Optimising of a domestic paraffin geyser for rural application

Abstract

A water heating system based on paraffin was investigated. Such a system fulfils a need in rural areas where electrify is not available and solar geysers are not practical. The solution is particularly apt due to the abundant use of paraffin in rural communities. The system was modelled for the previous conference and it was apparent that the product required some optimisation in order to be practical. The product was then optimised in terms of increasing the heat transfer area available and an improvement of 87% in terms of performance was achieved with an 8% reduction in cost to manufacture. This provided a solution that proved more practical when heating water to a suitable showering temperature of 38°C. A flow rate of 4.71/min with warmer summer water inlet conditions was achieved and 3.21/min with colder winter water inlet conditions. The product offers a great deal of versatility due to the nature of inline heat exchangers. It is possible to adjust the outlet water temperature by adjusting only the water flow rate. Thus the product can provide water at any range of temperature from a warm temperature for showering to boiling water.