Grantee Research Project Results
Final Report: Haiti Clean Stove Project
EPA Grant Number: SU835340Title: Haiti Clean Stove Project
Investigators: Bond, Tami C. , Huang, Chuqian , Sherman, David
Institution: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
EPA Project Officer: Hahn, Intaek
Phase: I
Project Period: August 15, 2012 through August 14, 2013
Project Amount: $15,000
RFA: P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition for Sustainability Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet (2012) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Pollution Prevention/Sustainable Development , P3 Challenge Area - Air Quality , P3 Awards , Sustainable and Healthy Communities
Objective:
The team aimed to design an improved biomass cookstove based on the TLUD principle that satisfied the following criteria: (1) the stove needed to be able to be manufactured locally; (2) the design needed to be user-friendly so as to maximize product satisfaction for the consumer, mainly women cooking in Haiti; and (3) the stove must outperform charcoal cooking and three- stone fire cooking. According to the Aprovecho Research Center, a clean cooking stove should release less than 1,500 mg of particulate matter (PM), less than 20 grams of carbon monoxide (CO), and consume less than 16.5 MJ when boiling 5 L of water and simmering for 45 minutes.
Summary/Accomplishments (Outputs/Outcomes):
The findings during Phase I project were focused on four categories: design and manufacturing, usability, and stove performance.
Stove Design:
Innovations to the TLUD stove framework that have been made by the group include the addition of mineral wool as insulation to improve heat transfer from the stove to the pot. Equally important is the addition of controllable air flow via a ball valve, which has added the ability for users to control the flame during cooking. Additionally, adaptations specifically for Haitian users have been made. The main adaptation is the rebar stand, which elevates the stove body to a comfortable cooking height, allows for refueling to occur without having to remove the pot, and limits the possibility of accidentally contacting the hot stove body during use. These innovations and adaptations have developed the TLUD concept into a stove that is well-suited for Haitian cooking conditions.
Manufacturing in Haiti:
The Haiti Clean Stove project developed prototype stoves based off of the human-centered design process. To also design for low cost, the manufacturing of the stove was limited to consist mostly of materials and processes available in Haiti. During Phase I, the team successfully gathered information about these materials and processes during a site assessment trip. They include rebar of various sizes, thin sheet metal, and stick welding. Other processes required for the design that are less available in Haiti include riveting and slip rolling, both of which can be implemented at a low cost.
Stove Usability:
Preliminary usability testing was conducted on campus by having two student volunteers as participants, and by employing both Critical Incident Technique (CIT) and System Usability Scale (SUS) as testing methods. The Prototype 1.0. model, the first full scale prototype constructed, when compared to Stove Pipe TLUD Stove, had lower SUS scores, which indicates that the Stove Pipe TLUD stove has a higher level of user-friendliness. However the prototype 1.0 had a lower CIT score, indicating fewer functional errors. The research team concluded that this could stem from the new features of the prototype making overall task faster but more complex and harder to understand. Post-test interviews revealed that users had an incorrect mental model of how the Prototype 1.0 model works. To address those issues, the team modified the previous design so that visual obstacle is removed. The team will conduct a full usability study in Haiti from March 18th 2013 to March 22nd 2013. To ensure the fairness and safety of our trials, a training session will be conducted prior to the test for all stoves tested.
Stove Performance:
Stove performance is measured quantitatively in Dr. Tami Bond’s research lab at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s Civil and Environmental Engineering department, following the “5-L Water Boiling Test version 4.1.2 (WBT)” developed by the Aprovecho Research Group using the Kiln Emission Testing instrument. Compared to an 3-stone fire, the team’s first high fidelity prototype 1.0 showed a 38% decrease in carbon monoxide (CO) emission. The particulate matter output is similarly decreased by 24%, from 2363 mg with the 3-stone fire to 1807 mg released by our Prototype 1.0 stove. When compared to the emissions released from a charcoal stove, prototype 1.0 decreased the CO emission by 74%. However, it does not match the expected high performance of a TLUD stove. The firepower of the prototype is low compared to the average TLUD, which matches the high specific fuel consumption rate and the slow burn time. Since the total CO and PM emission are estimated by multiplying the contaminant’s emission factor (grams of contaminant per kilograms of fuel used) by fuel usage, long burn times led to high CO and PM emissions throughout the WBT.
Conclusions:
The Haiti Clean Stove Project had a significant focus on each element of the P3: people, prosperity, and planet. The project, at its core, was people-centered. Our user-friendly designing process put the demands and desires of stove users at the forefront. Additionally, our project focused health benefits from reducing harmful emissions of particulate matter (PM) and Carbon Monoxide (CO) in comparison to current cooking technology. In the interest of prosperity, the project’s implementation within Léogâne is poised to lead to cost savings on fuel. Furthermore, the introduction of new fuel processing and stove manufacturing markets will lead to employment opportunities for a great number of Haitians. The final element, “planet”, is achieved via the team’s focus on alternative biomass fuel resources in place of firewood and charcoal. Limiting Haitian deforestation in this manner, while limiting outdoor and indoor air pollution, is how the project makes a significant improvement in the planet’s environment.
Part of the proposed Phase I goal has been achieved, but the team is not satisfied with the overall results. The WBT indicated that the Prototype 1.0’s efficiency and emission performance is lower than other TLUD designs. The performance testing had helped the team to identify the drawbacks of Prototype 1.0 and to redesign the second prototype with added insulation, improved air control, and improved air tightness. The most recent prototype has been made, but has yet to be tested for its emissions and efficiency. During Phase I, the team has been successful in gathering valuable information about manufacturing techniques in Haiti. As a result, a few TLUD stove prototypes have already been made in Haiti. These stove prototype designs were not mature enough to be distributed, due to the lack of readily-available densified biomass fuel. From Phase I, the team learned that incorporating human factors, local capabilities, and technical performance in the same design is a lengthy process. If the process were to be repeated, the team would allow more time for this iteration.
Journal Articles:
No journal articles submitted with this report: View all 1 publications for this projectSupplemental Keywords:
TLUD Top-Lift UpDraft Gasification, Sugarcane Bagasse Pellets, Institutional Stoves.Relevant Websites:
Haiti Clean Stove Project Exit
The 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.