Trevor

SODIS
Michael travor, Majuro, Marshall Islands, January 19, 2010

Noting World Stoves efforts there is another critical issue for Haiti. WATER. In line with this I would like to point out SODIS which people can google for more information. Essentially it is is simply a clear plastic bottle partially filled with water, shaken and placed in direct sunlight. Oxygen, UV light and elevated temperature yield safe drinking water. Anyone is a position to do so
should see about passing on the information where it would do the most good.

Michael N Trevor
Majuro
Marshall Islands

Safe Drinking Water

http://www.sodis.ch/methode/anwendung/index_EN

Other Water Links

Michael N Trevor
Marshall Islands

Marshall Islands TLUD
Marshall Islands TLUD

I finally got to lite it up. Again as some of you know my interests are
varied and doubled up. I want to burn what people may be throwing away or
burning to add to green house gases and global warming. I am also interested
in Char and Terra Preta as well as atoll soils are regarded a notoriously
weak. For those not in the tropics my fuel here are chopped up pieces of
the mid ribs from coconut palms. These do take some time to gather dry and
chop but some place these are nearly ubiquitous as rice hulls or sugar cane
scraps and their price may be right for many $0.00.

Fuel
Fuel

Loading Fuel
Loading Fuel

and AGainand Again
Trying to Lite Off
Trying to Lite Off

now its goingnow its going

Over all the stove owes serious thanks to Paul Anderson, who kept after me
to make it, and Paal Wendelbo and Sai Bhasker. They all contributed ideas
for me to digest. To some I have joked this hydrid should be called the
Champion Pekope Smokeburner. I like the simplicity of Paals and Pauls
secondary air gap. I like Sai's idea of fins to promote swirling and
mixing. I worry a little about Pauls protruding handles so I changed that a
little. Paul uses a riser to promote draft so I kept that and put Sai's
twister fins inside it. .

Lighting it off was not so easy and took three attempts, and much more smoke
that I would have liked. The stem pieces were not catching fire well. I
finally got it going with some copra chips and small pieces of frond riblets
as well, with a dash of WD 40. Once it finally caught in about the 6th photo
the flames do appear to be curling around in the riser can, and in the 7th
the standing flame has a nice twisty shape. The burn was not as long as I
had hoped for as by say 35 minutes it was definitely dying down. The fuel
was quite chunky and not very tightly packed, probalby why. There also was
char material left in the bottom but I should have pulled the burner can a
few minutes earlier.

The reuseable mesh disk in the bottom of the burner, a tin can, and the
simple handles needing 4 small nuts bolts and washers is not very
technically advanced, meaning making multiple standby drop in burners is
"from the dump" cheap. The way I have suspended the burner by its handles in
notches in the outer cylinder is a step towards further simplicity and means
changing in and out additional fuel canisters is very simple. (Please though
not one make jokes about the sloppy mis-sized handles) A craftsman would
have each canister identical. The principle should be clear to all though.
Paal was much the source for the straight simple outer cylinder but the
hanging basket burner means no spacers or legs and only simple holes for air
entrance. I do see some areas for further testing here...the gap between the
inner and outer housing and the number and size of air holes allong the
bottom of the outer cylinder. I have never seen Rajan's stoves but a SS
outer cylinder for appearance, a cooler shell and longevity with a drop in
sacrificial burner might be worth considering.

Since Paul brought up longivity in TLUDS this morning, I do hope that my
aluminum outer cylinder will not get hot enough to have a problem. The
tincan liner simply means drink some more milk and make another one, not big
deal at all. It may not be a Stradavarus, really more of a washtub bass,
but now I can play with the tuning it and my fuels. The main thing is it did
work sort of and I believe a couple of my ideas have merit. Anyone out
there in the larger world who sees a use for any of this please help
yourselves. Also please pass along any suggestions. It is interesting the
the Legislature and hearing got in to fuels, solar and sustainable issues
today.

If Tom does not think this is to simplistic he might want to clean it up and
post it.

From the sand box in the Pacific,

Michael N Trevor..

Marshall Islands TLUDMarshall Islands TLUD

Marshall Islands Energy Fair--- Stoves March 2009 Michael Trevor, Marshall Islands,March 8, 2009

Firing Things UpFiring Things Up

See slide show attached. I did this in conjunction with a Woman's Club, "Kare in Okrane." Essentially, "Women of the Break of Dawn," a reference to women getting up a the break of day to prepare for the family's day. We did have hundreds of observers and a strongly expressed interest. In this case the rocket stove had the clear edge. Burning fuel is what people understand. Women have been doing it at their grandmother's knee since childhood. The Solar oven probably came in second. Here it was much like a microwave. I had to constantly open it up and invite people to touch the pot. Ouch, that it hot, hey it does work. What can you cook in it? Sadly the TLUD was more of curiosity. . The kerosene/propane like flame did surprise people, and I repeatly brought up charcoal and terrapreta as a benefit over time. However, the small size and short burn worked against it. I simply switch between two to resolve this. Best Regards to all Michael Trevor mtrevor@ntamar.net

Charcoal in the ARC stoves in Majuro
Michael Trevor, Marshall Island, December 13, 2008

Charcoal From ARCCharcoal From ARC
Fuel and CharFuel and Char
Prepping Flower Shoots Covers UtakPrepping Flower Shoot Covers Utak

It was asked if the ARC's stoves here in the Marshall make charcoal Absolutely

I went back and looked after we had to use the stove because the propane ran out, here in town. you answer pulpy punky material or not yes the stove does produce charcoal.

The charcoal in the pictures is charred copra used to light the stove and the pieces of the flower shoot that even show the grain and structure of the original pieces.

The flower shoot cover Spathe or Utak is an often used fuel anyway. Ripped by hand into small strips it works particularly well in the ARC rocket stoves. Copra, dried coconut meat, is the major cash crop and source of income for most. Its use would be limited to only a few chips as a starter material.

I find a spritz of kerosene from a old 409 bottle or even a squirt of WD-40 does fine as a starter too. Various pieces of fronds and leaflets are really bio trash stuff and if they can be use effectively a really handy application.

As for char structure, after it goes through my blender I am not at all sure there is much left.
Remember I have been using Charcoal slurppees for a while. Charcoal, fish scraps if there are and a touch of 20/20/20 and a pinch of sugar.

So better cooking and may your terra preta plot grow too.

Michael N Trevor
Marshall Islands
mtrevor@ntamar.net

See:
"Cocos nucifera"

Cooking With The Aprovecho Rocket Stove in the Marshall Islands
Michael Trevor, Marshall Islands, December 11, 2008

Frying with a little copra and udakFrying with a little copra and udak

For some of you this may be old hat but for others maybe new bits of information

Palm Fronds as Fuel in a TLUD (Top Lit Updraft)
Micheal Trevor, Marshall Islands, December 7, 2008

Loaded Chopped FrondsLoaded Chopped Fronds

Remember in the rocket stove I am use very "pulpy" stuff.
In the TLUDS-- XL Woodgas and my tincanium ones--- they make charcoal. As for shell I have not tried it much yet in the TLUDS althought my son burned out the first XLWoodgas unit on it.

I think a mix of broken shell chips with the chopped frond piece may work very well.
The chopped frond pieces work well but the burn is rather short.

In industrial applications like a bakery I am sure shell would be fantastic if you could get enough.I think everyone else would get it first

Michael Trevor
Marshall Islands
mtrevor@ntamar.net

Chopped Fronds for FuelsChopped Fronds for Fuels
Light OffLight Off
Nice BurnNice Burn

Introducing the Aprovecho Research Center (ARC) rocket stove to the Marshall Islands
Michael N Trevor, Enemanit , Marshall Islands December 6, 2008

Cooking on Rocket Stove While Still Starting Shell Fire
Cooking on Rocket Stove While Still Starting Shell Fire

Hello from the Marshall Islands, thing are progressing just slowly

I thought you might like these attached pictures. Dean Still and his crew John, Todd and Sandra along with Dr Richard Zellar on their (Aprovecho) Board really went the extra mile to help me get the stoves here to test. It took over half a year to accomplish. I complement them for the extra effort.

Initial reaction has been very positive, even right thru the roof. The best appellation was "fabulous", and others say "really good" or its almost like a kerosene stove. This thing really has potential to help people. Even the Ministry of Health has taken an interest for a public health view.

The stove being used next to a "normal" open fire from shell is really illustrative. The entire pot of eggs and potatoes for a picnic salad cooked on pieces of 2 or 3 flower spathes while the other fire was still being built.

The nearly smokeless fire is obvious. The steaming pot shows well right next to the harsh acrid shell smoke. Pollution.Junction !!!.

As for the fuel the difference in labor should be noted, Susan simply walked across the yard
picking up three "utok" from coconut spathes on the ground and lit them. Juli the young man however had to pick up and haul in a partial bad of nuts. Then they were husked, cracked and the meat cut out. Finally he spend the entire time Susan was cooking just getting his fire going,

Please note Susan is not even using the stove correctly as the pot was just big enough the the skirt fell down the outside of the stove. I believe the skirt is not going to be popular even though I carefully explained its importance and use to hold heat against the pot.

Fuel shortage is not an issue here as in some places. Right now I am working our a combination of chopped frond pieces for an XL woodgas stove and then running the midrib sections through the ARC rocket stove. The looks to be a nice usage of what is usually trash that is burned.

Sincerely yours

Michael N Trevor
Enemanit
Marshall Islands
mtrevor@ntamar.net

Stovetec http://www.stovetec.net
Aprovecho Research Center http://www.aprovecho.org

Charcoal Stove Concept From Marshall Islands
Michael N Trevor, Ememanit, January 24, 2007

Overall Stove
Overall Stove

Select image to Enlarge

Marshall Islands Kitchen
Michael N Trevor, Enemanit, Majuro, Marshall Islands, March 2007
Marshall Islands KitchenMarshall Islands Kitchen

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