Post on 26-Mar-2015
transcript
Alcohol as a fuel for cooking
By:
Brandon Graham
Introduction
Over the millennia, people have used different fuels for cooking. The first were solids such as wood and coal. As technology has advanced, fuel usage has migrated to liquids and gases such as: oil, petroleum, alcohol, propane and natural gas. My focus will be on alcohol because of its simplicity and elegance.
Properties of alcohol
• Clean• Safe• Sterile• Simple• Easy to find• Easy to control
Combustion of alcohol
• CnH2n+1OH + O2→CO2 + H2O
• CnH2n+1OH(the generic formula for alcohol)
• Ethanol: CH3CH2OH or C2H5OH
• Methanol: CH3OH
• Isopropyl: CH3CH2OHCH3 or C3H7OH
Different types of alcohol
• Denatured– 100% alcohol,
ethanol denatured with methyl
• Isopropyl– Usually a mixture
with water. 70%-90%
• Anti-freeze– HEET– Either pure isopropyl
or methyl
Different types of stoves
• Open Vent
• Chimney
• Pressurized
• Each design has there own benefits and tradeoffs. Some are be easier to construct, while others are complicated but efficient.
Open vent
• Extremely simple to build
• Can use about anything
• Not very efficient compared to other designs
• Can use a wick
Chimney
• Very efficient• Fairly simple to build• Forgiving • Burns hot and clean• Can be modified or
choked down to simmer
Pressurized
• Usually made from pop cans
• Very light weight• Difficult to construct
well• Delicate• Finicky• Require great skill
and patience
Building a cat stove• Gather and clean the
materials• Cut center hole• Make church key
holes• Punch inner wall
holes• Insert insulation and
screen• Push together and
light
Commercial designs
• Varga Triad– Titanium alcohol– $30
• JetBoil– Liquid gas– $70
• Primus multifuel– Whatever is available– $100
What you Need
• Pot Stand
• Wind Screen
• Pot
• Priming pan
• Matches
• Lighter
• Grabbing tool
• Alcohol
• Emergency supply of alcohol
• Measuring device
• Burn time chart
• Snuffer
• Multi-tool
Pot Stand
• Strong• Stable • Can be integrated into
the wind screen• Made for specific job:
– Single pan– Adjustable size
Wind screen
• Helps block wind from disturbing flame
• Concentrates heat
• Concentrates flame
• Can be used as base for pot stand
Cooking Pot
• Choosing a pot is more about compromises than finding the perfect one.
• Titanium• Steel• Aluminum• Size • Shape• Cost
Priming pan
• Used to jump start pressurized stoves
• Can double as a open vent stove
Banana’s Foster• 3-5 Bananas 1 stick butter 1 cup
Light Brown sugar• ½ tsp cinnamon ½ cup banana liqueur 1 tsp. Vanilla• ½-3/4 cup Dark Rum• Slice bananas into desired size. Melt butter in skillet,
add brown sugar and cinnamon, and cook over low heat, stirring until thick paste. Add vanilla and Liqueur and stir well. Cook ~3 mins. Add banana and cook over low heat, basting well with the sugar mixture. Cook ~5 mins.
• Heat rum in metal cup over very low heat. Pour into mixture and ignite. Stir well until flame is completely gone. Remove from heat and serve on ice cream.