Thermal Performance of Paraboloid Concentrator Cooker: Comparative Evaluation of the two Test Methods

摘要

Several designs of paraboloid concentrator solar cookers are available for domestic/community cooking in developing countries. The Government of India is supporting dissemination of this technology in the country through various policy measures. Evaluation of thermal performance of the cooker, as manufactured by the industry, assumes significance to enhance the users' confidence in it and also to provide an equitable basis for comparison of various models. Two methods are available in the literature in this context. One method recommends determination of F'η{sub}o and F'U{sub}L based on heating and cooling tests, while the other method uses heating test to determine cooking power and overall heat loss coefficient of the cooker. This paper presents results of a study aimed at using the two-test method for characterizing a family size paraboloid concentrator solar cooker, based on detailed experimental investigations.