Energy Technology Student Shauna Muns (left) was recently awarded a $5,500 scholarship from NASA to bring a scientific approach to rocket stove design and operation. With the assistance of NASA and help from Jen Fowler (right), Shauna
will work with Associate Professor Bradley Layton and Tim Chester Energy
Technology `13 to build a sensor and control system for a next
generation rocket stove.
As a civilization, humans consume new biomass at a rate approximately one-quarter at which it is replaced and ancient biomass at a rate ten million times faster than it was created (Schramski et al 2015)
The so-called "rocket stove" is an innovated approach to burn woody biomass efficiently and cleanly, but with its high temperatures, may create unwanted greenhouse gasses such as NOx. This research is already underway and will be tested during the 2016 Energy Technology Practicum in Missoula and Browning.