Efficient Solar Cooker

Presented by: Viraj Trivedi CEPT MTMAM3411

The Problem
Half the worlds people must burn wood or dried dung to cook their food. Wood cut for cooking purposes contributes to the 16 million hectares of forest destroyed annually. Half the worlds population is exposed to indoor air pollution, mainly the result of burning solid fuels for cooking and heating. Conventional Solar Cooker dont work in evening and cloudy weather.

Id put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we dont have to wait til oil and coal run out before we tackle that. Thomas Edison

Overview

Types of cookers Principles of solar cooker design Temperature Cooking time Impact Energy storing materials

Types of solar ovens

Box Cooker Panel Cooker Solar Funnel Cooker Parabolic Cooker recommended - not

Box cooker

Among easiest and most popular to build and use Lid of a cardboard box reflects light onto pots under glass Advantage of slow, even cooking of large quantities of food

Panel Cooker

Sunlight is reflected off of multiple panels onto a pot under a glass lid or in a bag Can be built quickly and at low cost Many different varieties

Solar Funnel Cooker

Safe, inexpensive and easy to use Concentrates sunlight into a dark pot in a plastic bag Combines best of parabolic and box cookers Anyone can make one

Parabolic Cooker

Highly focused light and high temperatures Cooks nearly as fast as a conventional oven Costly and complicated to make and use have to turn frequently to follow the sun Potentially hazardous-not recommended

The basic principles C.A.R.E.S.

Collect the light Absorb the light Retain the heat

Ease and Efficiency

Safety

C: Collect the Light

Collect the sunlight using reflectors with an approximately 400 square inch opening (20x20) Easy way to measure: the minimum opening of the cooker needs to be the diameter of an adults arm Reflective surface materials include: aluminum, Mylar, aluminized Mylar of any thickness, aluminum or chromium paint (Note: mirror like reflectors can lead to eye damage)

A: Absorb the light

Absorb the light paint the pot matte black or another dark color to absorb the heat Pots can also be elevated by a wire base or posts, allowing the bottom of the pots to collect sunlight

R: Retain the Heat

Retain the heat hot vessels lose their heat to the air quickly so they need to be covered Cover with plastic, glass, Plexiglas, or tempered glass A tight lid will trap steam and speed up cooking Ex: Canning jars work like inexpensive pressure cookers

R: Retain the Heat

A note on plastics Oven bags are the best way to retain heat. They are sold in most large U.S. grocery stores, although they may be hard to find in other places (Reynolds bags work well) If you cant find oven bags, an alternate solution is transparent High Density Polyethylene bags (HDPE) Prevent the HDPE bags from touching the pots or jars, as they may melt Avoid polyethylene it melts too easily Good plastic may be the most difficult material to find, and may require extra planning, possibly including importing the oven bags

E: Ease and Efficiency

Ease simplicity of everyday use

Funnel and box cookers are the easiest to use they dont have to be turned to follow the sun

Efficiency - how fast the cooker heats food

Parabolic cookers focus light to a point (most efficient) causing dangerous conditions Funnel cookers focus light across a broader area down the center of the cooker (efficient but not dangerous)

S: Safety

Safety Avoid highly focused light such as that

in the parabolic cooker. It can damage eyes and start fires Always exercise caution with cookers. Sunglasses are useful when looking into a cooker Cooking pots are hot and should be treated as though they were on a stove-top

Temperatures

Sunny Day: heats from 130-145C (265300F) Cloudy Day: heats from 95-105C (200-220F) Hot enough to pasteurize water (at least 6570C for 20 minutes) Hot enough to fully cook meats, breads, grains, vegetables, etc. Kills disease-causing bacteria

Impact

Expect solar ovens to replace 60% of fuel needs in most places The other 40% of the time, due to rough weather or special types of food, traditional methods can still be used Doesnt replace fire as a way to heat homes

Approximate Cooking Times

Vegetables: 1.5 hrs Rice/wheat: 1.5-2 hrs Beans: 2-3 hrs Meats: 1-3 hrs Bread: 1-1.5 hrs

Solar Energy Storing Materials

Thermal mass system- materials with high specific heat capacities such as water, earth and stone. Phase change materials- paraffin wax and Glauber's salt Molten salts Pumped-storage hydroelectricity Natural zeolites Modified Carbon Nanotubes

Thank You