Selection of Finalists
Guidance on Selection of Finalist Stoves
November 30, 2016
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The Project Advisory Committee of the Design Challenge selects the finalist stoves for the competition in April. They expect to select up to seven (7) finalists based on the evaluation criteria listed below.
The full application for submitting a stove includes nearly 20 questions. The Project Advisory Committee (PAC) will consider all information from each application but focus on Question 2,3, & 3 from Section C. Section B, question 1 is also a good opportunity to give an overview of the stove for the PAC.
The PAC would like to see data to know how the stove performs . The questions are written to elicit testing data that Teams were able to gather on their own. We expect that teams will be able to measure oxygen and CO in the flue gases. We understand that most stoves will not, however, have undergone third party EPA certification. If you have not been able to do any testing, your application will be fully considered based on your description of the stove and the innovations in it.
Emissions
If a stove has been through EPA certification testing, the PAC will be looking for less than 2 grams per hour, and ideally less than 1 gram per hour. If you have not been able to test in grams per hour, or do any PM testing, the PAC would like to see what you have done to assess cleanliness such as carbon monoxide testing. Visual observations of emissions are not an adequate substitute for quantified data. If you don’t have sophisticated lab equipment, we recommend gas analyzers and two possible options are the Testo or Wohler gas analyzer.
Efficiency
If the stove has been EPA certified, the PAC would like to see efficiency numbers using CSA B415 that are over 75%. If you have not been able to measure using B415, the PAC would like to see some other form of efficiency testing. Teams must clearly indicate how they generated their efficiency data and express on a Higher Heating Value basis. Again, gas analyzers are good options, such as the Testo or Wohler.
If any team does not have gas analyzing equipment, we may be able to facilitate renting equipment. Again, testing data is not required, but is highly encouraged.
Innovation
The PAC is looking for innovationsthat result in lower emissions and higher efficiency at an affordable price. But we are also interested in how good existing designs and technology can get, by tweaking what’s already there.
Deadlines
The deadline for the full application has been extended to11:59 PM EST, Tuesday, January 26, 2016. Teams can continue to improve stove performance up to the date they are tested at Brookhaven.
For any further questions, please send them to gabriella@forgreenheat.org or call (214)-662-0357. Changes to testing or Challenge procedures must be approved through John Ackerly.