Date of Award

6-6-2017

Document Type

Thesis

Publisher

Santa Clara : Santa Clara University, 2017.

Department

Mechanical Engineering

First Advisor

Robert Marks

Abstract

Team Forge 2.0 is a team of mechanical engineers that has designed, modified, and manufactured a cook stove that creates a clean burn in order to help relieve respiratory disease and harmful environmental impacts resulting from the combustion of biomass in developing nations. The stove is developed specifically for developing communities in Nicaragua that still use traditional cooking methods which contribute to premature deaths due to respiratory illness. The designed product is a cylindrical cooking device that has a unique air flow system which optimizes the gasification process. Gasification is the process in which gas released from the primary combustion of biomass is reignited, creating a more complete combustion and thus reducing harmful emissions compared to a traditional wood fire. From testing with a previous design team’s prototype, observations were made which led to the implementation of an air flow system which could be regulated manually. The air flow regulator is a mechanical attachment that allows users to adjust the air flow in the stove to prolong the gasification process; this modification helps the stove maintain gasification throughout usage, and resulted in an 8% reduction of particulate matter in the stove’s exhaust compared to the most recent design.

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