Tegstove is a portable gas stove incorporating the latest innovation in Thermoelectric Generator Technology with its three in one solution trying eliminating the need to carry separate items to cook, charge and store energy.
While charging mobile devices at anytime, even when the gas is turned off it is a perfect companion to your camping trips. The patent pending technology is driven by widely available, cost effective and clean burning butane gas, which is a standard fuel used by camping stoves and its base provides a very stable platform covering over 300mm, twice the average area covered by many existing stoves.
How does it work?
Easy and fast – by opening the base, pushing the cylinder in and turning the gas valve to light – you’re having instant heat and instant charging – no sticks and no waiting for the sun to appear. Tegstove uses a Thermoelectric Generator (TEG) to produce electrical current. Although this technology has been around since 1821 its low power output rendered it relatively unusable at the time as technology was too inefficient to take advantage of this really cool solution. Over the years electrical devices have become more and more efficient and we are now ready to take full advantage of the Thermoelectric Generator and the brilliant work carried out by Thomas Johann Seebeck close to 200 years later.
TEG’s need heat to be applied to the “hot side” the heat then needs to be removed from the “cold side” as efficiently as possible, it’s the difference in temperature between the two sides that creates an electrical current. The greater the temperature difference the more power it produces. Many products using TEG’s have concentrated on the supply of heat to the hot side and rely on water, heat sinks and fans to cool the cold side, this solution works and uses little or no energy for cooling, however it is limited and output can fluctuate dramatically. When water is used for cooling the water heats up and the cooling effect is reduced, when a fan is used the TEG output increases however the fan uses some of the energy it helps to produce.
Cooling things down is really quite difficult and uses a lot of energy to achieve. This is where Tegstove’s (patent pending) design makes a real difference, by using the thermo-reaction created when liquid gas atomises to their advantage (please see – Efficiency section for more details), this reaction creates a constant and stable source of “cold” which is used to cool the cold side of the TEG. Using this method the inventors created a much greater temperature difference resulting in more electrical energy production. The cold created at the cylinder is as constant as the heat from the burner – this results in a stable, constant and controlled source of heat and cooling for the TEG, this in-turn provides a stable flow of electrical energy.
Tegstove will produce heat and charge in wind, rain, day and night without the need to collect endless amounts of small dry sticks or waiting for the sun to come out.
Charge your tech on then move – The internal battery stores energy for use when you need it and begins recharging as soon as you light it. You don’t even have to cook anything for the internal charging system to work – if you need power just light it up, when you are cooking the pan reflects heat toward the heat cage increasing its temperature and increasing the output of the TEG. If the internal battery has any energy you can use it – the internal battery is there for your charging needs, you can use all the energy in the battery with nothing saved at all for internal workings, Tegstove requires no battery power to work – none, if the internal battery is depleted; the gas safety system will still work, it will still light, still cook and start recharging itself straightaway, all you need is gas. Charging devices can be done at anytime you don’t need to have the stove opened up and lit to charge stuff – but if you do want to charge when your cooking, you can – ther is a USB port for charging at the bottom of the tripod, keeping your tech away from the heat.
Useable virtually anywhere – Gas stoves struggle in cold temperatures and still have issues when it’s hot. A number of stoves have been tested in an ambient air temperature of 30 degrees centigrade and the butane cylinder temperature still dropped below 5 degrees centigrade and the gas pressure reduced. Tegstove system allows reliable butane gas cooking in a wider range of temperatures hot and cold.
Easy to carry – The Tegstove is easy to carry and you don’t need to carry a solar panel, battery pack or a separate stove. To make it even more space saving the design enables you to keep a cylinder inside the Tegstove all the time which differs from many gas stoves which require the gas cylinder to be removed during transit to avoid accidentally turning it on. The Tegstove has a clever storage system – by removing the cylinder after use, replacing the cap that comes with all P220 Butane cylinders and putting it back in the stove the tripod legs will hold it safely in place.
Safe design.
Safety is the first priority of the inventors which is why they designed their own completely mechanical safety release mechanism. P220 Butane gas cylinders are rated to 50 degrees centigrade, this temperature restriction is in place because as the gas gets hotter it creates more pressure. Tegstove (patent pending) design enables to eject the cylinder should the temperature exceed a low predetermined level. The cylinder temperature is controlled by both the Tegstove chassis and is fine-tuned further by the use of a small internal fan. The fan can increase or decrease the cylinder temperature by alternating the direction of the air flow. In the very unlikely event that the cylinder becomes too hot, the mechanical release mechanism ejects the cylinder and the flame is automatically extinguished.
The “Tripod” design gets everything off the ground, enables great stability and works really well with the layout needed for the TEG and the heating/cooling system.
Enhanced Efficiency
The inventors claim that Tegstobe is “Probably the most efficient gas stove in the world”, a bold statement but which they justify with explanation that Tegstove is using more than just the gas. Turning gas vapour into a liquid uses vast amounts of energy during the manufacturing process, you can see this energy being released every time you use a portable gas stove, the cylinder gets really cold and you can often see ice form on the outside, this happens even when it’s nice and warm outside. This thermo reaction is a by-product created when the liquid in the cylinder turns back into a vapour – this is a real problem – the liquid in the cylinder cannot turn into a vapour if it gets too cold, the vapour pressure drops as the cylinder gets colder and the liquid struggles to atomize and gas pressure drops.
To battle against this challenge manufacturers often use a “mix gas” solution. By mixing Butane, Propane and Isobutane together it creates a gas that works better in cold climates. However this solution is not perfect, the propane is more volatile than butane and requires a stronger heavier cylinder to hold the pressure and in cold conditions the propane burns off first, leaving the liquid butane behind. There’s gas in the can but none will come out, frustrating when you want a hot drink! The cost of these mix gases is also an issue – they cost around three times the price of the same amount of butane!
Propane will ensure you get gas pressure at lower temperatures but the cost of Propane is higher and the cylinder needs to be really strong because propane is so volatile and the cylinder is much heavier as it needs to hold higher pressures. Butane is the better gas – lighter cylinders, more cost effective, less volatile and available the world over in a standard P220 cylinder – but it gets cold fast and the pressure reduces making it unreliable and unusable in colder climates.
The solution
The team behind the Tegstove has looked at the cold produced as a benefit rather than a problem. Firstly they are transferring the cold produced in the cylinder and using it to cool the cold side of the TEG which makes the cold side of the TEG colder than a fan or water could achieve alone and this increases the electrical output – win! Secondly the heat emanating from the cold side of the TEG is used to warm the cylinder, keeping the gas pressure at a level that produces a strong, reliable and stable flame – win win!
By taking back some of the energy that is used in the manufacturing process of the cylinder and recycling it, they say the Tegstove is more energy efficient than any other.
Inventors need funds to put the Tegstove on the shelves
Although the team behind the Tegstove has done most of the R&D and have the funds to make the tooling and to obtain safety certification they still need funds to complete the project and put in on the shelves of the shops. The problem is that to make the stove affordable they need to scale it. As they say it manufacturers won’t make a “few” of a design and “see how it goes”….they want to build 100’s or even 1000’s of units – as gearing up for production is time consuming and costly. The funds collected with the indiegogo campaign will be used for the first production run.
To give answers to your potential questions they compiled FAQ’s:
Q – Do you need to pre-charge the internal battery?
A – No – It will begin charging the internal battery when you light it, but you can pre charge it if you wish
Q – Where can I get the gas?
A – The Butane P220 cylinder is available in many countries and has a universal fitting. It is available at many camping stores, hardware stores, fishing tackle shops as well as high street chains like Walmart, Go-Outdoors and Decathlon to name just a few.
Q – What’s wrong with the mix gas solution?
A – The mix gas cylinders contain Propane and this is more volatile and produces higher pressures than Butane, because of this the cylinder needs to be stronger and as a result is heavier, mix gas cylinders are typically three times more expensive than the equivalent amount of butane
Q – Is it safe?
A – The stove is tested independently and conforms to CE and ANSI standards; we have designed our own (patent pending) pressure safety system that ensures the stove exceeds these standards.
Q – What about warranty?
A – The stove is covered by a standard 1-year limited warranty – if you don’t mistreat it and it fails due to a manufacture fault, send it to us and we will fix it or replace it
Q – Will it charge my Ipad or Android tablet?
A – There are so many versions of tablets we cannot guarantee it will charge them all but as a guide it charges the ipad air
Q – Will it charge my phone from empty to 100 percent?
A – Mobile phones have various sizes of internal batteries, the percentage TEG Stove will charge each phone will be different, but as long as you have gas you can charge so you could charge any phone to full if you need to.
Q – Can I get a different color?
A – Not at the moment, but we may bring out different colors in the future
Q – What will it weigh?
A – We don’t know exactly what it will weigh, we aim to make it as light as possible but until we have made the tooling we cant guarantee its weight, however it will be lighter than the total weight of typical items used to cook, charge and store energy.
Q – Do I have to light the stove to charge stuff?
A – No – Whenever you light it the TEG will start charging the internal battery, you can use the energy in the battery whenever you want it. All the energy in the battery is for charging your tech; none is saved for the stove at all not even a little bit.
Q – Can I charge whilst I cook?
A – Yes – But you don’t have to, you can charge stuff whenever you want to.
Q – This is the best thing since sliced bread can I buy 1000 of them?
A – Yes it is and yes you can
To check on the project funding and development you can go to their Indiegogo campaign and support their cause.
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