This document presents research on evaluating the performance of an improved cook stove (chulha) using locally available biomass fuels. It begins with introductions to renewable energy usage in India and Assam as well as a description of traditional chulhas. The objectives, literature review, materials and methods, and results/discussion sections are then outlined. The research analyzed properties of different biomass fuels, tested improved chulha performance via water boiling and cooking tests, and evaluated cost economics. Key findings from literature include improved chulhas having higher thermal efficiencies and lower fuel consumption compared to traditional designs.
1. PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF IMPROVED COOK
STOVE (CHULHA) BY USING LOCAL AVAILABLE
BIOMASS
Presented by Under the guidance of
Rahul Nath Dr. C.B. Khobragade
Roll No.-31330223
Monoj Das
Roll No.-31330218
Department of Agricultural Engineering
Triguna Sen School of Technology
Assam University, Silchar
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Sl. No. Contents
1. Introduction
2. Objectives
3. Review of Literature
4. Materials and Methods
5. Performance evaluation of improved chulha
6. Results and Discussion
7. Summary and Conclusions
8. References
3. INTRODUCTION
Status of renewable energy in India
Today, renewable resources account for about 33% of
India's primary energy consumptions (Kumar et al.,
2010).
Almost 85% of the total rural households, are dependent
on traditional biomass fuel for cooking (Central Statistics
Office, India, 2013).
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Fig.1 Distribution of improved cookstove
Source: M.N.R.E. (2009)
4. INTRODUCTION (CONTD…)
Status of renewable energy in Assam
Assam has finite natural renewable resources and the utilization technology of
the resources are limited.
Target of 175 GW by 2022 set by the G.O.I. can be achieved by harnessing the
potential in renewable energy rich states such as Assam. (S.R.E.A.P., 2017).
Chulha
‘Chulha’is a Hindi word meaning ‘Cook stove’ or ‘fire place’.
Firewood, coconut husks, etc., which are easily available in rural and semi-
urban areas can be economically used for cooking purposes.
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Fig.2 Improved chulha
5. OBJECTIVES
To study the properties of different local available biomass.
To study the performance of improved cook stove (chulha) by using the selected biomass.
To study the cost economics of improved cook stove.
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6. Performance evaluation of improved chulha:
REVIEW OF LITERATURE (CONTD…)
Year Author Name of paper Findings
2009 Bolaji and
Olalusi
Development of an improved coal stove
for cooking in developing countries.
1. Tested an improved chulha to evaluate the thermal performance .
2. Compared the results with traditional and kerosene stove.
3. Improved coal stove had coal burning rate of 0.20 kg/hr.
4. The thermal efficiency of improved coal stove was found to be 42.6
%, while those of kerosene and traditional coal stoves were 40.5%
and 28.2%, respectively.
2013 Joshi and
Srivastava
Development and performance evaluation
of an improved three pot cook stove for
cooking in rural Uttarakhand, India.
1. Fabricated and tested an improved three pot cook stove to evaluate
its performance.
2. The improved three pot stove had wood burning rate of 0.17 kg/h
which can handle fuel more efficiently and economically than
traditional mud stove, which had wood burning rate of 0.28 kg/h.
3. The thermal efficiency of improved three pot cook stove was found
to be 28.4%, while that of traditional mud stoves was 10.7%.
2017 Bala and
Dutta
Design and development of improved
chulha
1. The improved chulha was tested with 1.86 kg of wood (burning
capacity), 14 kg of water.
2. The temperature of water, flame and outer surface temperature of
chulha were measured at an interval of 5 minutes
3. The average thermal efficiency of the chulha is 28.36%.
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7. Cost economics of improved cook stove:
REVIEW OF LITERATURE (CONTD…)
Year Author Name of paper Findings
2010 Frapolli et al. Beyond fuelwood savings: Valuing the
economic benefits of introducing
improved biomass cook stoves in the
Purepecha region of Mexico.
1. The resulting cost benefit analysis of the Patsari improved cook
stove is presented.
2. Results show that Patsari cook stoves represent benefit-cost ratios
estimated between 11.4:1 and 9:1.
3. The largest contributors to economic benefits stemmed from fuel
wood savings and reductions in health impacts, which constituted
53% and 28% of the overall benefit.
2013 Honkalaskar
et al.
Development of a fuel efficient cook
stove through a participatory bottom-up
approach
1. Some amount of the remaining unburnt coal is still utilized for
further food preparation, the percentage decrease in average wood
consumption is higher in KPT than the percentage decrease in
specific fuel consumption by around 4% in WBT.
2. Concluded that improvement in the designed cook stove has
reduced the wood consumption by roughly 25% as per the estimate.
2017 Bala and Dutta Design and development of improved
chulha
1. Net present worth was found to be Rs. 14,237/-
2. Benefit – cost ratio and pay – back period were found to be Rs/-
1.18/- and 0.4 years, respectively.
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8. MATERIALS AND METHODS
Analysis of properties of selected biomass:
1. Proximate analysis
Moisture content
Volatile matter
Ash content
Fixed carbon
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Fig. 3 Proximate analysis of biomass
9. MATERIALS AND METHODS (CONTD…)
2. Ultimate analysis
Carbon content
Hydrogen content
Nitrogen content
Oxygen content
3. Physical property
Bulk density
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10. MATERIALS AND METHODS (CONTD…)
Performance and evaluation of improved cook stove (chulha):
1. Water boiling test
2. Cooking Test
Cost economics of improved cookstove:
1. Net present worth
2. Benefit-cost ratio
3. Pay-back period
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11. Analysis of properties of selected biomass:
MATERIALS AND METHODS (CONTD…)
1. Moisture content
Where,
MC = Moisture content, %
W1 = Weight of crucible, g
W2 = Weight of crucible + sample, g
W3 = Weight of crucible + sample after drying, g
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Proximate analysis
Moisture content Ash contentVolatile matter Fixed carbon
100%
12
32
WW
WW
wbMC
12. MATERIALS AND METHODS (CONTD…)
2. Volatile matter
Where,
VM = Volatile matter
W4 = Weight of crucible + Weight of sample before oven drying, g
W5 = Weight of crucible + Weight of sample before keeping in muffle furnace, g
W6 = Weight of crucible + Weight of sample after keeping in muffle furnace, g
3. Ash content
AC(%) =
𝑊8
−𝑊9
𝑊7
−𝑊1
× 100
Where,
AC = Ash content, %
W7 = Weight of crucible + Weight of sample before oven drying, g
W8 = Weight of crucible + Weight of sample before keeping in muffle furnace, g
W9 = Weight of crucible + Weight of sample after keeping in muffle furnace, g
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100(%)
14
65
WW
WW
VM
13. MATERIALS AND METHODS (CONTD…)
4. Fixed carbon
FC (%) = 100 – % of (MC + VM + AC)
Where,
FC = Fixed carbon, %
MC = Moisture content, %
VM = Volatile matter, %
AC = Ash content, %
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14. Analysis of properties of selected biomass:
MATERIALS AND METHODS (CONTD…)
1. Carbon content
C = 0.97 FC + 0.7 (VM – 0.1 AC) – MC (0.60 – 01MC) %
2. Hydrogen content
H = 0.036 FC + 0.086 (VM – 0.1 AC) – 0.0035 MC2 (1 – 0.02MC), %
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Ultimate analysis
Carbon content Nitrogen contentHydrogen content Oxygen content
15. MATERIALS AND METHODS (CONTD…)
3. Nitrogen content
N2 = 2.10 – 0.020 VM, %
Where,
FC = Fixed carbon, %
MC = Moisture content, %
VM = Volatile matter, %
AC = Ash content, %
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16. Performance evaluation of improved chulha
Water boiling test:
The WBT consists of two phases as follows:
Cold-start high-power test
Begins with the stove at room temperature and pre-weighed bundle of fuel was used to boil a measured
quantity of water in a standard pot.
Hot-start high-power test
Conducted after the first test while stove is still hot
Repeating the test with a hot stove helps to identify differences in performance between a stove when it is
cold and when it is hot.
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17. Performance evaluation of improved chulha
Thermal efficiency test:
ɳ =
𝑀 𝑤𝑖
×𝐶𝑝𝑤 𝑇 𝑒
−𝑇𝑖 +𝑚𝑒𝑣 𝑎𝑝𝐻
1
𝐹×𝐶.𝑉
×100%
Where,
Mwi = Mass of water present initially in cooking vessel, kg
Cpw = Specific heat of water, kJ kg−1 K−1
mevap = Mass of water evaporated, kg
F = Mass of fuel burned, kg
Te = Temperature of boiling water, K
Ti = Initial temperature of water in pot, K
H1 = Latent heat of vaporization of water at 373 K, KJ kg−1
CV = Net calorific value of fuel, kJ kg−1
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18. Performance evaluation of improved chulha
Cooking test:
Specific fuel consumption =
𝑀𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑓𝑢𝑒𝑙 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑢𝑚𝑒𝑑 (𝑘𝑔)
𝑀𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑐𝑜𝑜𝑘𝑒𝑑 𝑓𝑜𝑜𝑑 (𝑘𝑔)
Where,
F = Quantity of fuel burnt, kg/h
CV = Calorific value of fuel, kcal/kg
η = Thermal efficiency of the cooking stove, %
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19. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Sl. No. Biomass
Bulk density,
(kg/m3)
Average bulk density,
(kg/m3)
1.
Guava wood
781
786785
792
2. Acacia nilotica
790
784782
780
3. Briquettes
356
358332
385
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Table No.1: Physical characteristics of biomass:
20. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
W1, (kg) W2, (kg) W3, (kg) W4, (kg) W5, (kg) M.C(w.b),
%
Volatile matter,
(%)
Ash content,
(%)
Fixed carbon,
(%)
19.62 20.62 20.51 19.64 19.63 11.00 87.00 1.00 1.00
16.97 17.97 17.87 17.00 16.98 10.00 87.00 1.00 2.00
18.98 19.98 19.88 19.01 18.99 10.00 87.00 1.00 2.00
Average 10.33 87.00 1.00 1.60
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Table 2(a)- Proximate analysis of Psidium guajava
21. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
W1, (kg) W2, (kg) W3, (kg) W4, (kg) W5, (kg)
M.C(w.b),
%
Volatile matter,
(%)
Ash content,
(%)
Fixed carbon,
(%)
19.03 20.03 19.97 19.08 19.04 6.00 89.00 4.00 1.00
18.68 19.68 19.63 18.72 18.69 5.00 91.00 3.00 1.00
18.68 19.68 19.62 18.74 18.69 6.00 88.00 4.50 1.50
Average 5.60 89.33 3.83 1.16
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Table 2(b)- Proximate analysis of Acacia nilotica
22. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
W1, (kg) W2, (kg) W3, (kg) W4, (kg) W5, (kg)
M.C(w.b),
%
Volatile matter,
(%)
Ash content,
(%)
Fixed carbon,
(%)
19.62 20.62 20.48 19.79 19.70 14.00 69.00 8.00 9.00
16.97 17.97 17.82 17.12 17.04 15.00 70.00 7.00 8.00
18.98 19.98 19.88 19.20 19.08 10.00 68.00 10.00 12.00
Average 13.00 69.00 8.33 9.66
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Table 2(c)- Proximate analysis of briquettes
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RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Sample No. Carbon, (%) Hydrogen, (%) Nitrogen, (%) Oxygen, (%)
1. 56.41 7.18 0.36 35.05
2. 57.77 7.26 0.36 33.60
3. 57.77 7.27 0.36 30.60
Average 57.31 7.24 0.36 33.08
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Table 3(a)- Ultimate analysis of Psidium guajava
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RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Sample No. Carbon, (%) Hydrogen, (%) Nitrogen, (%) Oxygen, (%)
1. 59.68 7.54 0.32 28.46
2. 61.64 7.76 0.28 27.32
3. 59.39 7.47 0.34 28.63
Average 60.23 7.59 0.31 28.14
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Table 3(b)- Ultimate analysis of Acacia nilotica
PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF IMPROVED CHULHA BY USING LOCAL AVAILABLE BIOMASS
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RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Sample No. Carbon, (%) Hydrogen, (%) Nitrogen, (%) Oxygen, (%)
1. 50.03 5.69 0.36 35.05
2. 49.52 5.70 0.36 33.60
3. 53.54 5.91 0.36 30.60
Average 51.03 5.76 0.36 33.08
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Table 3(c)- Ultimate analysis of briquettes
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RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Sample Sample No.
Thermal
efficiency, (%)
Burning rate,
(kg/h)
Specific fuel
consumption
Fire power,
(kW)
Guava wood
1.
2.
3.
26.35
28.53
25.87
4.80
4.98
3.88
0.10
0.10
0.11
25.04
24.11
18.77
Average 26.91 3.55 20.06
Acacia nilotica
1.
2.
3.
29.01
31.61
26.35
3.08
4.38
4.26
0.08
0.09
0.12
18.37
21.19
20.61
Average 28.99 4.15 0.10 22.64
Briquettes
1.
2.
3.
23.47
25.90
21.80
4.09
3.92
4.15
0.11
0.12
0.13
18.53
19.60
19.34
Average 23.72 3.97 0.12 18.76
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Table 4 (a)- Water boiling test (cold start) of biomass
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RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Sample Sample No.
Thermal
efficiency, (%)
Burning rate,
(kg/h)
Specific fuel
consumption
Fire power,
(kW)
Guava wood
1.
2.
3.
26.93
28.98
29.35
4.03
5.35
5.54
0.10
0.10
0.10
22.98
25.89
26.79
Average 28.42 4.97 0.10 24.55
Acacia nilotica
1.
2.
3.
30.32
28.12
31.88
5.05
6.08
5.33
0.09
0.10
0.09
24.44
28.27
25.78
Average 30.11 5.48 0.09 26.55
Briquettes
1.
2.
3.
25.48
24.77
25.19
4.15
4.09
5.05
0.11
0.13
0.12
19.60
19.34
23.87
Average 25.15 4.43 0.12 20.94
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Table 4(b)- Water boiling test (hot start) of biomass
28. PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF IMPROVED CHULHA BY USING LOCAL AVAILABLE BIOMASS 28
Evaluation of techno-economics of improved chulha:
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28
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION (CONTD…)
Sl. No. Economic indicator Value
1 Net present worth 1,86,180/-
2 Benefit- cost ratio 1.45
3 Pay- back period 2.37 months (0.19 years)
Table 5- Economic indicator
29. Summary
• The performance of the improved chulha has been carried out by using Acacia nilotica, guava wood
and briquettes.
• The different parameters were recorded such as initial and final water temperature, mass of fuel
consumed, net change in charcoal, weight of unburnt biomass.
• In order to find the fuel consumption in cooking per kg of food controlled cooking test was carried out.
7/28/2018 PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF IMPROVED CHULHA BY USING LOCAL AVAILABLE BIOMASS 29
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
30. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
Conclusions
• The average bulk density of Acacia nilotica, guava wood and briquettes were found to be 784 kg m-3, 786 kg m-3
and 358 kg m-3, respectively.
• The average thermal efficiency obtained for Acacia nilotica, guava wood and briquettes attained during cold start
were 28.99%, 26.91% and 23.72%, respectively whereas for hot start were 30.11%, 28.42% and 25.15%,
respectively.
• The burning rate obtained for acacia, guava wood and briquettes attained during cold start were 4.15%, 3.55%
and 3.97%, respectively whereas for hot start were 5.48%, 4.97% and 4.43%, respectively.
• The fire power obtained for acacia, guava wood and briquettes attained during cold start were 22.64%, 20.06%
and 18.76%, respectively whereas for hot start were 26.55%, 24.55% and 20.94%, respectively.
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31. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
Conclusion (contd…)
• The power output ratings for cold start were found by WBT were 6.23 kW, 6.1 kW and 4.5
kW, respectively and for hot start 7.96 kW, 7.00 kW and 5.09 kW, respectively.
• The thermal efficiency, fire power, power output rating of Acacia nilotica is having 28.99%
(cold start) & 30.11% (hot start), 22.64 kW (cold start) & 26.55 kW (hot start), 6.23 kW (cold
start) & 7.96 kW (hot start) was found to have attained the highest value compared to guava
wood and briquettes, thus Acacia nilotica was found to be the most efficient biomass in case of
improved chulha.
• The net present worth was found out to be 1,86,180/-, benefit cost ratio for improved chulha
was 1.45 and Payback period for improved chulha was found out to be 2.37 months (0.19
years).
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32. REFERENCES
Anonymous. 2009. Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Household Cookstoves, Environment, Health and Climate Change.: 3 - 4.
Anonymous. 2013. Energy statistics. Central Statistics Office, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Government of India.
Vol. 20: 2-3.
Anonymous. 2017. State Renewable Energy Action Plan for Assam, Final Report.: 3 - 14.
Bala A.K. and Dutta S. 2017. Design and development of improved chulha. B. Tech. Published Thesis submitted to Assam University,
Silchar: 27 - 32.
Bolaji, O.B. and A. Olalusi. 2009. Development of an Improved Coal Stove for Cooking in Developing Countries, Assumption
University Journal of Technology. Vol. 12(3): 182 - 187.
Garcia-Frapolli E., A. Schilmann., V. Berrueta., H.R. Rodriguez. 2010. Beyond fuelwood savings: Valuing the economic benefits of
introducing improved biomass cook stoves in the Purepecha region of Mexico. Ecological Economics. Vol. 69(12): 2598 - 2605.
Honkalaskar V.H., V. B. Upendra and S. Milind. 2013. Development of a fuel efficient cookstove through a participatory bottom-up
approach. Energy, Sustainability and Society. Vol. 3: 1 - 3.
Joshi M. and R.K. Srivastava. 2013. Development and performance evaluation of an improved three pot cook stove for cooking in rural
Uttrakhand, India, International Journal of Advanced Research. Vol. 1(5): 596 - 602.
Kumar A., N. Kumar, P. Baredar and A. Shukla. 2015. A review on biomass energy resources, potential, conversion and policy in India,
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