The influence of initial fuel load on Fuel to Cook for batch loaded charcoal cookstoves

Researchers at the Aprovecho Research Center tested 14 charcoal cookstoves using the Water Boiling Test 4.1.2. The protocol does not specify how much fuel should be loaded into the stove, and most stoves could not boil 5 L of water without a lid. The amount of fuel loaded was suspected of affecting stove performance, and the use of a lid allows the stove to be tested over a greater range of firepower. Each stove was tested at the maximum fuel load as defined by the volume of the combustion chamber, and minimum fuel load needed to complete the modified test. A lid was used in all tests, a modification to the WBT4.1.2.The study finds that fuel use to complete a water boiling task is reduced by decreasing the amount of fuel that is loaded into the stove. When each of the stoves was loaded with the minimum fuel required to complete the cooking task, the range in fuel consumption was small (150 g–300 g). When the combustion chambers in the stoves were fully loaded, the range in fuel consumption (200 g–1600 g) was dramatically larger. The initial fuel load used during a WBT was found to be an important and determining variable influencing the performance of the stove.

► Fourteen charcoal cook stoves were tested in the laboratory using a modified WBT4.1.2.
► Fuel to Cook was found to be dependent on the initial fuel load.
► All stoves were found to have similar Fuel to Cook when they were loaded with their minimum fuel loads.