DEVELOPMENT OF A SOLAR COOKER FOR DRYING USING SOLAR ENERGY

Abstract

The main objectives of the present work were to construct and to test the solar cooker. Then modify this cooker and use it for drying some agricultural products. This design can be used in the remote areas and the new communities. The first model of the cooker was constructed and fabricated from wood and aluminum sheet for making the absorber at the Agricultural Engineering Research Institute, Dokki, Giza in 1998 and it was tested during the period of August 1998 to November 2000. The cooker was modified by constructing air inlet and outlet openings on the back surface. The effect of some factors such as tilt angle, number of glass covers solar radiation intensity, air velocity and relative humidity on the cooker performance were studied. Also the hourly operational cost of this cooker was compared with the common gas cooker (Military Production). Because of the severe weather conditions in the remote areas and the new communities, the final model was reconstructed of sheet metal to bear these cor.diiions.