Date of Graduation
5-2016
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering
Degree Level
Undergraduate
Department
Chemical Engineering
Advisor/Mentor
Hestekin, Jamie
Committee Member/Reader
Penney, W. Roy
Abstract
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is continually revising the regulations on wood-burning units to reduce the particulate matter emissions in the United States. These revisions have caused a large decline in wood-burning stove manufacturers as they bring the need for research and development on current units and small manufacturers cannot burden the large costs. The StoveHogs became aware of this manufacturer decline in the industry and saw an opportunity to help small manufacturers, backyard inventors, and the stove industry as a whole. In order to reduce the costs of research and development on stoves, the StoveHogs designed and tested a testing apparatus that informs users of the stove-in-question’s particulate matter emissions and efficiency. This testing apparatus is a simple and affordable method to test a stove time after time before sending it to an EPA-certified lab to be certified and approved to sell on the market. Certification tests are thousands of dollars; therefore, passing the certification test the first time would be the best goal for manufacturers. The Optimal Hog Method (OHM) designed by the StoveHogs contains a testing procedure and testing apparatus to serve as a preliminary step to certifying a stove under the EPA. Implementing the OHM within the industry would bring more manufacturers to the market, offering more and improved stove designs, driving the competition within the market and providing cheaper units for consumers.
Citation
Westcott, E. E. (2016). Efficiency and Particulate Matter Emissions Testing of Wood Burning Heating Units. Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/cheguht/78