Robust heating in crisis: Evaluation of the FirePipe emergency stove for indoor environments in cold climates

Sammanfattning

The FirePipe emergency stove is a flat packed, indoor stove with a window mountedflue, designed to provide space heating, cooking capability, and water boiling duringemergencies. While previous laboratory testing and short term evaluations haveconfirmed its basic functionality and fire safety, there is limited knowledge of howthe stove performs in real environments under dynamic indoor and outdoor conditions.This study investigates how the FirePipe stove interacts with indoor environmentalconditions during winter use. The research evaluates whether the stove can maintain acceptable indoor temperatures and safe air quality. Indoor climate and airquality parameters, including temperature distribution and concentrations of CO,CO2, PM2.5, PM10, and ultrafine particles (UFP), are measured and analyzed acrossdifferent operational phases.In addition, the influence of external weather conditions, including wind speed, winddirection, and outdoor temperature, on stove performance and indoor air quality isexamined. The study also assesses user friendliness, installation procedures, and theaccompanying manual to identify potential improvements. Based on these findings,the work provides recommendations for safe use and identifies scenarios in whichthe stove should not be used.