Combustion blower for lower emmissions?

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Mtn Fire

New Member
Dec 12, 2011
20
New Mexico
Hello,

As the industry moves toward lowest emissions possible. Am I correct in thinking that a fireplace or wood stove with a variable speed combustion air blower controlled by sensors linked to emissions or temperature settings would be a huge upgrade to reduce emissions on most stoves?

Does anyone market this type of product or a complete stove? Are there engineering issues/governmental issues with primary air blower wood burning products? Preference for a stove located in living room as opposed to garage.

Thanks in advance,

Alex
 
It's called a pellet stove.
They are plenty low now compared to the smoke dragons of yore.
BTW..pass me some of that..lol.
 
It won't happen..and your welcome.
Dave
 
You can get an OWB with combustion blower.
 
Yep...and we all know how efficient and non polluting they are.
 
Wouldn't a forced draft pressurize the firebox and make it likely to leak out the poisonous gasses into your home? Is that why you never see it on an indoor wood burner.
 
I can visualize what you are thinking but I don't think it would work. Something similiar to an O2 sensor on a car that would send information to the air control on when to open or close based on emmisions. 1st a big reason a lot of folks burn fuel is the simplicity and ability to stay warm during power outages. Any type of sensor or valve would require power to function. 2. The current CO emmision standards ( http://www.epa.gov/otaq/standards/light-duty/ld-cff.htm ) are 3.4 grams/mile. Consider if you were going 60mph, that would be 204 grams/hour of CO. We are at 1-2 grams/hour on a wood stove with no complicated computers or power needed
 
rwhite said:
I can visualize what you are thinking but I don't think it would work. Something similiar to an O2 sensor on a car that would send information to the air control on when to open or close based on emmisions. 1st a big reason a lot of folks burn fuel is the simplicity and ability to stay warm during power outages. Any type of sensor or valve would require power to function. 2. The current CO emmision standards ( http://www.epa.gov/otaq/standards/light-duty/ld-cff.htm ) are 3.4 grams/mile. Consider if you were going 60mph, that would be 204 grams/hour of CO. We are at 1-2 grams/hour on a wood stove with no complicated computers or power needed

That's interesting. cheers!
 
With probably hundreds of millions of wood burning appliances in the world, it would seem that with today's technology that there would be the opportunity to produce the next level efficiency. Something along the lines of the gasification boilers but an aesthetic fireplace/wood stove with refractory chamber. Perhaps combustion air blower blows until combustion chamber reaches 1200 degrees and then blower curtails volume to maintain that set temperature.

Measuring exhaust emissions could be another means of controlling the fan volume, or a combination of temperature and emissions?

We have 2 airtight, outside combustion air Country Flame fireplaces with blowers and like them thoroughly but during startup they smoke significantly. I am far from an expert on pollution standards but I have read that even some efficient stoves put out other significant issues above the 2gms/hour.

Thanks
 
I'm thinking you have to have some smoke with a wood fire.
By the earlier post RWhite made it seems cars are way worse..and they been hooking crap up to them for years now.
 
One other reason that I don't think it would be pratical is variability in fuel and setups. In a car engineers no exactly how a given volume of fuel should act and how far it has to travel to the point of exhaust. They can design a consistent system based on that. Even pellets to a large degree are consistent. Not so with wood. Based on the type, volume and moisture content (and distance to exhuast) a user has to manully control the output for optimum effenciency. If you took that control away from the user I'm not sure that it would work. Any type of air control valve would be constantly reacting to keep up with the different stages of a burn. Not so sure that could be done effeciently. You are correct that there are millions of wood burners in the world. I would venture that well over 90% of them can't even afford an EPA stove. Which would mean that 10% would pay for a higher emmision standard that would have no measurable effect on the world. I am sure engineers, as we speak are thinking of ways to make a wood burner better. Probably already have but there would be not point in releasing a product that is priced higher and wouldn't sell if the current standard is being met. I have no doubt that there is a method (using what we already have) to make stoves cleaner. Whether it be better cats or redesigned air tubes but I don't think a computer is the solution here.
 
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