Performance Evaluation and Ranking of Five Improved Charcoal Cooking Stoves in Wereta Town, Ethiopia

Abstract

In Ethiopia, several improved cookstoves (ICSs) have been disseminated, aiming to reduce fuel consumption and pollutant emissions. Although improved cookstoves are widely promoted and distributed, research on evaluating their performance is still limited. Therefore, this work aims to evaluate the performance of five selected ICSs variants using the water boiling test (WBT) at cold, hot and simmering phases in Wereta town. Thermal efficiency, specific fuel consumption, temperature-corrected time to boil, burning rate, and firepower were used as performance measurement variables. The thermal efficiency of types 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 at the hot start was 30%, 34 %, 28.5%, 35%, and 26.7% respectively. While the lowest and the highest specific fuel consumption at the hot start were type 4 (51.2 g/l) and type 5 (62.5 g/l), respectively. Out of all the stove models tested, types 3 and 5 had the highest firepower ratings, indicating more thermal output per given time. Type 3 exhibited the highest burning rate of 1.67 grams per minute. Type 1 cookstove required the longest time to boil water (42 minutes), while type 5 took the shortest time (32 minutes). From the response variables, type 4 (rocket stove with insulation) charcoal cookstove exhibited better overall performance compared to the other. In conclusion, policymakers should consider prioritizing energy-efficient stove technologies to reduce environmental damage and improve the energy economy.