Thermal Performance of a Low-oncentration Ethanol Stove without Pressure System

We report here the thermal performance of a new burner running on low-concentration ethanol (50°GL) without pressure system. The experimental method based on the water boiling point of water developed by Shell Foundation, consists of three phases of test used to study the performance of the stove. Test and calculation results show that the time to boil 2.5 l of water is 19.6 min in cold start and 18.4 min in hot start. The specific consumption is 25.55 g/l for the boiling task and 29.4 g/l for the simmering task. The thermal efficiency calculation of the stove is 55.75% in high power and 58.3% in simmer with a turndown ratio of 2.24. The average thermal output of the stove is from a high of 1575 W to a low of 694 W. The optimal thermal output is 694 W, with a thermal efficiency of 59%. The results show that the burner can transform gradually the low ethanol-water mixture of 50% (w/w) to a vapour of ethanol-water mixture concentration of 68.55% (w/w) in cold start, 73.71% (w/w) in hot start and 68.47% (w/w) in simmer. Improving the nature of the burner components helps improve the performance of the stove and also has an impact on its lifespan. The performance of the stove depends on the variation of the concentration of ethanol fuel during the test. The experimental study showed that the stove running on 50% v/v ethanol-water mixture is a no smoking stove, with no danger of fires.