Performance Optimization of Biomass-Fuelled Thermoelectric Cookstoves for Off-Grid Rural Electrification

Abstract: With the growing need for clean, decentralised fuels of energy in remote and areas prone to disasters, new forms of biomass fuelled thermoelectric technologies have been expanded. A portable thermoelectric cookstove capable of generating electricity from biomass combustion is designed, developed, and optimized in this paper. Thermoelectric generators (TEGs), heat sinks and insulation are combined into the stove to improve thermal efficiency and power output. The system was subject to Key performance tests such as Water Boiling Test (WBT), Temperature Duration Test (TDT), and Power Output Test (POT) under different configurations and environmental conditions. Thermal dissipation and voltage consistency were superior for four heat sink geometries tested (vertical fins, pin-type, flower-type, and extended flower-type) and vertical fin results were obtained. A continuous 3 V–7 V DC was produced by the optimized cookstove to power 6 LED lights at once or communications devices including ‘walkie-talkies’. The efficiency was greatly improved by the integration of a latent heat storage using phase change material (PCM) and thermal insulation using glass wool. The design is suitable for rural electrification in areas of the world exposed to natural disasters and with no dependable grid infrastructure.