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mnn.com

Rocket stoves: Tips for designing

your own
Heidi Hill May 19, 2010, 3:06 p.m.
5-6 minutos

Ideal not just for their social and

environmental benefits, rocket stoves have
economic benefits as well.

SIMPLE SOLUTION: Rocket stoves can be made into any

size to accomodate any need. (Photo:
fishermansdaughter/Flickr)

They may sound high-tech, but rocket stoves (named for the
way air moves through them) are anything but.

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Designed to increase fuel efficiency without increasing

harmful emissions, rocket stoves are helping people
become more self-sufficient, slowing climate change, and
saving lives in developing countries where fuel wood is
scarce and traditional open fires are polluting indoor air.

They are ideal not just because of their social and

environmental benefits, but also for economic reasons:
they’re cheap and easy to build, and they require very little
fuel.

So whether you’re looking to save money, build an

affordable, portable and efficient camping stove, or just
have a backup in case of emergencies, a rocket stove is a
no-brainer.

What is a rocket stove?

The rocket stove is a wood-burning outdoor cooking stove

that was developed by Dr. Larry Winiarski in the 1980s as a
safe, effective, environmentally conscious alternative to
open fires for impoverished people in developing countries.

Compared with traditional open fires (also called “three-

stone fires”), rocket stoves can be healthier and more
efficient.

They reduce smoke and harmful emissions, use less fuel

wood, and increase the amount of energy from the wood
that is turned into heat energy.

In countries like the Democratic Republic of the Congo,

energy-efficient rocket stoves reduce air pollution, allow for
more efficient cooking, provide employment opportunities,

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prevent widespread deforestation, and help refugees and

internally displaced people cook meals when fuel is not
readily available or is not safely procured.

Beyond that, rocket stoves can be an inexpensive means of

slowing climate change.

According to the Aprovecho Research Center, which

pioneered the use of rocket stoves, “It takes only about
three ARC rocket stoves to offset one average American’s
driving habits for one year ... or just 13 stoves to offset an
American’s entire annual footprint.”

Elements of a rocket stove

A basic rocket stove consists of just a few components:

• An insulated rocket elbow, formed of a horizontal fuel

chamber that fits into a vertical combustion chamber (also
referred to as a “chimney”)

• A stove body that surrounds the elbow, made of sheet

metal or some other inexpensive material, with a small
opening

• A fuel grate, placed inside the fuel chamber, on which the

fuel wood rests

• A pot skirt, a sheet metal shield that surrounds the

cooking vessel, creating a gap, to ensure that more heat
from the flue gases enters the vessel

How does a rocket stove work?

In open fires that are not carefully maintained, only a small

percentage of the heat energy released from the burning

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wood makes it into the cook pot.

With a rocket stove, only the tips of the fuel wood are
burned, eliminating that waste (and, in an added benefit,
eliminating smoke).

Rocket stoves can use most any dry plant matter, not just
wood — leaves, twigs, and brush will work as well.

Fresh air enters the fuel chamber from beneath the burning
wood resting on the grate, allowing the air to be preheated
before it enters the combustion chamber, which in turn
leads to cleaner combustion.

The small fuel entry not only demands less fuel wood, but
also limits the amount of cold air that can get in.

The combustion itself is confined to a small, insulated

space, so most of the energy in the wood is converted to
heat for cooking.

The cook pot sits directly on top of the combustion chamber,

so the hot gases contact it immediately after combustion,
reducing smoke.

The pot skirt that surrounds the vessel further improves

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efficiency by increasing the temperature of the flame that

contacts the pot, and by directing the gases to scrape the
sides of the pot as well as the bottom, increasing heat
transfer.

Building a rocket stove

The process of building a rocket stove is a simple one, and

instructions are available online (some sites require a
donation to access plans).

A basic rocket stove, used for cooking food or boiling water

in a single pot, can be built in a couple of hours with a few
cheaply purchased or found/recycled materials: sheet
metal, refractory bricks, vermiculite and cement (to secure
the combustion chamber in the stove body), and steel poles
for pot supports.

Want a rocket stove but aren’t keen on building one

yourself? Don’t worry; they can be purchased.

If you do build your own, be sure to test it before using it; for
instance, with a water-boiling test.

Additional resources:

Check out how to build a rocket stove on sustainablog.org

Design Principles for Wood Burning Cook Stoves, including

In Field Water Boiling Test (pdf)

CCAT Rocket Stove

Larry Winiarski’s Rocket Stove Principles

StoveTec Retail Store

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Rocket stoves: Tips for designing your own

Rocket stoves. They may sound high-tech, but rocket stoves

(named for the way air moves through them) are anything
but.

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