Energy and Entropy Characterization of the Tolokatsin Solar Collector Designs for Multiple Applications
Abstract
In order to cook with solar energy, it is necessary to have a highly efficient solar cooker that captures a great portion of the diffuse radiation. More than 20 years ago, the first solar cookers called "Tolokatsin" (Náhuatl name meaning "born in Toluca", the city in which they were created) were designed. Nowadays, the Tolokatsin solar cookers work with a three-dimensional multi-compounded solar concentrator based on Non-Imaging Optics, using only mirrors of simple curvature. The original design consists of a concentrator with four pairs of optimally truncated mirrors that allow an excellent operational performance. After 20 years of successful experience in its operation, their application has evolved to be able to be applied as a solar sterilizer and other applications that require different temperatures and flux densities than those necessary for cooking. A further advance has been made to reduce the losses by reflections, by changing the number of mirrors and the solar concentration, keeping only mirrors of simple curvature (very easy to manufacture). With this background, in the present paper an energy and exergy characterization are done for the different configurations that integrate the Tolokatsin designs