According to the then Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, there are around 28 crore domestic LPG customers in the country as of 1 February 2021, which is expected to reach 30 crore by March 2022. IndianOil claims that it will import 50 per cent more LPG for its bottling plants so that there is no bottleneck in the supply of LPG.
Today, a lot of efforts are being made by the government to promote LPG in place of coal and wood for the prevention of air pollution. But according to researchers from IIT Guwahati, the efficiency of LPG cooking stoves in the market today is 60-68% and it emits more hazardous gases such as carbon monoxide (220–550 ppm), nitrogen oxides (5–25 ppm). .
In view of these needs, a research team led by P Muthukumar, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, IIT Guwahati, has developed energy-efficient and eco-friendly cooking stoves equipped with Porous Radiant Burners (PRBs), which allows LPG Fuels like biogas or kerosene can save 25 to 50 percent.
Muthukumar says, “This new self-aspirated LPG cooking stove with two layer PRB is 80 per cent more energy efficient. It emits carbon monoxide (39-64 ppm) and nitrogen oxide (1-2.5 ppm), which is much lower than conventional stoves.
For this project the team of IIT Guwahati has partnered with ‘Agnisumukh Energy Solutions Pvt Ltd’ of Bengaluru, which is known for manufacturing cooking applications.
According to IIT Guwahati, “The use of PRB-based cooking stoves across the country will have a global impact on burner-based applications, with around 1.3 million cylinders of LPG being saved every day.”
Apart from home cooking, it can be used in many places like industries, cremation homes.
Professor Muthukumar says, “We started our research on Porous Medium Combustion in 2006. After two years we built the first prototype of the PRB with an external air supply. Then, after several scientific investigations, in 2018 we developed its first model for home and commercial use. This new model can use gaseous fuels like LPG, Biogas, PNG as well as liquid fuels like kerosene, methanol and ethanol.”
How does this work?
Free Flame Combustion (FFC) based LPG stoves are available in the Indian market, in which combustion takes place in the open air. In this, heat transfer takes place in the form of convection.
In conventional chulhas, the contribution of conduction and radiation from post flame to pre-flame zone is negligible. Thus, due to poor heat transfer, these stoves are not efficient enough. In addition to not getting proper heating in it, the emission of pollution is also high.
Whereas, the two layer PRB model works in partially submerged combustion mode, in which the main mode of heat transfer from the burner surface to the cooking vessel is radiation, which travels at the speed of sunlight. In this, alumina (Al2O3) acts as the framework in the preheating zone, followed by silicon carbide (SiC) foam as the combustion zone.
Muthukumar says, “Combustion starts at the interface of these two regions and it ends in partially submerged combustion mode. Due to the high volume, thermal conductivity and emission of silicon carbide, part of the combustion heat is returned to the preheating zone and this powers the air-fuel mixer. As a result, energy consumption is reduced. There is no combustion in the preheating zone and the stove is free from any flashback except within the burner, where the gas catches fire.”
fuel and time saving
Based on several tests conducted between IIT Guwahati labs and some individuals, Professor Muthukumar claims that it consumes 30 and 50 per cent fuel and 30 per cent, respectively, compared to conventional stoves when cooking at home and commercial levels. Percentage time saved.
Hari Rao, CEO, Agnisumuk said, “Porous radiant burner technology will usher in a new approach to thermal management in terms of cooking and industrial applications.”
IIT Guwahati will get royalty for the earnings from the sale of this new cooking stove.
Original article – Rinchen Norbu Wangchuk
Editing – G N Jha
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