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.

Bibliography

• Pictures from www.zenstoves.com