Testing of the new Anila stove

The Anila stove which was fabricated in India was tested 17.08.2010.
The results are available on bioenergylists.

Sugarcane biochar produced - Anila Stove, India, August 2010

The ARTI team were able to make some suggestions, to refine the design. These were:
- Adding a mud seal along the join of the main unit to the base plate, this stopped the gases from the biochar production from escaping. This was simply some mud which is smeared around the join
- Addition of a ‘pot raiser’. The stove was also observed to become smoky once the pot was added, a pot raiser was added to the unit, which reduced the amount of smoke which was.
- Making the holes smaller…After getting the units from the artisan the researcher suggested to increase the size and number of holes in the unit, however after testing, it was found that the flames were high – partly due to excess air flow up through the combustion chamber. (during trials with the smaller holes this did not impede the production of biochar).

The flames from the Anila are derived from the combustion of the wood (in the central combustion chamber), and also the gas (from gasification of the biomass in the outer chamber) which is able to travel out from the holes (in the lower part of the central column) into the combustion chamber.

Even with the adjustments, there was still some smoke produced from this unit, so as in Cambodia, it will be recommended that the testers use the stove in an outside location / or in a well ventilated room.

Generally the stove worked well, and we were able to make biochar from sugarcane trash and tree waste (Casurina equisetifolia).

The next step is testing in the household…

Anila stove produced in India

The stove had been fabricated by hand out of galvanised steel, and the only adjustments were to make the holes on the base plate cone as per the directions from the inventor. Despite protests from my ARTI assistant and the metalworker himself, I instructed them to be enlarged and more holes added…. More on this later…
The other task was to find some method of fixing the base of the stove to the main chamber, which was done with some bulldog clips. This was deemed suitable for these prototype (or test) stoves.

Fabrication of Anila Stove, 16.08.2010

In the left of the picture is the cone with the small holes, and the right is with enlarged holes.

Meet the designer: Sampanda stove

The Sampanda stove was demonstrated for an in-house film production at Samuchit with designer Dr. Priyadarshini Karve (right of picture).

Sampanda 14.08.2010

Over 300 units which are available at around 26USD have been sold since 2004.

This stove, though a gasifier like the TLUD and EverythingNice (EN), also used in this project is not a top lit stove, and works best if a small amount of wood is put in the bottom of the stove and lit, which heats up the stove, which when wood is added begins gasification quickly. It was observed that this stove can easily accommodate larger pieces of wood, which due to the size of the burning chamber in the TLUD and EN can’t be added.

Anila stove fabrication commissioned…

Since a supplier of the Anila stove could not be found in India, production has been commissioned in Phaltan, Maharashtra ready for trials.

The Anila stove, since it is the only stove which I know of which produces biochar in a secondary chamber (i.e. not as part of the energy production, and not a gasification stove) is the most useful to test in the biochar context.

If anyone knows of a stove which also produces biochar as a ‘secondary’ product, please get in touch!

Other versions of the Anila stove…

I’ve recently had some communication with the Anila Kenya online group.

One project in Kenya ‘Household lead Research and Development of biomass based pyrolysis stove and testing of the efficacy of char in different ecological zones in Kenya‘ has similar aims to this biochar Innovation project, and part of it has involved the production of an improved design of the Anila stove.

This stove is called the FFUD Upepo, and one of the major differences is the addition of a chimney, and it also has air outlets at the top (as opposed to them being at the bottom).

For more information see:

http://shalinry.org/stoveandterrapre.html

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=10073&id=102193099816244&op=6

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=135203&id=102193099816244
If anyone knows of a source of the Anila stove in India, please get in touch with http://biocharinnovation.wordpress.com.

Stove designs finalised before distribution

Stove design finalised for testing, the following changes were made to the initial prototypes:

TLUD
- This design has already been adapted by the Iron Workshop so no amendments were deemed necessary

Anila
- Lid was fixed onto the outer sides, so the only way to open is from the bottom
- Legs were lengthened
- Handles added

EverythingNice
- handles added
- Stove stand heightened
- handle added on lid

08.07.2010 Final stove designs being demonstrated in Krable Riel

ARTI field station in Phaltan, Maharastra, India. 25.05.2010.

Several stoves are produced by ARTI, a selection of clay types, a sawdust stove, and two gasification design amongst others. One of the gasification stoves includes the Sampanda which will be a focus of this project.

In addition Dr. Paul Anderson spend a bit of time at their field station and designed the Agni stove while there.

Paul Andedrson's design

Agni demonstration, August 2010

Several larger scale biochar making units have also been developed by ARTI, including a charring kiln which is used to produce biochar for field trials in Phaltan in the biocharm project.

Focus on… the TLUD

The TLUD (Top Lit Up Draft) gasifier was originally designed by Paal Wendelbo which he took to Africa in 1988. Since then, the design has been adapted and distributed around the world. A prototype of the design amended by Anderson has been produced and tested in Cambodia. A model was also adapted by ARTI in India.

It is a double chamber system, which is lit from the top, a chimney can be added and the air flows in via a tube at the bottom. More complex versions have a fan to force air into the system.

Feedstock is gasified meaning it burns with a smokeless flame. Waste biomass including wood shavings, corn stubble, coconut husks, reeds, sugar cane bagasse have been tested. Charcoal / biochar is produced which can be burned in the unit, or saved to be burned at a later date.

Prices for this stove vary, depending on the design and materials. The design by Anderson includes a ‘refugee’ and ‘artisan’ version to suit different target audiences.

TLUD produced by the Iron Workshop, Siem Reap, Feb 2010.