Access to clean and efficient household energy remains a major challenge in developing countries, where more than 4 billion people still rely on traditional biomass for cooking. In Ethiopia, injera baking is the most energy-intensive household activity, consuming about 50% of total household biomass energy use annually. Traditional three-stone stoves used for injera baking are associated with low thermal efficiencies (5–10%), high fuel consumption, indoor air pollution, and health risks. This study aimed to evaluate the thermal performance of a Top-Lit Updraft (TLUD) injera baking stove under real household conditions in Digga and Caliya districts of Western Ethiopia. The stove was constructed using a 60 cm clay pan, mild steel sheet, fiberglass insulation, aluminum sheet, and square pipe framing. Three households were selected for experimental evaluation using 3 kg of eucalyptus wood per test. Temperature profiles, fuel consumption, biochar production, and baking performance were measured using digital instruments. Results showed that the TLUD stove achieved an average thermal efficiency of 25.2%, significantly higher than the 5–10% efficiency typical of traditional stoves. Pan temperatures remained within the optimal injera baking range of 180–209°C, while baking time averaged 2.14 minutes per injera. Fuel consumption was reduced by 50–60%, and each test produced 326–426 g of biochar. Compared to traditional three-stone stoves, the TLUD stove demonstrated substantial improvements in efficiency, energy savings, safety, and environmental performance. The study concludes that TLUD stoves present a viable, clean, and efficient alternative for injera baking at household level. Further work is recommended on emission testing and user perception studies.
| Published in | Journal of Energy and Natural Resources (Volume 15, Issue 1) |
| DOI | 10.11648/j.jenr.20261501.12 |
| Page(s) | 10-16 |
| Creative Commons |
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| Copyright |
Copyright © The Author(s), 2026. Published by Science Publishing Group |
Biochar, Biomass Fuel, Household Energy, Improved Cook Stove, Injera Baking, Thermal Efficiency, TLUD Stove
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APA Style
Tesfaye, D., Mideksa, G. (2026). Thermal Performance Evaluation of TLUD Injera Baking Stove at the Household Level. Journal of Energy and Natural Resources, 15(1), 10-16. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jenr.20261501.12
ACS Style
Tesfaye, D.; Mideksa, G. Thermal Performance Evaluation of TLUD Injera Baking Stove at the Household Level. J. Energy Nat. Resour. 2026, 15(1), 10-16. doi: 10.11648/j.jenr.20261501.12
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author = {Duresa Tesfaye and Gemechis Mideksa},
title = {Thermal Performance Evaluation of TLUD Injera Baking Stove at the Household Level},
journal = {Journal of Energy and Natural Resources},
volume = {15},
number = {1},
pages = {10-16},
doi = {10.11648/j.jenr.20261501.12},
url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jenr.20261501.12},
eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.jenr.20261501.12},
abstract = {Access to clean and efficient household energy remains a major challenge in developing countries, where more than 4 billion people still rely on traditional biomass for cooking. In Ethiopia, injera baking is the most energy-intensive household activity, consuming about 50% of total household biomass energy use annually. Traditional three-stone stoves used for injera baking are associated with low thermal efficiencies (5–10%), high fuel consumption, indoor air pollution, and health risks. This study aimed to evaluate the thermal performance of a Top-Lit Updraft (TLUD) injera baking stove under real household conditions in Digga and Caliya districts of Western Ethiopia. The stove was constructed using a 60 cm clay pan, mild steel sheet, fiberglass insulation, aluminum sheet, and square pipe framing. Three households were selected for experimental evaluation using 3 kg of eucalyptus wood per test. Temperature profiles, fuel consumption, biochar production, and baking performance were measured using digital instruments. Results showed that the TLUD stove achieved an average thermal efficiency of 25.2%, significantly higher than the 5–10% efficiency typical of traditional stoves. Pan temperatures remained within the optimal injera baking range of 180–209°C, while baking time averaged 2.14 minutes per injera. Fuel consumption was reduced by 50–60%, and each test produced 326–426 g of biochar. Compared to traditional three-stone stoves, the TLUD stove demonstrated substantial improvements in efficiency, energy savings, safety, and environmental performance. The study concludes that TLUD stoves present a viable, clean, and efficient alternative for injera baking at household level. Further work is recommended on emission testing and user perception studies.},
year = {2026}
}
TY - JOUR T1 - Thermal Performance Evaluation of TLUD Injera Baking Stove at the Household Level AU - Duresa Tesfaye AU - Gemechis Mideksa Y1 - 2026/01/31 PY - 2026 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jenr.20261501.12 DO - 10.11648/j.jenr.20261501.12 T2 - Journal of Energy and Natural Resources JF - Journal of Energy and Natural Resources JO - Journal of Energy and Natural Resources SP - 10 EP - 16 PB - Science Publishing Group SN - 2330-7404 UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jenr.20261501.12 AB - Access to clean and efficient household energy remains a major challenge in developing countries, where more than 4 billion people still rely on traditional biomass for cooking. In Ethiopia, injera baking is the most energy-intensive household activity, consuming about 50% of total household biomass energy use annually. Traditional three-stone stoves used for injera baking are associated with low thermal efficiencies (5–10%), high fuel consumption, indoor air pollution, and health risks. This study aimed to evaluate the thermal performance of a Top-Lit Updraft (TLUD) injera baking stove under real household conditions in Digga and Caliya districts of Western Ethiopia. The stove was constructed using a 60 cm clay pan, mild steel sheet, fiberglass insulation, aluminum sheet, and square pipe framing. Three households were selected for experimental evaluation using 3 kg of eucalyptus wood per test. Temperature profiles, fuel consumption, biochar production, and baking performance were measured using digital instruments. Results showed that the TLUD stove achieved an average thermal efficiency of 25.2%, significantly higher than the 5–10% efficiency typical of traditional stoves. Pan temperatures remained within the optimal injera baking range of 180–209°C, while baking time averaged 2.14 minutes per injera. Fuel consumption was reduced by 50–60%, and each test produced 326–426 g of biochar. Compared to traditional three-stone stoves, the TLUD stove demonstrated substantial improvements in efficiency, energy savings, safety, and environmental performance. The study concludes that TLUD stoves present a viable, clean, and efficient alternative for injera baking at household level. Further work is recommended on emission testing and user perception studies. VL - 15 IS - 1 ER -
Oromia Agricultural Research Institute, Bako Agricultural Engineering Research Center, Oromia, Ethiopia
Oromia Agricultural Research Institute, Bako Agricultural Engineering Research Center, Oromia, Ethiopia
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