Studies on a new combined concentrating oven type solar cooker

Abstract

This paper describes a combined concentrating/oven type solar cooker. The device can be used for cooking, boiling and roasting of foods on clear days. The cooker makes use of both concentrator and flat-plate collector principles, wherein the sunlight entering the cooker is reflected onto a hood which is provided with a selective solar absorber coating which houses the cooking vessels. Hence, the cooker makes use of both direct and diffuse solar radiation. The important part of this new device is a stationary mode and maximum capture of energy through improved design. The new cooker has been found to be more practical in comparison with either the simple hot box type solar cooker or concentrator type cookers where one needs to direct it to follow the sun. The cooking trial shows that the new device can be used twice a day, even on winter days.