AEPC’s Initiative onStove Quality Assurance & Testing on

ICS Dissemination

Prajwal Raj ShakyaBiomass Energy Sub ComponentAEPC/NRREP

TIME LINE ICS historical milestones and importance of quality testing

2012

2017

1990s

1950s

1980s

1970s

1960s

National Planning Commission included ICS in a Plan document in an attempt to address the pressing fuelwood problem.Dissemination of ceramic pre-fabricated stoves.Major organizations and projects took up further ICS dissemination efforts

ICS Introductory Phase (Hyderabad and Magan stoves)Development of mould based stoveDissemination of Lorena StoveModel development process and pilot trials

New initiatives and efforts were taken from various NGOs and INGOs for ICS dissemination. Development of new stove model by RECAST built from cheap, readily available local materials.

Bottom-up approach, target oriented and demand driven

Self-construction approaches, with and without subsidy

1999

2007

2012

National ICS Program initiated by Alternative Energy Promotion Centre (AEPC) / Energy Sector Assistance Programme (ESAP-I)Start of massive dissemination of ICS through capacity building at different level and awareness generation. ESAP II (2007-2012)Scaling up and wide coverage of dissemination area Address gender, socio-economic and health issues.Piloting of modern biomass solutions.National Rural & Renewable Energy Programme, NRREP (2012-17)National coverage of ICS through scaled-up implementation network with defined quality criteria.

ambition towards achieving CCS 4ALL

1999

2007

PRShakya/AEPC/NRRREP

AEPC’s National Biomass Programme and effort towards standardisation of improved stoves

AEPC believes improvement against traditional cooking practices are must…

Adoption rate and efficiency of installed stoves at field level were always a matter of concern for the

ICS programme…

• How do we assure the technical quality of stoves installed in the field?• How do we selected new models for dissemination?• Where and how did we test stoves?• What are the contributions towards standardization in quality stove

testing?• What are other initiatives?

Technical quality assurance of stoves• Mud Stoves (not subsidized)– Inbuilt quality monitoring system.– The new stove masters/promoters are

constantly being monitored until technical perfection is achieved.

– Every 15 to 20% of stoves installed by stove masters/promoters are monitored by LSM.

– 20% of the reported monitored samples are randomly selected and cross verified by the biomass engineers.

– Field Monitoring of the randomly generated samples from the center and analysis.

• Metallic Stoves (subsidized)– Technical quality checking at company premises.– Third party monitoring of 10% randomly generated

stoves at the user household for checking after sales service and functionality of the stoves.

Technical quality assurance of stoves

• Metallic Stoves (cooking and heating)– Selected improved and proven stove (KU design)

– Other stove models• Call for testing of various metallic stove designs

available in the market (research institutes, organizations, manufacturers) • Best performing, improved and economic stove

models were selected.• The selected designs were tuned for meeting user’s

expectations from the past learning.• The final product was standardized and disseminated.

Selection of new models for dissemination

• Mud Stoves (portable)– R&D carried out in the center and field for efficient,

economic and field acceptable design.– Field testing of the stoves (WBT)– Piloting of the stove (user acceptance)– Reproduction of the best model and mass

dissemination

Selection of new models for dissemination

• Lab testing (WBT)– Conducted at Kathmandu University Combustion Lab

• Field testing– Regional center engineers and field technicians

(Trained staffs)– Kathmandu University (consultant) (WBT)– Consultants (2 KPT studies)• Dolakha (30 TCS, 30 MICS)• Rautahat (29 TCS, 29 Rocket ICS)

Performance Testing of stoves

All technical field staffs are trained for conducting WBT, CCT and KPT at the ToT trainings.

Field Testing is conducted by the trained staffs only.

Standardization in quality stove testingWith the emergence of quality of stove in the international arena AEPC developed national stove testing protocol for wood burning stoves suitable for Nepalese context on January 2009 and was named “Interim National Stove testing Protocol”

•Protocol based on Approvecho’s protocol for WBT, CCT and KPT

•Publication of Pictorial manual for stove testing at lab and field level.

•IAP and emissions were not part of the protocol.

Current status: needs to be updated including latest developed emission and IAP measurement standards

• Supported in establishment of Biomass stove laboratory at RETS as quality certifying body.

• Adaptive research on development of portable rocket stoves for Terai regions through RSCs.

• Improvised design for Mud ICS into Rocket Principle at the center.

• Improvised efficient MICS model development.

Other initiatives towards quality stove development and testing

PRShakya/AEPC/NRRREP

• Rapid Sample Survey Report on Palpa and Dhankuta (2002)

• Study on Effectiveness of Improved Cooking stove Programme (2004)

• Technical Quality Monitoring of Improved Cooking Stoves (2006)

• Assessment of Effectiveness of ICS in Reducing Indoor Air Pollution and Improving Health (2008)

• Follow-up Monitoring of Environmental and Health Benefits and Performance of ICS (2009)

Studies conducted towards field level quality concerns

Summary results from AEPC studies and field tests

IAP Study (Before and after ICS installation) conducted at Dolakha, Dang, Ilam)

• Reduction of IAP: 57.5% (PM2.5) & 55.4% (CO)

KPT study result at Dolakha (30 TCS, 30 MICS)• 30.43% reduction in per capita fuel wood consumption for MICS

users

KPT study result at Rautahat (29 TCS, 29 ICS)• 41.09% reduction in per capita fuel wood consumption for ICS users

MICS field efficiency results (tested by KU)• 20 – 22% (without considering space heating efficiency)Mud ICS field tests (tested by KU)• 20 – 24%

Summary results from AEPC studies and field tests

Field test results for mud rocket stoves developed (tested by RSC staff)

• 22-30% efficiency at varying field conditions.2 pot hole sunken mud rocket stoves tested at AEPC

premises• 25-30% efficiency

For more information contact BESC

• Development of Benchmark for stoves quality to be disseminated under national programme under process.

• Introduce more stove models that are efficient and appropriate for users.

• Encourage quality testing and certification of emerging stove models utilizing the international level testing laboratories established in the country.

PRShakya/AEPC/NRRREP

Further initiatives towards quality stove dissemination

PRShakya/AEPC/NRRREP

Thank You!