Rochester Institute of Technology: Develop Thermoeletric Stove Test Methods and Capability
Robert Stevens, Brain Thorn

Project Summary

According to the World Heath Organization more than three billion people depend on biomass fuels (wood, dung, or agricultural residues) primarily for cooking. The practice of cooking with biomass has decimated many ecosystems and requires an enormous amount of human effort to gather. In addition, there is considerable evidence that exposure to biomass smoke increases the risk of common and serious diseases in both children and adults. According to the WHO studies, indoor smoke from solid fuels causes an estimated 1.6 million deaths annually.

To minimize these harmful effects associated with cooking more efficient cook stoves have been proposed. These new stoves are significantly more biomass fuel efficient and thus reduce deforestation rates. These enhanced stoves also reduce indoor air pollution, thereby reducing deaths and illnesses due to biomass cooking.

RIT is working with an NGO partner in Haiti, H.O.P.E., and funded by an EPA Energy Research Grant to develop an enhanced stove. Concurrent with this team's work, a separate group will develop stove concept, design it, and create prototypes. This project is to develop a series of stove measurement and characterization methods and reduce them to practice. The mission of this project team is to define test methods relevant to the Haitian customer needs and, in addition, that quantifies the stove's fuel efficiency, cooking performance, and hazardous emissions in engineering terms.

Link:
Thermo-Electric Cook Stove

EPA Grant
Improved Cookstoves for Haiti