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International Journal of Advanced Research in Engineering and Technology (IJARET)

Volume 7, Issue 4, July-August 2016, pp. 37–42, Article ID: IJARET_07_04_005 Available online at

http://iaeme.com/Home/issue/IJARET?Volume=7&Issue=4 ISSN Print: 0976-6480 and ISSN Online: 0976-6499

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STUDY OF BOX TYPE SOLAR COOKER

WITH ENERGY STORAGE MEDIUM

Shaili Sharma and Dr. Ajeet Kumar Rai

Mechanical Engineering Department,

SSET, SHIATS Allahabad, U.P. India

ABSTRACT

In the present work experiment were performed and the two different

Models (Model I and Model II) of the box type solar cooker. Model I is simple

one whereas fins are attached at the base of the Model II. Magnesium nitrate

hexahydrate, a energy storage medium is used in the cooking pots for off

sunshine hour cooking. Experiments were conducted in the premises of

SHIATS, Allahabad in the month of June 2016. Two figures of merit F1 and F2

were obtained for the both models with simple cooking pot in Model I and

PCM assisted cooking pot in the Model II. It is observed that maximum

stagnation temperature inside the cooking chamber of Model II was more as

compared to that of Model I. Exergy efficiency was also calculated for both

the systems and found that the efficiency of Model II is more than Model I.

Key words: Energy Storage Medium, Solar Cooking.

Cite this article: Shaili Sharma and Dr. Ajeet Kumar Rai, Study of Box Type

Solar Cooker with Energy Storage Medium. International Journal of

Advanced Research in Engineering and Technology, 7(4), 2016, pp 37–42. http://iaeme.com/Home/issue/IJARET?Volume=7&Issue=4

1. INTRODUCTION

Solar energy is the renewable energy which is free and abundant in nature. Solar box cooker is a device which uses heat of sunlight to cook food. In India energy consumed

for various sectors, such as industrial, agricultural, transport, households and others, about 50% is used for cooking alone[1]. Cooking with the solar has to turn out to be a

probably feasible replacement for wood and fuel in preparing food. A large number of solar cooker have been developed, designed and tested in many countries. In 1767,

Horace-de –Saussure was the first in the world to use the sun energy for cooking more than 200 years ago. In 1876 Asia first the experiment was conducted by Adams, an

army officer [2]. In 1930, India to avoid deforestation began to investigate solar energy and M K gosh design first commercial solar box cooker in 1945. Since then,

numerous effort has been made to build a suitable solar cooker. The reflector type solar cooker was developed in early 1950 [3] and attempts were also made in 1960 to

1970 [4]. However a reflector type solar cooker did not get to be popular as it

Shaili Sharma and Dr. Ajeet Kumar Rai

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required tracking towards the sun, cooking could be done only during daytime in

direct sunlight, its performance was greatly influenced by dust and the wind, there

was a risk of the cook being burned as it was important to stand near the cooker when cooking and the design was complicated. These deformities were removed in the hot

box type solar cooker [5-7]. Solar box cooker is found to be the best because of its simple, easy design and relatively low cost. Thus, the box type solar cooker with a

single reflector [8] has been promoted by the Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources, Government of India.

A box type solar cooker can be used only during the daytime. One has to load the

cooker for the evening meal at 2:00 PM. Also, its performance is highly influenced by low solar radiation during cloud or winter season as it can't prepare meals under low

radiation situation. Thus, there is a need to build a box type solar cooker with an energy storage medium. PCM is the used for storing the solar energy during sunshine

hours so that cooking in the evening time can be done. In the present study a box type solar cooker with magnesium nitrate hexahydrate as a energy storage medium with

melting point 89oC was designed, fabricated and tested so that cooking can be done at

evening and its performance is compared with solar box cooker without storage.

2. EXPERIMENTAL SETUP

The experimental work is performed in Solar Laboratory of Mechanical Engineering

department in SHIATS, Allahabad. The experimental test on box type solar cooker was performed during June 2016. Two similar solar box cooker was designed and

fabricated. Both boxes are made up of galvanized iron sheet. Model I and Model II has similar absorber plate consists of GI sheet painted black thus, increasing its

capability of absorbing incident solar radiation of surface area ( 0.75 m × 0.75 m) and only difference between them is that Model (II) absorber plate basin surface is

provided with fins made of GI painted black. Fins are of rectangular cross section (0.75 m by 0.01 m) and have a length of 0.020 m [9]. The top of the box is covered

with a clear window glass. Glass wool is used as an insulation material for delay of heat loss. The outer surface of the box and bottom surface of the boxes are insulated

by 5mm thickness glass wool insulation. The space between the inner and outer

surface of the concentric vessel is filled with PCM and is completely sealed. Both the solar box cookers were kept facing south direction. Figure 1 shows the photographic

view of box type solar cooker used in experiments.

Figure 1 Photographic view of box type solar cooker with glasswool insulation

Study of Box

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During all the experim temperature at different l

temperature, ambient temrecorded by Solarimeter a

efficiency. Stagnation tem vessel and with load. He

hexahydrate is used as phprovided in the middle of

water are kept in Model (I

(a)

Figure 2 (a) Photographi

2.1. Performance of sol

The figure of merit F1andFigure of merit F1 (

oC m2/W

F1=

Where Tp , Ta , Is are a

intensity on a horizontarespectively.

Figure of merit F2 or water

Where t1 and t2 is the

(m Cp)w is the product of tis given by Ademola K. e

exergy input.

!"!#$"! %

&

Cpw is specific heat of water

x Type Solar Cooker with Energy Storage Medium

rnal/IJARET 39 ed

ment on the both system thermocouple were u location such as absorber plate, water tem

mperature and solar intensity on a horizonta and these values are required to calculate F1

mperature is measured without load i.e. with ere two concentric vessel is taken and mag

hase change material which is filled at the f the two vessels and kept in Model II and n

).

(b)

hic view of concentric vessel with PCM (b) Systemconcentric vessel with PCM.

lar cooker:

F2 is given for box type solar cooker by MuW) or stagnation test is defined as

absorber plate temperature, ambient temper

al surface at a time stagnation temperatu

r heating test is defined as

'

time when water temperature reached Tw1 an

the mass of water and specific heat (J/oC). Ex

et al. [11] and it is calculated by dividing Ex

()*+&, -./0+0&

1

2345600789

56007:;

<=> (3) where mw is

, Twf is final temperature of water, Twi is initial t

m

ditor@iaeme.com

used to measure

mperature, PCM

al surface were

1, F2 and exergy

empty cooking gnesium nitrate

base and space normal pot with

matic view of

ullick et al. [10]

(1)

rature and solar

ure is reached

(2)

and Tw2 in (oC),

xergy efficiency xergy output by

s mass of water,

temperature of

Shaili Sharma and Dr. Ajeet Kumar Rai

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water, t is time difference, TΔ a is the ambient temperature (K), Ts is the sun temperature (5800 K), Is is the solar radiation (W/m

2) and Asc is area of aperture of solar cookers.

3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The fig.3 shows the variation of solar intensity with respect to time on a particular day

during PCM test. It can be seen from the graph that maximum solar intensity is

received 1200 W/m2 at 10:30 and at 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm which is peak time for high

solar intensity.

Figure 3 Variation of solar intensity with respect to time on a particular day

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

Tem

per

atu

re (

oC

)

Time (hr)

Tw(pcm) T(pcm)

Tw(without pcm) Tp(pcm)

Tp(without pcm)

Figure 4 Variation of water temperature and plate temperature with and without PCM with

respect to time on a particular day

While doing energy storage medium test Model II has higher plate temperature

than the other Model I and during both days reading it is found that temperature increases during whole day and start decreasing from 1:30 pm for Model I and from

4:30 pm in Model II. Hence working time of Model II is more than Model I.

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

Sola

r In

ten

sity

(W

/m2)

Time (hr)

Study of Box Type Solar Cooker with Energy Storage Medium

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Figure 4 Variation of exergy efficiency with respect to time with and without PCM on a

particular day

Fig. 4 shows the curve of exergy efficiency and time of Model II (with PCM) and Model II (without PCM) on a particular day. It is observed from the graph that

maximum value of efficiency is 0.7 which is found at 12:30 for Model II. Exergy efficiency of Model II (with energy storage medium) is found 439 % more than

Model I (simple cooking pot). This is due to two reasons - empty space minimization and due to thermal inertial effect.

4. CONCLUSION

In this paper, study of a solar box cooker is done and performance is compared

between MODEL I (simple cooking pots without energy storage medium) and MODEL II (with energy storage medium). For both systems, the figure of merits were

obtained. Exergy efficiency of MODEL II is found to be 439 % more than that of the MODEL I.

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-0.2

0

0.2

0.4

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xer

gy e

ffic

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