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Solar cooking with heat storage: figures of merits for solar cookers using PCM.

Author(s) : LECUONA-NEUMANN A., NOGUEIRA-GORIBA J. I., VENTAS-GARZÓN R.

Summary

Solar cooking has been established as a resource to alleviate energy poverty and deforestation caused by wood burning in dwellings, especially in developing countries. It may also alleviate the several million premature deaths per year that are attributed to illnesses originated by smoke. In the open literature diverse aspects on the topic can be found. A large population is under risk, mostly in undeveloped countries. Not only by inhalation and/or exposure to fumes, but also there is risk of destructive fires and skin burns. Improved cookstoves are believed to alleviate this problem for a large fraction of humanity that cooks using firewood, but the health and environmental problems still remain. Cooking with the sun energy offers eliminating both deforestation and fumes. Its implementation suffers several problems that can be addressed. Technological application and development can overcame them by offering appropriate technologies. In this paper current technology of solar cookers is briefly described and their capabilities for including heat storage are commented with emphasis on those of the direct type. Several
phase change material (PCM) are presented as candidates for heat storage. Solar cookers typically operate only during sunny hours, thus difficulting its implementation. Heat storage would allow dinner and breakfast cooking. There are standards for
characterizing the performance of current solar cookers, especially the direct heating types, but up to now they do not consider any sort of storage. In the paper, a mathematical modelling is offered in order to explain the conventional figures of merit of common use to characterize the performance of solar cookers. The different alternatives are discussed, as well as how they can be extended to the ones that store heat. The paper offers results on a laboratory scale of a prototype of solar utensil. It is
implemented in concentrating cookers of the parabolic dish variety that is nowadays widely commercialized. It allows cooking while heat storage is performed into it. After sun exposition, the utensil is stored in an insulating device indoors, allowing to cook and heat water at night, and even to cook breakfast.

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Details

  • Original title: Solar cooking with heat storage: figures of merits for solar cookers using PCM.
  • Record ID : 30017966
  • Languages: English
  • Source: CYTEF 2016. VIII Congreso Ibérico y VI Congreso Iberoamericano de las Ciencias y Técnicas del Frío, Coimbra-Portugal, 3-6 mayo, 2016.
  • Publication date: 2016/05/03

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