Experimental Study of the Temperature of Ironwood Powder, Rice Husk and 1:1 Mix Fuel on Boiling Time of Water

Abstract

This study aims to evaluate the efficiency of three types of biomass fuels ironwood powder, rice husks, and a 1:1 mixture of bothin relation to the boiling time of water using a simple biomass stove. The experiment was conducted at the Mechanical Engineering Workshop of Politeknik Negeri Manado with two variations of fuel mass: 500 grams and 800 grams. The primary parameters observed were the maximum temperature and the time required to boil 1 liter of water. The test results showed that ironwood powder had the highest thermal efficiency and was the fastest in boiling water for both fuel masses, with boiling times of 57 minutes (500 g) and 1 hour 40 minutes (800 g), respectively. In contrast, rice husks and the 1:1 mixture were only able to heat the water without reaching the boiling point. Heat calculations based on the conduction heat transfer equation indicated that ironwood powder produced heat of 2.911,68  Watt (500 grams) and 4.665,6 Watt (800 grams) the convectiv heat transfer in the container is 0,253 Watts (for 500 grams) and 0,186 Watt (for 800 grams). These results demonstrate that sawdust is more effective as a biomass fuel compared to rice husks and the 1:1 mixture. This research contributes to the utilization of biomass waste as an efficient alternative energy source, particularly in rural areas.