Hydrogen and wood-burning stoves.

Wood-burning stoves, in Kenya and Mexico, are reviewed. With a Kenyan stove, burning charcoal, only 24% of the energy released reached the cooking pot. Initially, the proportion of CO in the leaving gases was 3%. Indoor concentrations of particulate matter (less than 2.5 µm diameter) can be abnormally high near a stove. Decarbonization, by using H, is facilitated by a distribution system. Replacement by H would ultimately rest upon wind or water power, or it being a by-product in the production of heavier hydrocarbons from CH. The averaged burning rate in the Kenyan stove was 10 kW, over 20 min, with an initial peak value of about 30 kW. A possible replacement is a hob, composed of an array of small diameter H jet flames. As an example, combustion of a 2 mm internal diameter H jet flame, with a H exit velocity of 27.2 m s, would release 0.84 kW. Bearing in mind its improved efficiency, a single compact hob with an array of about 10 jets would suffice. A difficulty is the low mass-specific energy of H. H has a high acoustic velocity, and both high velocity subsonic combustion and blending with natural gas are briefly discussed. This article is part of the theme issue 'Developing resilient energy systems'.