Design and Fabrication of a Briquette-Fueled Stove for Integration with Fish Smoking Kilns

Abstract

The transition toward clean, sustainable biomass energy systems is critical to mitigating the
environmental and health impacts of traditional fish smoking practices. Briquettes, derived
from renewable agricultural residues, offer a low-emission alternative with promising thermal
performance in artisanal and semi-industrial settings. This study presents the design,
fabrication, and performance evaluation of a briquette-fueled stove developed for integration
with fish smoking kilns. The stove was constructed using locally available materials
and featured thermally insulated walls, an ash collection chamber, and a variable-speed
air blower for controlled combustion. Three insulation materials—clay, fiber, and sawdust—
were comparatively tested under a range of blower speeds using the standardized
Water Boiling Test (WBT) protocol. An expanded experimental matrix was implemented
with blower speeds of 50, 75, and 100 rpm applied to each insulation type to examine heat
retention and combustion dynamics. Boiling time data were statistically analyzed using
ANOVA and standard deviation metrics to validate performance differences. The fiberinsulated
variant consistently exhibited the highest thermal efficiency, achieving boiling
in 15.0 ± 0.6 minutes at 100 rpm. In contrast, clay insulation required up to 30.1 ± 0.9
minutes, and sawdust insulation yielded intermediate results. Lifecycle cost and material
durability assessments indicate that fiber-based insulation, despite slightly higher upfront
cost, offers long-term savings due to reduced heat loss and better structural resilience.
Detailed schematics are provided to ensure reproducibility and technical transferability.
Overall, the briquette-fueled stove provides an efficient and scalable solution for sustainable
fish smoking operations, particularly in rural and resource-constrained environment.