ABSTRACT

The design, construction and performance test of a parabolic solar cooker for domestic use are presented. The simple experimental parabolic solar cooker, made of locally available materials, consists of a parabolic dish of thickness 0.6mm, adjustable mechanism, pot, pot holder, base support and aluminium foil. The concave surface of the dish was covered with the aluminium foil which serve as a reflecting surface. Provision is made for one cooking pot, capable of holding up to 2 litres of water and it was painted black. The fully constructed parabolic solar cooker was tested under the meteorological conditions of Benin city. Thermometers were inserted at strategic points to measure the ambient and water temperatures while a pyranometer was used to measure the solar radiations for the period of experimentation. The system was manually adjusted to align with the direction of the sun. It was able to heat 2 litres of water from a temperature of 27℃ to 98℃ within 3 hours. The results obtained were deployed in the calculation of the average efficiency (η), cooking and standard cooking power (Ps) as, 3.92%, 44.19W and 56.93W respectively. The total cost of the constructed parabolic solar cooker was thirty eight thousand four hundred and fifty naira (N38,450) excluding transportation. The result shows that the device can be of great assistance in the fight against global warming caused by the emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere through the use of fossil fuels in cooking. It can also save considerable amount of resource, free children from the daily and dangerous task of collecting firewood from the forest, conserve our environment and reduce exposure of women to cooking smoke (it causes complications to health) when used in home as a backup device for cooking.