Nina Yang Berkeley-Darfur Fuel Efficient Stoves Spring 2010 1 Fuel-Efficient Stoves: A Comparison of Berkeley-Darfur Stoves to Three-Stone Fires Nina Yang ABSTRACT Fuel-efficient stoves have emerged as a potential technological solution to mitigate global issues of hunger, environmental and habitat depletion, and poverty. For the internally displaced persons in the Darfur region of Sudan, the act of collecting firewood is directly related to exposure to a multitude of social dangers, and as a solution, fuel-efficient stoves have been introduced in the area in an effort to alleviate these persisting issues. In this study, I analyzed the fuel efficiency of the Berkeley-Darfur Stoves (BDS) under simulated wind conditions by making a direct comparison of dry wood consumption, specific fuel consumption, and thermal efficiency of the BDS to traditional three-stone fires. These analyses were performed for both types of traditional meals from the region, mullah and assida. I discovered that the designed BDS is consistently more fuel-efficient than the three-stone fire, and this improvement in fuel efficiency significantly increases in the presence of wind. This project supports the mission of the Darfur Stoves Project, and also provides insight into future development of the cookstoves. KEYWORDS improved cookstoves, internally displaced persons (IDPs), fuel consumption, thermal efficiency, appropriate technologyNina Yang Berkeley-Darfur Fuel Efficient Stoves Spring 2010 2 INTRODUCTION Five million people have been displaced by the civil war that has been ravaging western Sudan for nearly a decade. Although these internally displaced persons (IDPs) have found a relatively peaceful home within refugee camps in Darfur, they are deprived of basic resources and services and must rely on agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to provide the essentials for survival (Lari and Teff 2008). One basic resource, which has since become depleted and scarce in the areas surrounding the refugee camps, is firewood used for cooking and boiling water (Amrose 2008). The limited vegetation has introduced numerous social concerns in the area. The refugees in the camps are forced to embark on distant journeys three days a week, 7 hours each, to collect appropriate fuelwood. Once outside the refugee camp boundaries, people relinquish their securities and are exposed to the harsh dangers of their natural surroundings, the militia, and rebel groups, leading to a staggering amount of kidnap and rape (Gadgil 2007). As a result, many IDPs have begun a trading system within the camps to purchase their firewood from other refugees. Those who choose this method spend around 250 Sudanese dinar a day on wood, which is close to a quarter of their daily living stipend. Those who cannot afford this transaction rely on trading food for firewood. Consequently, many families struggle to produce even one meal per day (Gadgil 2007). . The dense living conditions also present an enormous environmental burden on the area. The vegetation has already been exhausted in the immediate surroundings, and the outer limits are slowly becoming more barren (Kelly 2006). This unsustainable lifestyle prevents the vegetation from naturally recovering and regenerating, and accelerates soil erosion (Robinson 2005). Not only will this greatly affect the natural ecology of the area, but it will also further exacerbate the problem of traveling far distances to collect wood. In addition, the topography and geology of the area have been dramatically altered due to changing sediments and root structures, and the available groundwater has been cut in half (Bromwich 2007). Given that the scarce fuelwood has become a valuable commodity, warring rebel groups will deliberately set fire to entire forests to prevent opposition groups from obtaining the resource (ProAct Network 2008). The standard stoves currently utilized by the refugees in Darfur are extremely rudimentary, consisting of either a three-stone fire, or a mixture of mud, water, and animal wasteNina Yang Berkeley-Darfur Fuel Efficient Stoves Spring 2010 3 (Patrick 2007b). These stoves are inefficient and comparable to open fires, allowing much of the heat to escape and leaving a majority of the firewood wasted. Using this open-fire method, each household requires an average of two kilograms of wood to create one traditional meal (Gadgil 2007). This perpetuates the social and environmental problems by forcing families to make more frequent trips to collect firewood. Existing technologies can provide a suitable, efficient stove that would minimize the negative social and environmental effects of these current practices. Fuel-efficient stoves, measured by the percentage of heat energy used to heat food or water, have already been researched, designed, and distributed in numerous countries (Jahangiri 2008). However, none have been successful in Darfur. The national parks in the Democratic Republic of Congo have sold efficient stoves to save the mountain gorillas’ habitat (Wildlife Direct 2009), and Honduras has implemented a similar project in order to reduce air pollution and particulates (Ashden Awards 2005). In addition, field studies and testing have shown that the Tara Stove, which is a metal stove originally designed for India, required 50% less fuelwood than the three-stone fires (Academy for Educational Development 2008). All three programs have found tremendous success and have collectively brought thousands of appropriate stoves to communities. The reduced use of fuelwood has already improved the quality of life for families, who save money and time, and have a heightened sense of security (Patrick 2007a). However, these stoves were designed to accommodate different regions, with different conditions, resources, and practices. When analyzed in the Darfur region, the Tara stove was found to tip easily while stirring the assida or mullah, two traditional regional dishes created using large wooden sticks (Gadgil 2007). The Tara stoves also could not withstand the windy conditions, and its fuel efficiency decreased dramatically (Amrose 2008). In 2005, Berkeley students, scientists, and engineers began work on the Darfur Stoves Project (DSP), which aims to create a fuel-efficient stove while prioritizing the needs of the refugees and catering to the unique characteristics of the Darfur region. Through field observations, the new designed cookstove
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