Turbo-charge a Tea-light Stove

[LostInSpace]

I have been experimenting with the following idea to turbo-charge a tea-light stove. I was out of wick material to follow Zelph’s approach. So, I cut a strip of flashing with a width that is about 1/8” – 3/16” wider than the tea-light is tall. I fan-folded the strip varying the length of each fold so the overall shape is approximately round. I have about eight folds. Then I stand the zig-zag, fan-folded strip on edge in the tea-light. Metal window screen should work the same way as flashing, but I have not tried it.


The metal strip conducts heat causing the alcohol to vaporize faster. Using 15 ml. of alcohol, 2 cups of water, and a 5 ½ “ TI pot, I am getting boil and burnout simultaneously after about 7 minutes. If I use too many folds, I don’t get a good burn when first lighting the stove. My tea-lights will hold about 18 ml. of alcohol, and filling it up results in a boil occurring before burnout.


I have yet to determine the optimum strip width and number of folds. If you try his, please share your results.

[Skidsteer]

Interesting.

Any photos?

[Franco]

A similar way to do that but also incorporate the windscreen, is the Goya stove by Atraildreamer. He sent me one to play with but for me it burns too hot, meaning the fuel is spent quicker than it can heat the pot. Because of this hotting up process, I have tried with it the Sgt Rock Ion and one of the Brasslite stove, but with the same result, they just flare up. I have also tested a wider can of the same design, still too hot.
Franco
http://www.backpacking.net/makegear/...ove/index.html

[LostInSpace]

At some point I'll take and post some pictures.

The first one I made had the folded flashing too high above the top of the tea-light. Consequently, the stove burned too hot and too much flame fanned out around the sides fo the pot. (I'm using a 4-inch dia. can with the sides cut out as a pot support, semi-wind screen.) I think I need to raise the height of the pot support a little to get a cleaner burn. My goal is to decrease the boil time without significantly decreasing fuel consumption efficiency compared to using just a plain tea-light. Perhaps this is an achievable goal ... perhaps not.

More experimenting ...

"Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day
To the last syllable of recorded time,"

Macbeth, Act 5, Scene 5

[atraildreamer]

The first one I made had the folded flashing too high above the top of the tea-light. Consequently, the stove burned too hot and too much flame fanned out around the sides fo the pot. (I'm using a 4-inch dia. can with the sides cut out as a pot support, semi-wind screen.) I think I need to raise the height of the pot support a little to get a cleaner burn. My goal is to decrease the boil time without significantly decreasing fuel consumption efficiency compared to using just a plain tea-light. Perhaps this is an achievable goal ... perhaps not.

More experimenting ...

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/show...ove+efficiency

The above link may prove useful to you. I came across many of the problems that you have encountered. You will find that even seemingly minor changes in your stove system configuration can cause MAJOR changes in burn rate and fuel consumption.

Franco was right in that the Goya stove, which can accomodate many types of soda can stoves, is a screamer of a burner (check out the picture of the stove burning in the Goya stove link), which makes it good for boiling water (Maybe I should send one to Sarbar for use in freezer bag cooking? ) but is poor at simmering.

I started fooling around with the design that I call the Double Cat (see the Stove Efficiency article) but have been distracted by family health problems (not mine...the spouse's) and haven't been able to get much done with it. It did have, as the article states, a 17 minutes burn time during the first test burn.

Keep on trying...an Alcohol Stove Anonymous chapter is available for support!

[LostInSpace]

Thank you Ataildreamer for bring this link to my attention. Seems like a great tool. Somehow I missed your posting of the article.

I also want to track time to final temperature. A three-dimensional plot of efficiency, final temperature, and time to final temperature would be interesting. After varying a design element for a particular stove, the plot may indicate a preferred tradeoff point and a point of diminishing benefit, as I am only interested in boiling water.

A similar three-dimensional plot showing different stoves would also be interesting. Maybe I can find enough data already posted to make a plot.

[atraildreamer]

I also want to track time to final temperature. A three-dimensional plot of efficiency, final temperature, and time to final temperature would be interesting. After varying a design element for a particular stove, the plot may indicate a preferred tradeoff point and a point of diminishing benefit, as I am only interested in boiling water.

If you want to take it that far, contact the following and see if they have a lab available:

http://www.nist.gov/

NIST, 100 Bureau Drive, Stop 1070, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-1070

[/quote]A similar three-dimensional plot showing different stoves would also be interesting. Maybe I can find enough data already posted to make a plot.[/quote]

Most of the stuff posted is of the "...I took a cup of tap water and an ounce of fuel and got a good boil in 3-8 minutes..." variety of reports. I doubt that you will get much useful information that is transferable to your project from this type of report. The proposed method of testing outlined in the Stove Efficiency article is just a way of standardizing test burns using the a few easily-controlled variables. Even slight changes will cause major changes in the performance of your stove system, but may not transfer to actual field use of the stove system.

Remember: You have embarked on the stove-builders trail whose final destination is madness!

[LostInSpace]

Remember: You have embarked on the stove-builders trail whose final destination is madness!

Yes, design decisions about stoves are like trying to decide how far to drive to save a few cents per gallon on gasoline ... factoring in speed, distance, temperature, acceleration, breaking.

I am mad. I have lost everything but my reason.

[mweinstone]

the nation of matthewski began construction today on what is being touted as the worlds largest alcohol burner. it will be completed early in 2012 just in time for the last great fil up before the end of time. at 1 gallon 1quart and 9 ounces,...its exspected burn time is equivilent to one trail days festival.

[atraildreamer]

at 1 gallon 1quart and 9 ounces,...its exspected burn time is equivilent to one trail days festival.

What is the predicted blast radius when you light it up?

[mweinstone]

exactly. im gonna just make a wood stove. wanna help? should i make it fan assist? and if so. what alternative power source can you suggest. im thinking wind up.

[atraildreamer]

exactly. im gonna just make a wood stove. wanna help? should i make it fan assist? and if so. what alternative power source can you suggest. im thinking wind up.

Maybe you can get one of those wind-up LED lights, disconect the LEDs and use the power pack to run one of those little cooling fans that are used on top of the processor chips on a PC mother board. The voltages should be compatible, but you would have to mount the fan on the end of a tube that feeds into the stove so that the heat of the stove doesn't melt the fan.

An alternative would be to get a hamster wheel, attach a small fan blade to it and train the shelter mice to run in the wheel (Make the little rodents work for the food they usually steal! )

Don't burn down the house, or the shelter!