Performance evaluation of three methanol stoves using a contextual testing approach

Abstract

Over the years, a significant need has been established to develop stove testing protocols that reflect the performance of fuel/stove combinations in the field better. This is particularly true for alcohol-based liquid fuels, widely seen as a future replacement for kerosene fuels in the informal and less affluent communities of South Africa. This paper aimed to evaluate three liquid-fuelled stoves using cooking sequences derived from a typical township in Johannesburg, South Africa based on a contextual testing approach, which is a revised in-situ testing protocol based on the Uncontrolled Cooking Test (UCT). The devices were evaluated and rated based on their intended contexts-of-use in South Africa using the new contextual testing protocol, which was combined with the old Heterogeneous Stove Testing Protocol (HTP). Overall, results showed that there are no significant differences (p > 0,05; α = 0,05) between the averaged cooking sequences and the uncontrolled cooking task of individual methanol stoves regarding energetic and emissions characteristics. Although the Dometic and the Meca stoves were designed for ethanol, they performed well with methanol fuel delivering adequate cooking power (at least 1 kW into the pot) and fewer CO and PM emissions. Results show that a laboratory test sequence with the same power levels for cooking food or for heating water produced nearly the same results as a UCT of a typical meal in the Township