Study, Design, Realization of a Domestic Solar Cooker in Tropical Climatic Conditions

Abstract

Cooking food is done mainly by the use of fossil fuels (coal, gas, oil) or wood with emissions of greenhouse substances, where Benin enjoys good sunshine. The valorization of solar energy through the equipment of concentration of solar radiations can contribute to a cooking with low impact on the environment. This project consists in the realization of a solar cooker, usable in Benin. A solar cooker is a heating system that works from solar energy by concentrating this energy in a specific place on which a container is placed in the corn that it heats. The project includes a first part of modeling of the cooker and a second of realization. This research simulates the mechanical operation of the cooker made essentially with recycled materials. The mass of the cooker is 6Kg and it can support up to 2Kg of load in its hearth. The latter has two joints to accurately track the position of the sun. We simulated the thermal performance of the concentrator made from reflective aluminum film using COMSOL software. The theoretical time to bring 1 liter of water to the boil taking into account heat losses is 669 seconds (11 minutes, 9 seconds). The maximum temperatures reached in the focus and in the water during the experiments are 161°C and 91°C respectively.