Box Type Solar Cooker
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Components of solar cooker:-
1. Insulated box
2. Mirror
3. Transparent cover
4. Guide for adjusting mirror
5. Handle
6. Rubber strap
7. Cooking pots
Low Cost Wooden Solar Box Cooker
Cooking in Solar CookerTheory:-
The solar rays penetrate through the glass covers and absorbed by the blackened metal trays kept inside the cooker. The upper cover has two glass sheets each 3mm thick fixed in the wooden frame with 20 mm distance between them. This prevents the loss of heat due to re-radiation from blackened surface. The loss due to convection is minimized by making the box air-tight by providing a rubber strap all around between the upper lid and the box. Insulating material like wood, wool, sawdust or any other material is filled in the space which minimizes heat loss due to conduction. When this type of cooker is placed in the sun, the blackened surface starts absorbing sunrays and temperature rises. Thus the food in the trays is cooked. The temperature of cooking depends upon the intensity of radiation. The size of the box type cooker is 50 × 50 × 12 cm. Overall Dimension of the latest models are 60 × 60 × 20 cm. This type of cooker is termed as family solar cooker as it cooks sufficient dry food materials for a family of 5 to 7 people. The temperature attend is about 100°C. The addition of single glass reflector, 15-20°C more temperature is obtained and the cooking time is reduced. There are different types of another solar cookers are given bellow.
DishType Solar Cooker
Cabinet Type Solar Cooker
Home Made Solar Cooker
Parabolic Solar Cooker
Mirror Reflector Solar CookerAdvantages/Merits of solar cooker:-
1) No Orientation to sun is needed.
2) No attention is needed during cooking.
3) No fuel, maintenance and recurring cost.
4) Simple to use and fabricate.
5) No pollution.
6) No loss of vitamins in the food.
Disadvantages or demerits of solar cooker:-
1) Cooking can be done only when there is sunshine.
2) Quick cooking is not possible.
3) Comparatively it takes more time.
4) All types of foods can’t be cooked.
Conclusions
In present days Box type solar cooker is very popular and it is very useful for rural people as well as urban people. This is a very good example of application of renewable energy.
