A comparison of the performance of three woodstoves

This paper deals with the results obtained in an elaborate measuring programme for three wood burning stoves used for cooking food; a metal stove, a brick stove and a mud stove. A description of the stoves used for testing the experimental set-up is described together with the general outline of the measuring programme. The main part of the paper is dedicated to a comparison of the three stoves. Characteristics dealt with are the efficiency, the combustion performance and the heat balance of the stoves. Under similar test conditions stove efficiencies appear to be 18 to 22% for the mud stove, 15 to 23% for the brick stove and 25 to 30% for the metal stove. The combustion performance of the mud stove is very poor; the flue gases of the brick stove have the lowest CO-content. Some practical means to improve stove efficiency are presented.