Wöhler Brings New Particulate Analyzer to Wood Stove Design Challenge

The German precision test equipment manufacturer, Wöhler, is providing one of its new Wöhler SM 500 particulate analyzers to do accurate PM 2.5 testing in the field. The Wöhler unit is a Suspended Particulate Analyzer for online PM 2.5 mass concentration measurements of small solid fuel appliances. The brand new technology just came out last year to meet requirements under a new German law that requires wood stoves and boilers to be checked in the field for emissions every year. German chimney sweeps play the same role as vehicle emission testing stations in the US. If the emissions are too high, the problem has to be fixed or the system taken out of service.


The Wood Stove Design Challenge will be using the Wöhler equipment at its national exhibition to educate policy makers and the public about modern wood heater emissions. The 10 judges who are preparing for the Challenge are gaining experience in using the new Wöhler technology in anticipation of using on-site testing of emissions. The Wöhler SM 500 is now at the Brookhaven National Laboratory where one of the judges, Dr. Thomas Butcher, is performing trial testing. Other judges will join him in coming months as they test the fueling protocol and compare the Wöhler SM 500 to the traditional, but more cumbersome, dilution tunnel test procedure that is used in wood stoves tests to ensure they meet EPA emissions standards. Dilution tunnels are large, time-consuming and expensive to use and are not an option for testing up to 14 wood stoves on the National Mall over a 5-day period.

Wood Stove Decathlon Set for Nov. 15th – 19th on National Mall

The Wood Stove Decathlon will be held on the National Mall in Washington D.C .from Friday November 15th to Tuesday the 19th. Modeled after the DOE’s Solar Decathlon, the Wood Stove Decathlon is an international competition to design and build the most innovative and affordable next generation wood stove. The Decathlon will be open to the public.

The Wood Stove Decathlon will be in a large tent on the National Mall in front of the Whitten USDA building, near the Smithsonian metro station. Fourteen teams have been selected by the judges to compete for a grand prize of $25,000 and for several other prizes. There is also an audience award and you can cast your vote now for what you think is the most innovative stove.

This will be the first high profile technology competition for wood stoves since Ben Franklin’s time, when deforestation compelled a drive for more efficient stoves. Today, the main driver is particulates and the need to reduce levels of smoke. The biggest breakthrough in modern times was the pellet stove, which was invented in Washington State in the 1980s and has become far more popular in Europe than in the U.S. For wood stoves, there could be major breakthroughs with automation – microprocessors and low-cost sensors that will maximize efficiency and minimize emissions.

The primary sponsors so far include NYSERDA, the US Forest Service and Schott Robax glass. Partners include Popular Mechanics magazine, DOE Brookhaven National Laboratory and the states of Washington and Oregon.

The sponsors and partners seek to identify and popularize technology trends that can lead to far cleaner and more efficient home heating. An awards ceremony announcing the winners and discussing the technology will be held on Tuesday, November 19th. See the Wood Stove Decathlon web page for any further information.