FAQ

This is a portable and collapsible cooking stove that is ideal for back packing or taking anywhere you want something lightweight but effective. You can use without the windbreak attachment for very light packing (just over 1kg), or take the windbreak with toaster rack for more cooking options (just over 2kg). Being able to cook on a small handful of sticks anywhere you find yourself means you are not reliant on gas or fuels that run out. You can fly with this unit and have something that will work anywhere in the world without needing commercial fuel products. (Not something you can do with a gas or liquid fuel stove). Plus cooking on real fire is a blast, its the real deal and we love it! 🙂

The technology we use is called ‘Rocket Stove’, and it’s widely used in various parts of the world. It’s a clever design that mixes air and burning gases together inside a vertical insulated combustion chamber that allows temperatures to rise to a point where near-complete combustion occurs. This causes to the smoke to be oxidized and converted to heat energy, which makes the stove both very efficient and clean burning.

Although the basic rocket stove concept already exists in many formats, it has not previously been applied to the Himalayan context as a heating unit in any meaningful way. There are some programs that use rocket stove technology in clean burning cook stoves – this is a different application of the technology which does not provide room heating.

There is a short answer to this, and a long answer.

The Short Answer
Rocket Stoves create an optimal combustion environment where smoke is combusted, releasing additional heat from the same fuel inputs.

The Long Answer
In essence, this para sums it up:

“It works by having an initial chemical reaction (burning) of some wood. The byproduct heat, gasses and materials from that reaction naturally move (through natural air flow) to a chamber where heat accumulates to a high steady state temperature. The temperature of the chamber achieved is much higher than achieved in a typical fire place, wood stove or even pellet stove (I need proof for pellet). Applying the “mass action law” if it truly applies, states at an equilibrium temperature the products of a reaction will be constant. Well, a very “rockety” rocket will be a very high temperature. That would change the completeness calculations how much can react. On top of that, the other compounds that would not normally burn, will burn. That would make the physical maximum change from 8,600 BTU per pound to a number that is higher. Maybe as high as 10,000 BTU. After the chamber, the exhaust serpentines through a mass until it vents outside. If the temperature of the exhaust going outside, is about the temperature of the air going into the system, then the transfer efficiency is nearly 100%. If all of that is true, a rocket mass heater could have 93% efficiency compared to the true theoretical maximum. ”

Read the full post here: https://permies.com/t/55938/rocket-stove-works-efficiently

Yes we have recently decided to upload some of our more popular designs for purchase as DXF files which can be used for CNC laser cutting out the shapes that make up the bulk of the product manufacturing process. Check the Sales Page for updates. 

We hear you. This is one of the holy grails of clean and efficient cooking. To get the temperatures needed to make a pizza with all the yummy goodness of a wood fired oven without needing to burn half an acre of hardwood for 3 days in advance is what we’re all about. Rocket fired pizza is the business! We have designs that achieve this, either with sticks or with hardwood pellets. The reason we are not currently selling these components through this site is the packaging and distribution is a bit of a hassle. When we are a bit more set up we will definitely get back into making these for sale. In the meantime however, we have made the plans available on the sales page. You can take these to a CNC laser manufacturing outlet (they are pretty common) and get the components cut. No folds or welding in any of these designs, you’ll just need to source your own threaded rod and nuts to assemble the components. 

All of these entities are byproducts of the overly active imagination of Russell Collins and are all related to Clean Biomass Combustion in one form or another. 

Rocket Man Designs (RMD) is the Australian based R&D operation which owns the designs created by Russell. For organisations that are interested in commercialising any of the product designs in other parts of the world, a low royalty fee option is available in partnership with RMD for full access to the latest design files. More here: https://rocketmandesigns.com

Eco Stoves Australia (ESA) is the commercial outlet for these ideas in Australia and also some global markets.

Himalayan Rocket Stove (HRS) is an Indian based company that has focussed on commercialising clean biomass combustion space heating in various Himalayan regions. This company is also about to launch a range of clean cookstove options to the Indian market and is also trying to reach other global regions with their space heating solutions. More here: https://himalayanrocketstove.com

The Smokeless Cookstove Foundation (SCF) run by Nitisha Agrawal also utilises a clean cookstove design that was created by Russell and released to the world for no cost. This design can be made for the cost of digging up a few buckets of clay and shaping the clay in a very particular way. Instructions for this process can be found here: https://himalayanrocketstove.com/scr-steps/