The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Bangalore students develop bio-fuel stove

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jul 17, 2006

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Bangalore students develop bio-fuel stove

Special Correspondent

It could come in handy for people in rural areas

BANGALORE: Three students from the Ambedkar Institute of Technology here have developed a bio-fuel pressure-cooking stove, which is operated on different blends of bio-fuels, including pongamia and jatropa. The stove could come in handy for people in rural areas, particularly those depending on firewood. R. Harish Kumar, K. Giri Kumar and C.H. Hanumantha, final year mechanical engineering students, have developed the bio-fuel stove at a cost of Rs. 1,750.

The stove has a vaporiser, burner head and a fuel tank. For the benefit of villagers, a biogas burner can be used as an additional/emergency burner. The stove has been put to several tests over the past six months to ensure that it complied with the safety standards.

The stove has advantages such as multi-fuel compatibility, smoke free, durable, minimal maintenance, and easy to install and operate. It will also go a long way in conserving fossil fuels (up to 25 to 30 per cent) compared to open air cooking using firewood. In the prototype of the stove, pressure is induced into the tank which in turn pumps the fuel into the oil line. The flow of fuel is regulated with a valve within the oil line. The vaporiser is connected to the oil line. Within this tube vaporisation of fuel takes place due to the heat of the flame. Simultaneously during vaporisation, cracking of the bio-fuel molecules takes place.

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