Public Invention’s EcoPot project has progressed over the past several years and is currently in its final stages of development. The project developed from an initial idea based on the rounded shape of ancient pots, into a modern design meant to efficiently use heat from an open fire to cook food and heat water. This addresses the task of gathering firewood for cooking, which one billion people perform on a daily basis. However, the needs of these communities have largely been neglected, as pot designs are usually made with modern stovetops in mind. However, the EcoPot’s rounded base and semi-conical lid, as well as its heat transfer fins, are instead designed to utilize the free-flowing, hot air from fires. If this pot is both efficient and inexpensive, it can drastically decrease deforestation and the amount of time impoverished communities spend gathering fuel.
Beyond the project’s scope, it is also unique from the standpoint of its team. It includes multiple international members, including Inventors Robert Read and Gianluca Skirde from the United States, Marie Cheynour from France, Cledden Obeng-Poku Kwanin from Ghana, and Ivan Urdiales from Argentina. Together, this international team continues to progress on the project’s design and development.
In a recent interview, Chemical Engineer Ivan Urdiales discussed the unique dynamics of the team, as well as updates about the EcoPot and his plans for the project’s future.
Ivan Urdiales and the EcoPot
“I thought that I would be really happy working with a team, because it’s not easy to find people who are interested in the same things here. So, I joined the project.” – Ivan Urdiales
Currently an engineering student at the National Technological University of Mendoza, Argentina, Urdiales discovered Public Invention through the organization’s LinkedIn page and immediately connected with its mission. He was interested in the EcoPot project in particular, as its testing stage overlapped with his university studies in simulation. Most of all, however, Urdiales was inspired by the promise of joining a community interested in technological innovation and engineering.
“I joined the EcoPot project because I was doing…simulations, and I was learning about that, and I have a lot of interest in it,” Urdiales said. “Robert posted the possibility to join the project. I thought that I would be really happy working with a team, because it’s not easy to find people who are interested in the same things here. So, I joined the project.”
The Value of an International Team
“I have learned a lot of things not only about science and research, but also different things about the world, different problems, and different ways of thinking.” – Ivan Urdiales
As a new member, Urdiales quickly got to know the other members of the team. He especially connected with mechanical engineer and fellow OpenFoam tester, Cledden Kwanin. While he enjoyed working with an experienced engineer, Urdiales also appreciated Kwanin’s unique perspective and the opportunity to learn more about his culture.
“I have learned a lot of things about Ghana, and Cledden [Kwanin] now lives in the Faroe Islands, which is a place that I didn’t know much about. So, I’ve learned a lot,” Urdiales said. “I think that this is my first experience working in an international team. So, I have learned a lot of things not only about science and research, but also different things about the world, different problems, and different ways of thinking.”
Urdiales has become a critical member of the EcoPot team, working on computational fluid dynamics simulations and the Amazon web services side of the project while Skirde and Cheynour continue developing its design. Together, the team benefits from the varied perspectives that each member brings to the table, and the EcoPot has continued to develop and more efficiently conserve fireborne heat as a result.
Continued Simulation Testing and an Addition to the EcoPot Design
The team has continued to test new possible updates to the EcoPot design. Alongside Kwanin, Urdiales has continued testing these further developments, and shared the project’s current status.
“We do computational fluid dynamics simulations,” Urdiales stated. “We test different geometries of the pot, and we see how changes in that geometry affect the ability of the pot to heat in some way, or to increase the temperature of water [inside the pot].”
This testing has changed as the team is currently implementing a new theory regarding its design. They have added a rough, serrated texture to the pot’s surface in order to make the surrounding air more turbulent and further increase the heat of its contents.
“The last hypothesis that we are trying to prove right now, is whether introducing a design that makes the flow of the flames, or the air, more turbulent, and the water inside more turbulent, would improve the transfer of heat towards the water,” Urdiales said.
The team has yet to see if this new addition to the design proves to be effective. However, once they have sufficiently tested this final hypothesis and have either implemented it into the official design or discarded it, the team plans to work on a publication of their findings and share the design with the world.
The Value of Open-Source Projects for Young Inventors
“I would say that the main advantage [of open source] is collaboration with other people who, in many cases, know more than me.” – Ivan Urdiales
Urdiales closed the interview with a discussion of why he values the open-source community and engineering projects like the EcoPot. He was grateful for the opportunity to learn from experienced professionals, the resources and support that Public Invention provides, and the collaboration that can take place in an open-source environment.
“When you work with closed-source projects,” Urdiales said, “collaboration becomes difficult. Where, if you are working on an open-source project, and you manage to get some engagement from other people, you can collaborate with many people because you are not restricted in showing your work to other people. I would say that that is a very good thing. I would say that the main advantage [of open source] is collaboration with other people who, in many cases, know more than me.”
As the EcoPot continues to develop, the team continues to grow and onboard new members. If you are interested in joining the project, reach out to Invention Coach Robert Read for more information. Ultimately, the learning opportunities that projects like the EcoPot provide, and the ability to work with a team from across the world, make open-source projects not only impactful on those who use the designs, but also on the Inventors themselves. It is the open-source community, as well as its designs, which ultimately make the invention process valuable and sustainable as it continues into the future.