Lorena Cookstove

CookStove Intro

Lorena Cookstove Design

• Design Elements of Patsari

Is made of local materials of clay and sand easily accessible to the population. The stove is made of rammed earth, includes a chimney for ventilation, and sealed comals.^[1]. In the village of Majamout we found that the front comal is only used for tortillas and that the comal is taken off and a grate placed on when cooking in pots. This increases the amount of smoke in the house depending on the draft of the chimney. Also, canals redirect the heat from the combustion chamber to the back comals. We found in the village of Majamout the secondary burners are not used to cook on, but rather used as warmers. With our heat distribution tests this makes sense given that even after an hour these back comals are 6 times cooler then the front comal.

• Critiscism of Lorena

"The Lorena stove was designed with the mistaken belief that rammed earth would act as insulation; there was a basic misunderstanding of the difference between mass and insulation. Good insulation resists the passage of heat; thermal mass does the opposite, it absorbs heat. Testing has shown that the rammed earth used in the Lorena stove does absorb heat, heat that should have gone into heating the cooking pot." The designers, Aprovecho, now state: “The Lorena has been tested over the years by many researchers and has generally been found to use more firewood than an indoor open fire. The stove has other attributes. Its chimney takes smoke out of the kitchen and it is well liked. It is pretty and a nice addition to the house. It is low cost and can be repaired and even built by the home owner. But, it is not a fuel saving or low emission stove.”^[2]

This harsh criticism ignores that the rammed earth is a local, easily accessible material, which might be more important in the dissemination and financial feasibility of these stoves for the community.

Background

Community Feedback

Communities installed at

Design

Materials

Building Process