2018 New Generation Wood Stove Design Challenge - Pics & Thoughts

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I'm learning more about solid fuel stoves every day. Today I learned that electricy can be generated by solid fuel!
Yep, several ways to use heat to produce electricity! Seebeck effect (TEG, Thermo-Electric-Generator, which most of these used), Stirling engine, and in mass enough quantity the good 'ole steam engine (rankine cycle)

The moral of the story for a lot of these demos is that a heat engine only works when there's a temperature difference. Getting the "cold side" cold enough accounts for much of the material and engineering you see here... water cooled TEGs piped to radiators, a big hot-water storage tank and outside radiators consuming the heat from the Stirling engine, etc.
 
Was that guy from New Zealand around?

You remember, the one who got real defensive when bholler asked him all the right questions a year or two ago.

I honestly hoped that he'd succeed, because his story was a good one.

His defensiveness made me skeptical.

No, the intensifire was not in it this time, I don't think Jason is hooking up a TEG to his device which was the reason for this contest, to create power.
 
Not all the stoves were power generators - the VcV stove and SBI's stove were demonstrating automatic draft control for emissions purposes IIRC.
 
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Ok, didn't realize MESys's Pellematic is actually an imported Austrian product-

http://www.okofen-e.com/en/pellematic_e_max/
America invented wood pellets and the Europeans advanced uses of them. Most European buildings/homes have a hopper for storage of wood pellets, which automatically is delivered via an auger to the boiler hopper; when low. The large storage hopper is bulk filled from a truck. A truck comes to auger out stored ash. In America I believe this may occur in the northeastern States. The largest pellet stove dealer in America, in Dale Wisconsin; doesn’t even do this.
 
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This one looks interesting. Suitable for a small space.
 
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This one looks interesting. Suitable for a small space.

I do actually like these small stoves quite a bit, but they are very dear in price and max of 8" in any direction for the firewood is also a bit challenging. Perhaps in a tiny home they work well.
 
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I do actually like these small stoves quite a bit, but they are very dear in price and max of 8" in any direction for the firewood is also a bit challenging. Perhaps in a tiny home they work well.
Or boat or RV or Small Cabin
 
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Or boat or RV or Small Cabin

In those applications there are many other options that are arguably better. I do like the water coil integration, but the "baking" add-on is pretty weak. You are really paying for the UL listings with the Unforgettable products; boats, RVs, and small cabins don't usually care about UL listings. Still, they are nice stoves and I'm sure there is a thriving target market.
 
In those applications there are many other options that are arguably better. I do like the water coil integration, but the "baking" add-on is pretty weak. You are really paying for the UL listings with the Unforgettable products; boats, RVs, and small cabins don't usually care about UL listings. Still, they are nice stoves and I'm sure there is a thriving target market.
That stove should be gold plated for the asking price. It is very hard to find real-world reviews and not fluff pieces. It's a weak heater from what I was finally able to find on reddit.
 
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That stove should be gold plated for the asking price. It is very hard to find real-world reviews and not fluff pieces. It's a weak heater from what I was finally able to find on reddit.
At $5,000 it better be an unforgettable fire!
 
Not sure if it's going to be able to hold on to EPA certification for the 2020 go round.
 
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At $5,000 it better be an unforgettable fire!
Wow i didnt see any price on their website. I guess thats why. ID rather a Twin fire if im shelling out that kind of dough.
 
Wow i didnt see any price on their website. I guess thats why. ID rather a Twin fire if im shelling out that kind of dough.
I saw both the Twin-Fire and the Kimberly at the DC event. They were complete opposites. The Twin-Fire was the most radiant stove at the test tent by far. The heat blasting from the front was exceptional. The Kimberly was the opposite, more of a whimper. To be fair though, the stove failed testing and since then there have been improvements that most likely have helped, but it can only hold about 8-10,000 btus of fuel and that is released over several hours.
 
That twin-fire was throwing heat like crazy in that tent, only thing that was throwing more heat was Jason's repurposed Treemont with his device in it, heck they were making hot apple cider on it. The Kimberly was just sitting there when I was there, never got to see it run but it looked nice in a door stopper kind of way.
 
Personally, other than the novelty of it, I wouldn't want a Twin-Fire. It is a well-made stove, but the firebox is small and the show is short. It's more like a mini-blast furnace, even sounds like one.
 
Personally, other than the novelty of it, I wouldn't want a Twin-Fire. It is a well-made stove, but the firebox is small and the show is short. It's more like a mini-blast furnace, even sounds like one.
This is a very similar concept to the downdraft design of the 1979 Vermont Casting Resolute. Only major difference I see is glass, for your viewing pleasure.