Experimental Study on Performance of a Box Solar Cooker with Flat Plate Collector to Boil Water

Abstract

In this study, a flat plate type solar cooker is tested by exposing in solar irradiation. The objective is to examine the performance of solar cooker in boiling water. The solar cooker is a box type with collector area and height are 100 × 100 cm and 40 cm, respectively. Vessel for water is made of aluminum plate with diameter and height of 22 cm and 15 cm. The experiments are performed by varying mass of the water. It is 2 kg and 4 kg, respectively. Every experiment starts from 10:00 AM until the boiling temperature is reached. The parameters measured are radiance intensity, ambient and solar box cooker temperatures, and wind speed. The results show that the duration of water heating up to 100°C with water mass 2 kg within 2 hours 45 minutes and water mass 4 kg within 3 hours 17 minutes. The maximum temperatur of solar box cooker is 117°C at 12:56 PM and maximum efficiency is 46.30%. The main conclusion can be drawn here is that a simple solar box cooker can be used to boil water.