I'm considering a cat stove.....

[JA600L]

I believe the burn time of a BK and a woodstock soapstone are different as far as the output consistency. However, in a well sealed and fair insulated rancher like mine my Woodstock keeps up enough to restrain the heat pump from running in milder weather. 24 hours on one load is no problem in those conditions.

The consistency of a thermostat is appealing, but when it is bitter cold out I'll take the Ideal Steel anyday.

 

[BKVP]

This 10%/1 hour thing is nuts.

My cat stays active for 30 hours. 10% of that is 3 hours. I think the 10% is bogus. Maybe the one hour but even that is doubtful. What are we even talking about? Neither cat goes inactive if there is still fuel for it to eat. The "extra" one hour can only refer to the time it takes for the cat to cool off after it stops eating smoke and is more a function of thermal mass. If you keep fuel in the stove then this whole "extra" hour is completely meaningless.

Dear Mr. Highbeam,

I can assure you the temps of the ceramic combustor hold longer by 10% (or more in the larger cats) than the stainless steel. It ain't bogus...of course we are speaking of actual temps, not the "active or inactive" designation. We have EXTENSIVELY tested the nuisances of ceramic, reticulated foam and stainless substrates.

Now tell me what needs to be done to get Jr. a win!

 

[Highbeam]

Dear Mr. Highbeam,

I can assure you the temps of the ceramic combustor hold longer by 10% (or more in the larger cats) than the stainless steel. It ain't bogus...of course we are speaking of actual temps, not the "active or inactive" designation. We have EXTENSIVELY tested the nuisances of ceramic, reticulated foam and stainless substrates.

Now tell me what needs to be done to get Jr. a win!

Huh? 10% longer than what? Temps hold longer on the ceramic before dropping at all? How is the temp of the ceramic holding longer if the fuel has run out? Just thermal mass? Maybe 100 seconds vs. 90 seconds.

Your post creates more questions than answers. Maybe I'm just slow to catch on.

 

[JA600L]

It sounds like the ceramic cat is slower to release it's heat due to thermal mass. Which explains why they take longer to light off too.
I'm sure the stainless steel would drop off quickly in comparison.

 

[BKVP]

It sounds like the ceramic cat is slower to release it's heat due to thermal mass. Which explains why they take longer to light off too.
I'm sure the stainless steel would drop off quickly in comparison.

Precisely correct JA600L! If you set a reference value of 350F degrees (this value can be 550F or 100F etc), due to the thermal mass of the ceramic combustor, the amount of time the combustor holds the same reference value before decreasing, is greater than substrates made of thinner or lighter materials. The advantage of stainless, again due being less thermal mass, is a quicker light off period.

Within the category of ceramic substrates there options as well. Mullite and cordierite have been the two most frequently used in the stove industry. The mullite is very easy to discern when held in your hand as it feels "softer" and all our samples over 30 years have seemed to be darker in color as well.

The reticulated foam is also ceramic and mirrors the appearance of a loofa sponge. This structure has vastly more surface area than the more traditional appearing uniform cell substrates. No OEM is currently using these to our knowledge, although some fireplaces have used them, successfully. Our tests, several years ago, yielded good results in particulate destruction, but they plugged completely in 48 hours. Certainly there may be improvements to them in the past 5-6 years that may at some time in the future make them viable for use in wood stoves.

 

[mellow]

Chris, thanks for sharing some of your knowledge, I always love learning more about catalytic technology and where it is going, hard to find that kind of talk on the net.

 

[BKVP]

Chris, thanks for sharing some of your knowledge, I always love learning more about catalytic technology and where it is going, hard to find that kind of talk on the net.

You are most welcome. I too learn every day & enjoy it.

 

[Woody Stover]

We have EXTENSIVELY tested the nuisances of ceramic, reticulated foam and stainless substrates.

Yep, they are all nuisances but definitely worth the trade-off.

 

[BKVP]

Yep, they are all nuisances but definitely worth the trade-off.

Nuance! Thank you for catching that error.