DEVELOPMENT OF A CARBON HEATING UNIT

Experimental carbon heating units to boil water for reconstituting precooked dehydrated foods were developed at the U. S. Army Natick Laboratories and produced in contractor's pilot plant for field and laboratory study. These were designated as Phase I units. As a result of further experimentation, and based on the test findings, the contractor produced an improved unit that was designated as Phase II. Both units consisted of carbon fuel, igniter, stove support, base reflector, and shield or chimney. The Phase I fuel was a charcoal slab with perforations. The reflector was of rigid aluminum. At an ambient temperature of 68F, this unit boiled 6 quarts of water in 10 minutes and, at an ambient temperature of 46F, thawed snow or ice and boiled the resultant water in 22 minutes. In Phase II, several types of fuel were developed, the most promising of which was made from commercially available char fuel briquettes broken into approximately 1-inch pieces. Inexpensive fiberboard and aluminum foil replaced the rigid aluminum as reflector and the stove support was made of 4 simple parts. Under the same ambient conditions, these units brought 6 quarts of water to a boil in 14 minutes and thawed snow or ice and boiled the resultant water in 30 minutes.