Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Re: [papercreters] sources

In the tests done they passed the class a fire rating test for insulation as they are.  This is strange, I looked up the rice hull stoves and they seem to contradict these tests results. I read about a rice hull furnace and it was obviously built t ignite material that resist it. I guess I will have to do my own test but these test were supposedly done at a professional facility in Tennessee.  Maybe there use as a heating fuel is more feasible than I thought. I hope these tests are accurate.


ASTM Testing

Recent ASTM testing conducted R&D Services
of Cookville, Tennessee, have conclusively
demonstrated that rice hulls, in their raw and
unprocessed state, without the addition of any
chemicals, constitute a Class A or Class I
insulation material. Let us briefly review these
test results.


Design Density Test

The first test conducted by R&D Services
was a Design Density Test. The initial densities
Critical Radiant Flux Test

Three samples were tested according to test
method ASTM E 970. The average CRF was
0.29 W/cm2, the standard deviation was 0.015,
and the coefficient of variation was 0.05. All
three samples easily passed this test.
of the rice hulls were 7.729 and 7.488 lb/ft3.
After 24 hours of vibration, these two samples
increased to 9.972 and 9.807 lb/ft3respectively


Surface Burning Characteristics

The ASTM E84 Standard Test for Surface
Burning Characteristics of Building Materials
(ANSI 2.5, NFPA 255, UBC 8-1, UL 723)
was conducted by Omega Point Laboratories of
Elmendorf, Texas. The results here were
amazing. US building codes require a Fire
Spread Index of 25 or less. The FSI for rice hulls

Smoke Development Index

was 10. US building codes require a Smoke
Development Index of 450 or less. The SDI for
rice hulls was 50. Rice hulls, therefore, are
a Class A or Class I insulation material. The
United States produces over 1.2 M metric tons
of rice hulls annually, and often times, they
are available free-of-charge.


Smoldering Combustion Test

Three sample were tested according to test
method ASTM C 739, Section 14.
Sample 1 showed a weight loss of 0.07%,
Sample 2 showed a weight loss of 0.03%,
Sample 3 showed a weight loss of 0.03%.
All three sample passed this test.

Thermal Resistance

The rice hulls were tested according to test
method ASTM C 518.
Length of TimeR-per-inch
8.6 hours2.549
120.0 hours3.024
90.3 hours2.926
92.0 hours2.946






At 03:21 PM 11/19/2008 -0700, you wrote:

?

Rice hull stoves are very popular in some countries. The pictures I've seen look like they burn very well.
http://www.repp.org/discussiongroups/resources/stoves/IRRI/Lotrau/Lotrau.html
http://www.reap-canada.com/bio_and_climate_3_3_1.htm

Why do you say they almost won't burn?

Spaceman

Forrest Charnock wrote:

 The rice hulls sound like the way to go as meeting code is easy and they  almost won't burn.