Experimental Analysis of Solar Parabolic Trough Collector for Novel Solar Cooking System in Gujarat, India

Abstract

Indian villages use wood, cow-buffalo dung cakes, and agricultural waste for cooking, while urban areas use piped natural gas and LPG. Desertification and rising fuel prices require renewable energy sources like solar energy. Three types of solar cookers are used for cooking like: box, concentrator, and indirect. The box solar cooker, popular for over two centuries, uses solar radiation to generate heat energy for cooking food. It can be powered by reflector sheets and energy-storing materials, with a 35.3-21.7 % energy efficiency compared to a standard cooker with 27.6-16.9%. Direct solar cookers with parabolic reflectors concentrate reflected energy, suitable for direct or indirect cooking. In winter, a parabolic dish solar cooker cooks at a faster pace and higher temperatures. Moreover, the Parabolic Trough Collector offers a more practical cooking solution. This research work evaluates the efficiency of the Parabolic Trough Collector (PTC) in various real-world climatic conditions using locally available materials for reflector having 97 % of reflectivity and absorber tube made-up of copper tube covered with black colour sheet. Cooking system efficiency was tested, and the results ranged from 5 to 40%. Further, this study aims to identify an applied performance evaluation in Gujarat, India.