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Mar 30, 2024Keywords:
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Main Article Content
Design and Performance Evaluation of a Parabolic Solar Cooker for Rural Communities in Eastern Nigeria
Abstract
This study aims to design and construct a domestic solar cooker using locally available materials. The heat from the sun was concentrated on a parabola with a reflecting surface to a black casted Aluminum plate (absorber) located at the parabola's focal point. The heat absorbed was utilised for cooking. The research was designed to cook about 2.5kg of beans, a staple food requiring more heat energy than most foods. The design was to produce a cooker that can give 2616kJ of heat energy, considering the solar insolation of Owerri, the Eastern heartland of Nigeria. The Diameter of the dish that can trap this amount of energy is 1.7m. The focal distance where the pot was mounted was calculated to be 0.747m from the centre of the parabola. This work is modelled with Autodesk Inventor. Performance evaluation was done with different meals cooked and the heating rate calculated. The exact quantity of raw food cooked with other mediums and the heating rate were calculated. Comparisons were made, and it was obvious that the solar cooker was most suited for rural areas and people living in areas with high average solar intensity. The efficiency of the solar cooker is 33%. This invariably means that 33% of the energy in the solar cooker was used for cooking.
