Design, and Experimental Investigation of Indirect Solar Thermal Cooker for Street Food Cooking
Abstract
This work delves into the working principles of solar cookers, leading to the design of one with an asymmetric CPC (Compound Parabolic Collector). The study commences by assessing potato chip frying methods in Dire Dawa city to determine the energy required for frying, aiding in the solar cooker component design. Subsequently, data collection is followed by methodological planning for experimentation, optimizing thermal balances for various components. A solar cooker prototype is then designed and manufactured, with performance parameters evaluated through experiments and MATLAB simulations, showing slight discrepancies. Further analysis investigates reasons for variations, followed by model validation and performance assessment. Results indicate the constructed cooker as an A-Grade solar cooker, with high optical efficiency of the glass plate and low radiation losses from the side walls. The cooker exhibits good heat transfer capacity with a cooking power of 29.1 W and an efficiency of 17.24%, indicating room for improvement in selected solar parameters. The system's return on investment is estimated at 2 years.
Keywords
Compound Parabolic Concentrators, Absorber Plate, Thermal Energy Storage, MATLAB simulation