven't seen this mentioned in the article which is somewhat thin on detail, but there is way more to stoves than the article explains. Also Burn Design Lab doesn't explicitly mention the TLUD design.
Oh, here is another website:
http://stoves.bioenergylists.org/ [bioenergylists.org]
Somehow the UW related stuff is free of the TLUD principle, I wonder why. Also, you are wrong.