Abstract
This presented paper focuses on the design and evaluation of the concept of concentrated solar heaters for segmental heat accumulators, which are designed to cover the energy needs of selected communities in terms of food preparation without the need for fossil fuels, which have a negative impact not only on the climate but especially on health. The proposed device is based on the traditional method of food preparation in the so-called earth oven; however, the fire-heated stones are replaced with heat accumulators heated by solar radiation. This approach eliminates the need to change common and long-term habits of food preparation for selected communities. The device connects solar vacuum heat pipes, a solar radiation concentrator, and heat accumulators. The concept was evaluated based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis with the use of a transient simulation of selected operating situations in three geographical locations. The results showed a significant temperature increase of the heat accumulators, where in the most effective case the temperature increased up to 227.23 °C. The concept was also evaluated based on a calorimetric analysis of the system consisting of heat accumulators and food. The resulting temperature in the considered case reached the pasteurization temperature necessary for safe and healthy food preparation.
Highlights
One of the most significant characteristics of the last decade is the fight against climate change, the negative impact of which is gradually manifested in a whole range of natural as well as human processes and phenomena [1,2,3,4,5]
The presented paper deals with the design and evaluation of the concept of a concentrated solar heater for segmented heat accumulators. The purpose of this design is to cover the energy needs of selected communities in terms of food preparation without the need to use fossil fuels, which have a negative impact in the form of extensive use of forests beyond their sustainability, endangerment of human health by combustion products, and accidents arising from the use of open flames
The proposed device is based on the traditional method of food preparation in the so-called earth oven; the fire-heated stones are replaced by heat accumulators heated by solar radiation
Summary
One of the most significant characteristics of the last decade is the fight against climate change, the negative impact of which is gradually manifested in a whole range of natural as well as human processes and phenomena [1,2,3,4,5]. The so-called developing countries will account for 67% of total energy consumption in 2040 [12], which is mainly covered by fossil fuels, the extraction, processing and use of which have many negative effects [13,14]. In developing countries, this increase is caused by the rapid growth of the population, which puts pressure on the provision of basic energy needs in the housing sector, i.e., especially cooking, heating, and preparation of hot water
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