Design and testing of a thermoelectric enhanced cookstove add-on (TECA) for indigenous biomass stoves in Kenya

Abstract

Indoor smoke from cooking with biomass fuels leads to over 1.5 million premature deaths each year, world-wide. While a number of “improved” cookstoves have been developed, many of these stoves fail to achieve significant health improvements. Every country has some form of artisan stoves that are inexpensive and well-liked; however, most of these indigenous stoves do not provide an adequate reduction in harmful emissions. Several commercial stoves have been developed that technically perform well but are not readily adopted by the consumers.
RTI International has targeted an alternative approach to develop a self-powered thermoelectric blower insert for a popular Kenya Jiko Kisasa stove with support from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In particular, RTI’s previous development of a Thermoelectric Enhanced Cookstove Add-on (TECA) has been modified and applied to the Kenya Jiko Kisasa stove to improve combustion and reduce particulate matter (PM) emissions. Several cookstoves with a powered fan have achieved emission reductions to levels that are expected to improve personal health, but the availability of a power source limits their use to more developed regions. Our solution seeks to overcome this limitation by employing a self-powered design that converts heat from the stove into electricity to self-power the fan. In addition, by developing an air injection system that can be added to existing stoves, we have the opportunity to significantly reduce emissions without replacing the user’s stove. We will present results from the development and testing of the TECA device with an indigenous Jiko Kisasa stove.