Experimental study of solar cooking using heat storage in comparison with direct heating

• Published in: Solar energy 2013-12, Vol.98, p.375-383
• Main Authors: Mussard, Maxime, Gueno, Alexandre, Nydal, Ole Jørgen
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Boiling; Comparative analysis; Cookers; Cooking; Devices; Energy; Energy efficiency; Energy. Thermal use of fuels; Equipments, installations and applications; Exact sciences and technology; Heat extraction; Heat storage; Heating; Miscellaneous; Natural energy; Solar collectors; Solar cooking; Solar energy; Solar thermal conversion; Storage units; Transport and storage of energy
• ISSN: 0038-092X; 1471-1257
• DOI: 10.1016/j.solener.2013.09.015

•A comparative cooking experiment is done between two solar cookers.•A solar charged heat storage with improvements is competitive regarding standard cookers.•The storage charged over 220°C enables frying as well as boiling water.•Simulations modelize the behavior of the system. The paper presents a comparative experimental study of two solar cookers. The first is the widespread SK14 cooker; the second is a prototype of a solar concentrator (parabolic trough) using a storage unit. The SK14 is a direct solar cooker where the cooking pot is placed on the focal point of a parabolic dish; in the trough system heat is transported from an absorber to a storage unit by means of a self-circulation loop filled with thermal oil. Cooking takes place directly on the top of the storage. Cooking experiments are conducted to compare the performance of these two methods of heat extraction. Both boiling and frying are tested to estimate the cooking efficiency of the heat storage system. Following these experiments, simulations are conducted to optimize and improve the system. Cooking on a heat storage with optimized surface contact is proved to be competitive with standard solar cookers or other cooking devices.