Swiss Ranger Volcano Stove - Cottle - Boil Test 1 & 2

[BornRandy62]

this video popped up in the suggested view panel. This is basically what I suggested when I said build a wind shield for your recent stoves. guess you already did it 2 years ago. 

[hiramcook]

I may have done it before but your suggestion was still a good idea. That's why I like getting input from people. Thanks.

[josh1578]

i like this one Hiram



[51foxy]

Hi Hiram

i am looking to buy a volcano stove, will a trangia burner fit in the base of this volcano stove and if so will it work ok.

thanks

paul uk

[hiramcook]

Hey Paul,

Back on Dec 7 & 8,2009 I did a couple of tests using the small Trangia with the Swiss Ranger Volcano stove. I hope they will answer your question.

[mgoldenii7801]

u sound like john from delocated lol good vid though

[hamrite]

do not change anything in the stove, the swiss have tried everything....in the wind, the flame would go out all the time. Its an autonomous product, its supposed to be used per se, in the snow, in the swiss alps! during all seasons, even winter at night.

[whiterchocolate]

I think that if you cut the larger hole in the bottom it will be harder to blow out and with the I.V. feeding system that could bet dangerous so be careful.

[websuspect]

The reasons theres not many air holes in the bottom is so it will burn wood.

[TheBeebopper]

Just found the Notkocher 71 burner is used in this stove with the cup at least.

[sm00thindian]

Does anyone know if the Swiss M1 Emergency Stove Gel Fuel source fits in these, or has done any testing of their function together?

[TheBeebopper]

From the swiss army website I found one reference to usin gthe Notkocher 71 (M71, M1 a misnomer by the look of things) burner in the Volcano stove. Perhaps it's not ideal, but certainly usable from what i can make out.

[mr357]

that stove setup works good even just building a small fire in it. you have to keep adding twigs to it and its slower than using a burner but no fuel to carry.

[NCHiker1970]

I would have to agree with Mr. Bill on this one once again! I think the outside flames are a gift to help heat the sides of the bottle.Great video and experiment once agian Hiram! 5/5

[deezynar]

Excellent experiments, Hiram. There is clear evidence here of what works, what doesn't, and why. Thanks.

[wetcanoedogs]

if you really want to boil water in that fast try a Borde coil stove.that Swiss pocket stove was made to be used with that flask kit-and the lid from a Trangia tea pot fits the cup in that kit just right.

[TheBeebopper]

It will probably work well on a tin of dubbin or boot polish and using the lid with some wool straight off the sheep's back with some sort of liquid fuel, even corn oil is going to provide a boil eventually if not sooner. It wouldn't surprise me if three Zippo's wired together would give a reasonable boil time..

[MrBillTroop73]

In my experiments a couple years ago, the flames were forced out of the holes because the bottle sits much lower in the tube, and there is much less space for combustion.

However, I believe this may prove that "side conduction" is indeed significant.

Your experiment seems to show a very short boil time, even with a much smaller combustion chamber, because of the flames in contact with the sides of the bottle?

Your thoughts?

Bill

[TheBeebopper]

Flames outside are waste. The internal ridges of the stove keep the hot exhaust against the bottle. The fire needs to be contained below for greatest efficiency so the exhaust gas is contracting as it rises and so stays off the stove wall.  The right burner should certainly boil 16floz in under 4 minutes with good economy. To speed up combustion the flame front must be disturbed.

[MrBillTroop73]

I have to disagree with "outside flames are waste", but the rest of your statement I totally agree with.

I made a stove in the past where there were no flames on the pot bottom, and only on the sides. It boiled water well enough, so not a waste, though it was not as efficient as having flames on the bottom.

I agree that trapping the heat to the sides workes even better. I use "fins" of aluminum flue tape on my pot sides, and it significantly reduces boil times.

Bill

[TheBeebopper]

I have no problem with applying heat to the side of a pot if the burner and stove works like that, it was outside of a stove I meant. The requirement of a stove is to contain the fire, direct the heat to the cooking pot and preserve heat. A boiler can perform well with or without a combustion chamber. But we have it here, so use it with a more efficient low or turbulent flame. Heat is drawn from the stove to vapourise the fuel forming the flames outside, which is wasteful.

[MrBillTroop73]

I agree.  Thanks for the clarification.

[TheBeebopper]

If there are flames between the stove wall and the pot, then the gasses are still expanding which will dump more heat into the stove wall. The ridges work with hot exhaust gas and are not advantageous for fire for they do not break up the flame edge but channel it out the exhaust holes. To use the stove with flames forced up the sides a disrupter coil fitted between the stove and the pot side will get more fire around the pot instead of being channeled out the exhaust ports.

[TheBeebopper]

Encouraging a rising central column of water and falling ring down the side of the bottle will extract the most heat from the exhaust gases improving efficiency and boil time. This can be assisted by ensuring the flame does not strike the pot bottom and spread but is essentially a fireball sitting under the pot centre. A pipe inside the pot can be used to seperate the rising from falling water and so speed its flow.preventing premature boiling on the hot spot.

[BrokenAeroVT]

No, thank YOU, Hiram. You're saving us a lot of money, lol.

[BrokenAeroVT]

Before you cut holes, try your remote feed with the tall bottle. You were using 33 ml for two cups when 15 ml is ideal.

[BrokenAeroVT]

How much height gap did you have for the tall bottle?

[BrokenAeroVT]

In the first boil test, how much distance is there between the bottom of the pot and top of the wick? How much gap did you have in the previous video?

[TheBeebopper]

See how the bottle reduces the volume and surface area of the firebox so creating a greater thermal feed to the fuel pan. The fuel was over vaporised in the 2nd test as evident from the flame flooding out of the square port. Draughting was good at the exhaust. A smaller fuel pan will lower fuel consumption and keep the flame in the fire chamber. The better air supply should boil in less time. Try the wicked tea light or a pad burner. If it fit through the side opening it should vent well

[hoz49]

I wired my cork to the bottle with picture hanging wire.

[hoz49]

So boiling water in the bottle is more efficient than the cup. 2 cups boil in 5 min vs 1 cup in 4min 7sec.