One-Channel Monitor for Wood Stove Heat Output. Project Report for the Hood River Conservation Program

摘要

A major problem associated with monitoring the overall energy performance of single family residences is to determine the energy contribution of wood-burning appliances. Because the heat content of wood is variable and the efficiency of a stove changes with operating conditions, the energy contribution cannot be accurately determined by monitoring the amount of wood burned. The goal of the research presented in this report was to find a single-channel sensor whose output could be correlated with the heat output of a wood stove. To accomplish this, five wood stoves were monitored with thermocouples and radiometers while being operated in a calorimeter room. Using several physical models to describe the heat transfer, sensor readings were compared with the heat output measured by the calorimeter room. It was found that radiometers and surface temperature probes are suitable for monitoring the heat output of a wood stove, both providing consistent results for separate tests on a given stove. The radiometers, however, provide accurate results using an average correlation parameter for all stoves. Using this average parameter value, the radiometers predict the full-cycle (start-up to cool-down) heat output to within 20% of the measured value. This report describes the experimentation and data analysis, presents the correlation parameters for the radiometers and temperature sensors, and provides detailed installation instructions for one of the radiometers. 13 figs. (ERA citation 10:034001)