Stove Project

Cardboard Models

This week we were tasked at looking at new ways to design a coal burning stove. After looking at some considerations such as efficiency, cost, safety, insulation, and adaptability we split into groups to brainstorm potential stove designs. My group knew we wanted to safety to be a number one priority so we focused mostly on a system of ventilation, as well as considered a sunken cook-top to prevent burns and spills. We created a stove with an inner chamber for the fuel to rest and ran a chimney out of that chamber. Around that chamber we wanted an insulating material such as clay that is cheap and effective. The cook surface rests directly above the chamber. There is two doors (an outer door and an inner door) that you use to access the fuel. The two doors provide a safer chamber. The downside of our design is that we didn't put enough consideration into the air flow to get to the heat. In talking with the class we thought making the bottom of the stove more of a grate so that air could flow in and up through the bottom would be the best next step in the prototyping. In making our cardboard model I feel more familiar with the general parts of the cook-stove and I'm interested to delve further into exploration to the best coal burning stove.