Application of Portable Gasification Stove in Supporting Disaster Response

Abstract

The application of micro-gasification stove technology for outdoor and disaster response activities is one of the renewal efforts in the utilization of biomass waste to energy. This study uses a portable micro-gasification stove type of natural draft which consists of three important compartments, namely the equalizer chamber, reactor chamber, and chimney. The unique ventilation of the reactor and chimney in this furnace will form a vertically spiraled air flow. This air flow will help complete combustion throughout the reactor chamber and accelerate the process of heating and gasification. Empirical test on this stove has been done by using a naturally dried twig and some kind of processed biomass (briquette/pellets). The peak temperature of the fire was not much different, ranging from 700 °C to 900 °C. With a total mass about 250 grams for each fuel (dry twigs, wood powder briquettes, and paper waste pellets), the duration of the flame occurs between 15 to 30 minutes depending on the fuel variant. In this experiment, the resulting fire was able to boil water with a volume of 500 ml in less than 7 minutes. While the remaining combustion, the live coals in the reactor is still able to warm water with the same volume from room temperature, about 28 °C to 80°C without any addition of fuel. Considering the performance and ease of procurement, storage, and distribution of fuel, the portable micro gasification stove is feasible to serve as a tool for disaster response support.