How It Works - MF FIRE CATALYST Owner's Manual

How It Works

Catalyst uses our unique smart controller to carefully regulate
combustion to maintain your fire in the sweet spot and ensure clean
and efficient burning. We use three levels of combustion: Primary,
Secondary, and Catalytic.
Primary: This is the first step in the combustion process of your
Catalyst. Primary combustion occurs directly surrounding the wood.
Did you know that flames are never actually on the wood? Primary
combustion occurs just off the wood surface by combusting gases that
are released from the wood as it heats up. The air supply from the first
row of holes in the firebox walls is used to feed the primary combustion
process.
Secondary: The next step in the combustion process is secondary
combustion, which is any combustion distant from the wood fuel. This
typically occurs for the first time just underneath of the baffle in the
firebox and continues above the baffle. Secondary combustion helps
to eliminate any products of incomplete combustion, like soot or carbon
monoxide that are left over from primary combustion. We need local
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temperatures of over 1100 F (600 C) before secondary combustion
kicks in.
Catalytic: The final stage of combustion happens inside the catalytic
combustor. Your Catalyst has a catalytic combustor (or catalyst, this
part gets a little confusing) that scrubs the air just before the exhaust
gases leave the stove. Catalyst's catalyst (see) is a fine metal
honeycomb, coated in platinum. Platinum lowers the activation energy
of certain chemical reactions, which means that the same chemical
reactions can occur at much lower temperatures if there is a little
platinum hanging around. For our particular reactions, this combustion
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process begins at about 550 F (300 C). With the large viewing window,
you will be able to sometimes see your catalytic combustor glowing.
Don't worry – that just means it is doing its job.
Catalyst Owner's Manual | © MF Fire 2017
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