Re: [Paddlewise] alcohol stove ?

45 minutes seems a bit long based on my experience.  Usually I am just cooking
up half liter to one liter for a quick one to two person one-pot meal, but my
experience is that it takes about 10 minutes with the Trangia vs. 5 with that
ever so popular jet engine the MSR Whisper-light?  It is a little slower and
cooler, but it is not a big deal.  I usually light the stove when I hit the
shore (set up an lighting the stove takes a few seconds), and by the time I set
up my tent water is ready for dinner.  I have not really pulled out the stop
watch, but if it was taking long enough to be a problem I might have bothered
to time it " don't forget a watched pot never boils!".

The fuel value by weight essentially comes from the carbon and hydrogen content
of a hydrocarbon,and the oxygen in the oxygenated alcohol fuels is dead
weight.  Ignoring the relatively small differences in specific gravity between
gasoline and ethanol, consider that ethanol is roughly a one third oxygen by
weight.  The oxygen does not  contritue to heat production since it is free
from the atmosphere for the gasoline stove, you have about a third less heat
for the same weight or volume of fuel.

Sisler, Clyde wrote:

> Clyde Sisler
> http://csisler.com
>
> It took me 45 minutes to bring 1 liter of water to boil, while
> with my butane stove I would take me less than 10.
>
> I suspect that the BTU of alcohol is very low.
>
> --------
>
> I think this is the consensus of the sailing community over in
> rec.boats.cruising.  They tend to favor propane and the like and kerosene I
> think.
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