Abstract
Most of the energy requirements for cooking are met by non-commercial fuels such as firewood, agricultural waste and fossil fuels such as kerosene and Liquefied Petroleum Gas. Fossil fuels are not environmentally friendly due to emission from by-products of their combustion which constitute health hazards. More so, the availability and ever-increasing prices of fossil fuels are some of the reasons explaining why the public awareness of the use of alternative cooking methods has increased in recent years. In most rural areas of Africa, the use of wood is even more preferred for cooking than either fossil fuel or electricity, and this has led to deforestation in many areas. The energy sector is widely acknowledged to be indispensable for the smooth sailing of any economy; it is a vital element in human life and a pivotal input for social and economic development. This suggests that a sustainable, secure, sufficient, affordable and accessible supply of energy is very crucial for the growth and sustainability of modern societies. Most of those lacking access to convenient cooking methods live in places with good solar resources and where solar cookers would thrive if developed
A Prototype stand-alone direct solar cooking system for domestic use that is relatively cheap and can be modified to meet these challenges faced in African communities is presented in this report. It was designed and fabricated with locally available materials. It consists of a parabolic dish of thickness 0.3mm, adjustable mechanism, conical cavity receiver, base support, Fresnel lens and a reflecting surface. The concave surface of the dish was covered with a reflective Aluminum foil which serves as a reflecting surface. Provision is made for one cooking pot, capable of holding up to 3litre of water. The cost of manufacturing the system was approximately ₦150000. However, this amount is expected to decrease if the system is mass produced.
The fully constructed Parabolic Solar Cooker was tested under the meteorological conditions of University of Benin, Benin city (UNIBEN). The simple experimental solar cooker has two concentrators; dish covered with aluminum foil and the Fresnel lens. For the dish, the focal point is obtained using the dish diameter and height. The focal point for the Fresnel lens is 0.6ft from its position. The dish and the Fresnel lens concentrate radiation from the sun onto a conical cavity receiver placed at its focal point. Thermocouple was used at strategic points to measure the ambient and water temperatures while a pyrometer was used to measure the solar radiations for the period of experimentation. Temperatures of receiving container were recorded when un-loaded and loaded. It was able to heat 1 litre of water from a temperature of 28℃ to 68℃ within 1 hour. Using the results obtained, its efficiency and cooking power were calculated as 67% and 1704.4Watts respectively. Thus, there is positive remark on the system and when improved on, it will be a great deal.
