Modern wood stoves with low heat release and low emissions

Research Project, 2018 – 2020

Small-scale wood combustion is an important part of the Swedish energy supply, and the number of fireplaces is steadily increasing. As modern houses become more energy efficient, there is a need to develop stoves with lower nominal loads than before. At the same time, low-load operation is known to produce high emission levels of especially nanoparticles, which is a known health challenge with wood stoves. There is still not sufficient knowledge available about the connection between wood conversion and emission production to control the latter via the furnace design and operation and by secondary abatement techniques. In this project, an advanced numerical model will be developed to enable simulations of wood combustion and emission production at low nominal load. The model will be used to compose guidelines for conceptual design of wood stoves with minimal emissions, as well as for designing and testing efficient strategies for secondary emission control for wood stoves.