I am getting excited about the use of pellets. In an urban setting in a developing country such as Vietnam, a pellet gasifier should be a lot more socially acceptable than a loose biomass gasifier.
Since pellets can be as much as 8 to 10 times more dense than loose biomass, the reactor can be much smaller. A net reactor height of only 8 inches is all that is needed to give a burn time of up to 90 minutes. Since the unit is small, it is lightweight. The reactor weight is but 1.2 kg. It is easy to handle. With such a small reactor, the manufacturing cost drops considerably. This means that the most heat-resistant and non-corrosive stainless steels become affordable. This adds years to the life of the unit. This also means that the unit looks good and takes on the appearance of a high-end kitchen utensil. If the unit does not look good, it will be hard to sell. https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/22013094/150%20Gasifier/Short/Photos/IMG_1571.JPG Pellets can be more cheaply transported into urban areas than loose biomass. Dealing with loose biomass can often be dusty and messy. The storage of pellets in a kitchen takes up much less space than the storage of loose biomass. With pellets there should be a lot less emissions of particulates. Biochar pellets are easier to quantify than loose biochar. A measurement of biochar volume is all that is needed. There is only a small reduction in volume as when a pellet is transformed into biochar. The flame put out by a pellet gasifier is rich and intense throughout the burn: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84qDsbBO9p8 The flame does not turn ethereal. It is true that pellets cost more than loose biomass. But pellets are cheaper to transport into a city than loose biomass, and the biochar produced from pellets has a higher value in Vietnam than the original pellets. I foresee the possibility of an exchange program where pellets are supplied free-of-charge in exchange for the biochar produced from these pellets. Thanks. Paul Olivier -- Paul A. Olivier PhD 26/5 Phu Dong Thien Vuong Dalat Vietnam Louisiana telephone: 1-337-447-4124 (rings Vietnam) Mobile: 090-694-1573 (in Vietnam) Skype address: Xpolivier http://www.esrla.com/
_______________________________________________ Stoves mailing list to Send a Message to the list, use the email address [email protected] to UNSUBSCRIBE or Change your List Settings use the web page http://lists.bioenergylists.org/mailman/listinfo/stoves_lists.bioenergylists.org for more Biomass Cooking Stoves, News and Information see our web site: http://stoves.bioenergylists.org/
