Holey Roket: A Biomass Briquette Stove
Rok Oblak, Slovenia, June 2009

See Rok Stoves
and Fuel Briquette Burning at Stoves Camp 2008

The Holey Roket technology promotes using biomass briquettes and their hole as the key feature of an efficient cooking system. The flames coming in the combustion chamber are condensed within a small space (scheme) providing higher heat output and therefore better combustion of toxic gasses like Carbon Monoxide (CO).

Fuel Briquette Burning at Stoves Camp 2008
Rok Oblak, August 31, 2008
Briquette Burning Stove


Stove Diagram

This prototype was to check the hole of the briquette and how gasification can do a nice job. As said, starting the fire with few small sticks and then after preheating the chamber, briquettes ignite by themselves and burn throughly. You can help flames with having a stick in the hole while burning. I really liked how the briquette retained its shape after it burned out, so you could still push the next one it without preventing the draft..

But the briquette burned with the surface lit from the combustion chamber, as Larry predicted. You could literally walk away of the stove with the consistent flame going on all the time (I guess the briquettes were good quality :) The air inflow was only through the hole of the briquette.

Funny was, that even when one briquette burned out, the next one ignited and the airflow continued through the hole of the first briquette.