Structural and Thermodynamic Performance of Artisanal Firewood Kilns: Sustainability Evidence from the Mfensi Pottery Centre, Ghana
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35738/jdcs.v1.2025.05Keywords:
Firewood kilns, Thermal efficiency, Systems theory, Downdraft kilns, Fuel efficiency, Artisanal pottery, GhanaAbstract
Purpose: This study evaluates the performance and energy efficiency of firewood-fired downdraft kilns at the Mfensi Pottery Centre in Ghana. It addresses critical gaps in the literature by linking structural degradation and operational behaviour to measurable energy performance outcomes.
Methodology/Design: A mixed-method approach was employed, integrating quantitative thermodynamic measurement and qualitative field insights, guided by systems theory and thermodynamic analysis. Data were gathered from a sample of 19 kilns through calibrated pyrometric measurements, structural inspections, yield assessments, and triangulated interviews to assess how structural, operational, and thermal interactions influence kiln efficiency. Thermal efficiency was estimated as the ratio of useful heat absorbed by the clay load to the total calorific energy input from firewood combustion.
Findings: Findings reveal extensive structural deterioration, the absence of insulation, and unregulated airflow, resulting in significant heat loss and a low average thermal efficiency (≈4.2%). Although kilns with cracks exhibited marginally higher efficiency (4.31% vs. 4.05%), this difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.096), with a small to moderate effect size (Cohen’s d = 0.53), indicating that inefficiency is systemic rather than attributable to isolated structural defects. Thermodynamic computation, interpreted through a systems perspective, highlights the interaction between kiln design, operation, and energy transfer.
Practical and Social Implications: Improving kiln performance requires integrated interventions, including structural rehabilitation, airflow control, and operator training. The policy recommendations align with Ghana’s sustainable energy and climate goals under SDGs 7, 12, and 13. The study offers a framework for sustainable energy interventions in traditional manufacturing sectors.
Originality: Beyond its technical findings, the study advances existing kiln efficiency models by integrating systems theory with thermodynamic measurement, revealing that inefficiency arises from feedback loops among structural, operational, and thermal subsystems, not isolated losses. The framework is transferable to other artisanal pottery centres in Ghana and Sub‑Saharan Africa, as the core subsystems (insulation, airflow, structural integrity) are common to most wood‑fired kilns, enabling cross‑centre diagnosis and intervention design.
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