Ibergstedt@AOL.COM on mon 10 jul 00
Eduard,
I'm hardly a kiln guru, but do roam the archives and the elusive solar
kiln has been a topic on Clayart every so often for a few years. Try the
archives around January 23, 1997 for reference to a solar kiln supposedly
built by Ian Hird in Scotland. The archives, by the way, would be the old
ones, at
http://lsv.uky.edu/archives/clayart.html
Then you might check the topic of "fossil fuels" beginning with Paul
Lewing's post from 29 December, 1998 about the kiln built by Zeljko Kujundzic
in Washington. I hope Paul will respond on this, maybe with more current
info. The thread continues as C.A. Sanger mentions the issue of Studio Potter
(Winter 1975-76, volume 4, no. 2) with two solar kiln articles. I have as yet
been unable to lay my hands on this issue, so if anyone has a copy...
Also, there was the solar steam generator, plans for which were serialized
in Mother Earth News in the late 1970s. I actually built the thing before I
became involved with clay. Years after its demise, I realized it could've
been modified into a kiln (it was fantastic at burning hot dogs). I no longer
have the plans, but the folks at motherearthnews.com might be able to dig 'em
up for you. I'd look several months either side of May / June 1979, to find
all the parts.
Hoping to learn more,
Don Goodrich in Zion, Illinois
goodrichdn@aol.com
http://members.aol.com/goodrichdn/
jlm on tue 11 jul 00
Err, excuse me, but those very same archives are right here at
http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/. I know, spent sometime making sure they
all got here in good shape.
Just for your Information,
John L. Mottl
Network Administrator
The American Ceramics Society
----- Original Message -----
From:
To:
Sent: Monday, July 10, 2000 11:15 PM
Subject: Re: Solar power kilns
> Eduard,
> I'm hardly a kiln guru, but do roam the archives and the elusive solar
> kiln has been a topic on Clayart every so often for a few years. Try the
> archives around January 23, 1997 for reference to a solar kiln supposedly
> built by Ian Hird in Scotland. The archives, by the way, would be the old
> ones, at
> http://lsv.uky.edu/archives/clayart.html
> Then you might check the topic of "fossil fuels" beginning with Paul
> Lewing's post from 29 December, 1998 about the kiln built by Zeljko
Kujundzic
> in Washington. I hope Paul will respond on this, maybe with more current
> info. The thread continues as C.A. Sanger mentions the issue of Studio
Potter
> (Winter 1975-76, volume 4, no. 2) with two solar kiln articles. I have as
yet
> been unable to lay my hands on this issue, so if anyone has a copy...
>
> Also, there was the solar steam generator, plans for which were
serialized
> in Mother Earth News in the late 1970s. I actually built the thing before
I
> became involved with clay. Years after its demise, I realized it could've
> been modified into a kiln (it was fantastic at burning hot dogs). I no
longer
> have the plans, but the folks at motherearthnews.com might be able to dig
'em
> up for you. I'd look several months either side of May / June 1979, to
find
> all the parts.
>
> Hoping to learn more,
>
> Don Goodrich in Zion, Illinois
> goodrichdn@aol.com
> http://members.aol.com/goodrichdn/
>
>
____________________________________________________________________________
__
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
melpots@pclink.com.
Bruce Girrell on tue 11 jul 00
Edouard,
I wrote about this a little while back. The post is lengthy, so I won't
quote it here. Please see http://www.potters.org/subject21271.htm for the
full post. That post describes the use of solar energy directly. In a later
post, http://www.escribe.com/art/clay/m22502.html, I wrote about the
indirect use of solar energy (as electricity).
In a nutshell, solar kilns are _possible_, but tend not to be _practical_.
What do you do, for example, if you get some clouds just as you are getting
up to the desired temperature? Solar kilns also tend to be expensive. In
order to make anything that can fire more than a single, small pot, you need
an array of heliostats to track the sun and concentrate the energy.
Converting sunlight to electricity eliminates some serious problems, but
adds more cost in the way of photovoltaic cells, batteries, and controllers
(though it eliminates the costly heliostats).
On the other hand, if you live in an area with reliable, strong sunlight and
have no access to fossil fuels or electricity, a solar kiln may be a
reasonable option.
Bruce "sunny disposition" Girrell
Edouard Bastarache on tue 11 jul 00
Hello John,
your correction was sent to sci.materials.ceramics
Thank you.
Later,
Edouard Bastarache
Dans / In "La Belle Province"
edouardb@sorel-tracy.qc.ca
http://www.sorel-tracy.qc.ca/~edouardb/
-----Message d'origine-----
De : jlm
=C0 : CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Date : 11 juillet, 2000 12:45
Objet : Re: Solar power kilns
>Err, excuse me, but those very same archives are right here at
>http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/. I know, spent sometime making sure th=
ey
>all got here in good shape.
>
>Just for your Information,
>
>John L. Mottl
>Network Administrator
>The American Ceramics Society
>
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From:
>To:
>Sent: Monday, July 10, 2000 11:15 PM
>Subject: Re: Solar power kilns
>
>
>> Eduard,
>> I'm hardly a kiln guru, but do roam the archives and the elusive so=
lar
>> kiln has been a topic on Clayart every so often for a few years. Try t=
he
>> archives around January 23, 1997 for reference to a solar kiln suppose=
dly
>> built by Ian Hird in Scotland. The archives, by the way, would be the =
old
>> ones, at
>> http://lsv.uky.edu/archives/clayart.html
>> Then you might check the topic of "fossil fuels" beginning with Pau=
l
>> Lewing's post from 29 December, 1998 about the kiln built by Zeljko
>Kujundzic
>> in Washington. I hope Paul will respond on this, maybe with more curre=
nt
>> info. The thread continues as C.A. Sanger mentions the issue of Studio
>Potter
>> (Winter 1975-76, volume 4, no. 2) with two solar kiln articles. I have=
as
>yet
>> been unable to lay my hands on this issue, so if anyone has a copy...
>>
>> Also, there was the solar steam generator, plans for which were
>serialized
>> in Mother Earth News in the late 1970s. I actually built the thing bef=
ore
>I
>> became involved with clay. Years after its demise, I realized it could=
've
>> been modified into a kiln (it was fantastic at burning hot dogs). I no
>longer
>> have the plans, but the folks at motherearthnews.com might be able to =
dig
>'em
>> up for you. I'd look several months either side of May / June 1979, to
>find
>> all the parts.
>>
>> Hoping to learn more,
>>
>> Don Goodrich in Zion, Illinois
>> goodrichdn@aol.com
>> http://members.aol.com/goodrichdn/
>>
>>
>________________________________________________________________________=
___
_
>__
>> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>>
>> You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
>> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>>
>> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
>melpots@pclink.com.
>
>________________________________________________________________________=
___
___
>Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
>You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
>settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
>Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
melpots@pclink.com.
Hank Murrow on tue 11 jul 00
Dear Edward and Others; After developing my lifting fiber kiln
design and being astounded by the reduction in fuel requirements; I began
to wonder just what kind of solar mirror would provide the BTU necessary
for a fire to C/10 in this 28cuft kiln. Since the kiln would be sealed
except for a small aperture in the bottom (to reflect the light beam into),
The BTU requirement drops from 100,000 per hour to something like 20,000
BTU/hr. Reduction could be by means of a very small gas burner, an oil
drip, or a hydrogen gas feed(best alternative).
About then, an architect friend who had been visiting Boeing's
energy division in Seattle told me about a solar mirror he had seen there.
Basically, it consisted of a Tedlar dome of 16 foot diameter, with a 15
foot diameter aluminized-mylar mirror inside which tracked the sun so as to
keep a one inch beam of light constantly focused on a boiler. The dome is
kept erect by a photo-voltaic panel driving a small blower with battery
backup. Now imagine many hundreds of these in Boardman, Oregon, all focused
on a boiler. They've been testing them there for years. The fully eqipped
dome was expected to cost around $1500 each in large-scale manufacture.
I called the folks at Boeing to confirm the output of a single
mirror; and it puts out up to 50,000 BTU during cloudless conditions. It
seemed the trick would be to get a firing over with before the sun went
down. Of course, electric assist at the beginning would give a nice 'start'
to such a firing; say to 600 F or so. I was imagining one of my kilns with
a 4 inch quartz target mirror placed under a 2 inch aperture in the center
of the floor, with a 10 inch silicon-carbide target disc sitting just above
this hole. The light beam from the solar mirror would be reflected up to
this target disc, which would slowly grow incandescent and heat the chamber
by radiation. My experience has been that once a fiber kiln gets to about
C/1 or so, ALL the energy inside is radiated and reflected off the white
fiber walls, so the firing would likely be pretty even. My kiln design is
only losing 5000 BTU/hr through its skin, so having up to 60,000 BTU/hr
available seemed like enough to fire the kiln successfully.
So how did it work? I never could get enough $$$ ahead to invest
in the mirror and try it; though I have had one of the kilns here at my
studio firing on natural gas for the last 15 years. All I know is that the
math made it seem quite possible; and if the price of Boeing's mirror ever
does get down to $1500 I want to try it. Wouldn't you? Warming to the
subject on a sunny day here in Eugene, Hank
>Eduard,
> I'm hardly a kiln guru, but do roam the archives and the elusive solar
>kiln has been a topic on Clayart every so often for a few years. Try the
>archives around January 23, 1997 for reference to a solar kiln supposedly
>built by Ian Hird in Scotland. The archives, by the way, would be the old
>ones, at
>http://lsv.uky.edu/archives/clayart.html
> Then you might check the topic of "fossil fuels" beginning with Paul
>Lewing's post from 29 December, 1998 about the kiln built by Zeljko Kujundzic
>in Washington. I hope Paul will respond on this, maybe with more current
>info. The thread continues as C.A. Sanger mentions the issue of Studio Potter
>(Winter 1975-76, volume 4, no. 2) with two solar kiln articles. I have as yet
>been unable to lay my hands on this issue, so if anyone has a copy...
>
> Also, there was the solar steam generator, plans for which were serialized
>in Mother Earth News in the late 1970s. I actually built the thing before I
>became involved with clay. Years after its demise, I realized it could've
>been modified into a kiln (it was fantastic at burning hot dogs). I no longer
>have the plans, but the folks at motherearthnews.com might be able to dig 'em
>up for you. I'd look several months either side of May / June 1979, to find
>all the parts.
>
> Hoping to learn more,
>
> Don Goodrich in Zion, Illinois
> goodrichdn@aol.com
Paul Lewing on tue 11 jul 00
Ibergstedt@AOL.COM wrote:
Then you might check the topic of "fossil fuels" beginning with Paul
> Lewing's post from 29 December, 1998 about the kiln built by Zeljko Kujundzic
> in Washington. I hope Paul will respond on this, maybe with more current
> info.
I think Bruce "sunny disposition" Girrell answered the practical
applications question about solar kilns pretty well. As far as I know,
Zeljko has not done any more work on this in many years, but if you'd
like to talk to him, his phone number is 509-495-2913, or write to him
at PO Box 1528, Oroville, WA 98844. Call him- he's a trip!
Paul Lewing, Seattle,
waiting under the overcast for the true official start of summer in
Western WAshington, tomorrow!
Mary Ella Yamashita on thu 13 jul 00
No practical experience here, but a possible route to pursue...what about
using solar cells to generate electricity to power your electric kiln? For
a government list of websites relating to solar energy, see
http://www.eren.doe.gov/RE/solar.html. Homepower magazine's website also
has interesting info at http://www.homepower.com/. Food for thought.
Mary Ella
>Date: Tue, 11 Jul 2000 17:14:50 +0200
>From: dibby
>Subject: Re: Tr: Solar power kilns
>MIME-Version: 1.0
>Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
>
>Imagine this ...waking on the summer day...a sunrise that promises a long
>day of solar power for the Helix kiln mirrors.... most of the wares are
>bisque already and the pots are standing out in the open onto top of a some
>kilns shelves ...completely out in the open for all to see...then the sun
>stikes the mirrors and the computers start aligning the pots sun and mirrors
>.... enough mirrors to intensitve light many times over and to engineered to
>strike the pots at the optimal angles to create instant heat and the sun
>journeys will provide the fuel ...peaking in the afternoon ...the mirrors
>get lighter the pots get hotter untill for all to see the clays melds with
>the fire forever....we would have to develop new clays to withstand that
>solar shock...I bet we could ..what I like about it besides the unique view
>is that there will be no pollution no big toxic insulation materials no
>bricks no doors...I think it would be insane and I am all for developing one
>of this glorious insane contraption ....heat pollution? what would we
>need...come on there must some crazies out there foolish enought to attempt
>such a feat.
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: Edouard Bastarache
>To:
>Sent: Tuesday, July 11, 2000 1:35 AM
>Subject: Tr: Solar power kilns
>
>
>> Hello all,
>>
>> a good question for kiln gurus.
>
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