Performance Comparison of Different Geometries of Thermal Energy Storage Unit for Solar Cooker

Abstract

Many researchers have been interested in solar energy as an unlimited energy resource over the last few decades due to its vast range of applications, including household cooking. The present work aims to design, optimize, fabricate, and test different geometries of thermal energy storage (TES) units for solar cooker (SC) using paraffin wax as the phase change material (PCM). The optimum amount of PCM necessary for different geometries (cylindrical, square, and hexagonal) of TES units surrounding the cooking vessel is computed using a computational approach. The TES units developed in this study have the provisions for filling the PCM on all sides, including the lid, enhancing the heat transfer to the cooking load. The performance comparison of different TES units is carried by conducting the indoor test. The experimental findings show that after 6 h, all geometries of TES units maintain the temperature of the cooking load at the melting point of PCM. However, cylindrical-shaped TES unit performs best in comparison with hexagonal and square. A cylindrical box solar cooker performance test is also carried out with an optimized cooking vessel surrounded by the PCM-filled TES unit and lid. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.