Thermoelectric fan powered pellet stove?

[BrianK]

Hi folks,
I just stumbled on a really cool camp stove concept while researching wall tent stoves. It uses a thermoelectric fan to power a rocket stove, and uses the excess thermoelectric current generated by the fire to power a USB charger.

Here's a YouTube video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmHCIBvI6vE&feature=player_embedded

And a recent post at GeekAlerts:

BioLite CampStove Gadget Charger

It used to be that the only thing you’d bring to a camping trip was a stove. I mean, there are just some things that you can’t really roast over the fire, you know. And since people nowadays just can’t seem to live without their smartphones and other portable gadgets, the BioLite CampStove eventually came to be.

In case you haven’t guessed already, the BioLite CampStove is a stove and a charger, built into one convenient package.

It’s got the word “bio†in its name for a reason, too: it doesn’t need any fuel to heat up. All you need to do is throw some twigs into the stove, and you’re good to go. The BioLite then converts the heat energy from the fire to charge up your gadgets on the side. Talk about being green.

The stove slash charger isn’t just for use during camping, either; they can also be used during blackouts, during storms, or in the case of any emergencies.

The BioLite CampStove is available for pre-order from MyShopify for $129. It’ll hit the online shelves before this year’s camping season rolls around.

Here's the website:
(broken link removed to http://biolitestove.com/CampStove.html)

Price: $129. Reserve yours today.

Shipping for camping season 2012.

· Powers all USB-chargeable devices including smartphones, LED lights, GPS and many others

· Fast to boil

· Lights quickly and easily

· Burns sticks, pine cones, pellets and other biomass

· Folds for easy packing

· Packed size: 8.25 x 5"

· Weight: 2 Lbs 1 oz / 935 grams

Couldn't this thermoelectric generator technology be utilized to design an off-grid pellet stove?

It would probably need a clean burning accelerant at start up for the blower, like ethanol, to get the thermoelectric charge going, but it could also be combined with the new gravity feed type of pellet stove like the new WiseWay Pellet Stoves at http://www.facebook.com/pages/WiseWay-Pellet-Stoves/160594427363341

(broken image removed)

Thoughts?

 

[BrianK]

Hmm, after a quick search, it looks like someone already tried it and published an article on it in 2001:

Development of a Self-Powered Pellet Stove
John C. Bass, Hi-Z Technology, Inc., San Diego, California
Jay Thelin, Thelin Company, Inc., Grass Valley, California

Abstract
The pellet stove is a device that burns compressed sawdust pellets, which are a renewable energy resource. Pellet stoves provide heat with much less pollution than is experienced with other wood burning stoves. To accomplish low pollution combustion, the pellet stove employs a forced draft fan which provides excess combustion air to the burn chamber and an auger feed to dispense pellets at a controlled rate as well as a sophisticated electronic control system to achieve the proper air/fuel ratio.

The electric power requirements of the pellet stove limits their acceptance because many pellet stoves are employed in remote and rural areas with either unavailable or unreliable power. This paper describes a program funded jointly by the Renewable Energy Resources Division of the U.S. Department of Energy and the State of California under the CalTIP (California Technology Investment Partnership) Program which is currently underway to develop a self- powered pellet stove using thermoelectric technology. This paper describes this program to date.

Full-text article available for download. (PDF) (broken link removed to http://www.hi-z.com/papers/Dev) of Self-Powered Pellet Stove.pdf

 

[Turbo-Quad]

You can make the same thing out of a can and a slightly smaller can and you dont even need a powersource. They are all over youtube. Its just a small gassification stove. I have one sitting on my end table that I made about 4 months ago during a fit of boredom. I filled it with pellets and lit it with firegel. It burned on my kitchen counter smoke free without setting my carbon monoxide detector off that was a foot away from it. It was pretty cool until it ran out of fuel then it smoked up the house. Leaves nothing but charcoal. I couldnt see spending that kind of money for a pretty one. lol

 

[hoverfly]

Hi folks,
I just stumbled on a really cool camp stove concept while researching wall tent stoves. It uses a thermoelectric fan to power a rocket stove, and uses the excess thermoelectric current generated by the fire to power a USB charger.

Here's a YouTube video:

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And a recent post at GeekAlerts:


Here's the website:
(broken link removed to http://biolitestove.com/CampStove.html)

Couldn't this thermoelectric generator technology be utilized to design an off-grid pellet stove?

It would probably need a clean burning accelerant at start up for the blower, like ethanol, to get the thermoelectric charge going, but it could also be combined with the new gravity feed type of pellet stove like the new WiseWay Pellet Stoves at http://www.facebook.com/pages/WiseWay-Pellet-Stoves/160594427363341

(broken image removed)

Thoughts?

You could properly adapt the thermoelectric fans used on wood stoves. The Wiseway burns hot enough for it to work.