Grantee Research Project Results
Final Report: Multi-Sensor Fusion for Low-Cost, Automated Woodstoves
EPA Grant Number: SU839466Title: Multi-Sensor Fusion for Low-Cost, Automated Woodstoves
Investigators: Venkatadriagaram, Sundararajan , Lechiara, Matt , Vangrin, Robert Z , Patil, Ronak , Iverson, Denton , Orduna, Gabriel , Wishner, Ryan , Valencia, Jeanette , Rodriguez, Alexandra
Institution: University of California - Riverside
EPA Project Officer: Callan, Richard
Phase: I
Project Period: December 1, 2018 through November 30, 2019 (Extended to November 30, 2022)
Project Amount: $14,753
RFA: P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet (2018) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: P3 Challenge Area - Air Quality , P3 Awards
Objective:
The objective for this project is to manufacture a low cost wood stove that reduces indoor air pollution. An additional goal is to increase the combustion efficiency of wood stoves defined as the heat output per unit of fuel burned. The intended users of this wood stove are low-income households in cold climates of the United States, particularly focusing on Native American communities. The research adopts a multi-sensor fusion approach for the monitoring and control of automated wood-stoves in order to make them more efficient, non-polluting and inexpensive. The expected outcomes of the project are an automated wood-stove that 1) maintains the PM2.5 emissions less than 2.0 g/hr using crib-wood or 2.5 g/hr for cord-wood, 2) increases combustion efficiency beyond 80% and 3) costs less than $1000. The wood stove will comply with the regulations published by the EPA on March 16, 2015 in 80 FR 13702 for subpart AAA – Standards of Performance for New Residential Wood Heaters.
Summary/Accomplishments (Outputs/Outcomes):
The chosen design employs off the shelf parts, to keep cost low and can be automated, or manually controlled. It consists of a 55-gallon steel drum for the combustion of the wood fuel, and a 10 gallon steel drum as a drying chamber. The design employs the use of a blower fan for the control of excess primary air for combustion. A catalytic combustor was also included to further combust unburned hydrocarbons and reduce emissions. The catalytic combustor was part of a package that includes a bypass valve that will be manually open and closed once the temperature gets to optimal temperature for the catalytic converter. The catalytic combustor is located in the upper half of the combustion chamber. The drying chamber consists of a 10-gallon barrel, an access door, and two exhaust pipes perpendicularly connected to the flue stack. The initial prototype presented a serious problem of smoke leakage from the air intake and from poorly welded sections. Furthermore, the stepper motor system used to control the baffles for the airflow proved too costly. To address these concerns, the air intake system of the stove was redesigned and the prototype rebuilt.
The figure below shows the CAD design of the final design and the fabricated design. The redesign shifted the placement of the primary air intake to be at the bottom of the stove and also added a secondary air intake system. This secondary air intake was added to further control the amount of excess air available to the flame. This new air intake system utilized controllable fans, instead of actuator-controlled baffles in an effort to reduce costs while maintaining an automated system. The chosen design incorporates sensors to determine optimal burning conditions by monitoring oxygen, temperature, and carbon monoxide in and around the stove. By utilizing this information, the system can automate the airflow into the stove through controlling the fans. This automated system can help to ensure optimal burn conditions thereby increasing the combustion efficiency. By increasing the combustion efficiency, the overall emissions of wood burning can be decreased. The final prototype eliminated smoke leakages after several iterations. Extensive testing of the final prototype could not be completed due a combination of COVID-related restrictions, delays in purchasing, necessity to re-train new batches of students and difficulties in scheduling outdoor tests to account for availability of personnel and weather.
Figure 1. CAD design of the final design and the fabricated design
Figure 2. Stove Temperatures at Catalyitc Converter Operating Temperature (400 C)
The figure shows a representative of the heat map of the exterior of the wood stove in operation.
Conclusions:
This project has demonstrated the feasibility of manufacturing an affordable automated wood stove. The cost of building the prototype is lower than other eco-friendly wood stoves, making it more accessible to people around the world. This design can potentially reduce the demand for firewood, preserving natural resources and decreasing the use of other polluting heating sources, like kerosene heaters. Overall, this project has significant environmental and health benefits.
Journal Articles:
No journal articles submitted with this report: View all 1 publications for this projectSupplemental Keywords:
environmental justice, emission control technologies, heating, sustainable infrastructureProgress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractThe perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.