INDEX:

1. OBSERVATION
2. MATERIALS
3. HYPOTHESIS
4. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
5. DESIGN PRINCIPLE OF A
Solar concentrator
6. ABOUT TEMPERATURES
7. COOKING OF FOODS
8. EXPERIMENTATION
9. USE IN THE WORLD
10. CONCLUSION
[Link] Y DESVENTAJAS
12. ANNEXES:

WE BUILD A SOLAR OVEN

Observation
Why Solar Cooking?
Solar cookers are devices that allow cooking food using the sun as a source.
energy. They are divided into two families:

Of concentration. They are based on concentration of thesolar radiationat one point,

typically through a parabolic reflector. At that point, the pot is placed
It will cook the food. It generates high temperatures and allows frying food or boiling.
water. They are particularly dangerous to the user if care is not taken and if you do not use the type
protection must be necessary.

Oven or box. The solar oven or box is a thermally insulated box, designed to
capture solar energy and keep its interior warm. The materials are generally
low heat conduction, which reduces the risk of burns to users and prevents
the possibility of fire both in the kitchen and in the place where it is used. Additionally
the foods do not burn or overcook, thus preserving their flavor and nutritional value.

There is the possibility of using lightweight, strong, light, and foldable materials. Therefore, it
they can design portable solar ovens, with dimensions and morphology that allow for
storage, assembly, disassembly, and transfer processes are carried out in a comfortable, simple, and
practice.

Materials
What do we need?

2 cardboard boxes of different sizes. The size difference between the boxes must be such that,
placed one inside the other, leaving a minimum difference of 4 cm between the walls. It
it recommends 40 cm on each side.

1 transparent plastic sheet o glass.

1 sheet matte
o black metal tray and 1 cardboard sheet.
Styrofoam balls
Aluminum foil.

Hypothesis
How do we do it?

Turn the big box upside down and place the small box on top of it centered (A).
Mark the silhouette that it makes on her.
Cut the bottom of the large box with a cutter along the marked lines, so that the box
a small one can fit inside the big one and leave an air chamber between the walls of the
two boxes (B).
Cover all the inside and outside surfaces of the small box with aluminum foil.
interiors of the large box, including the lids and the bottoms.
 Prevent wrinkles.
Insert the small box into the hole of the large box. The small box 'has to
to fit snugly at the entrance of the large (C).
Cut the excess from the small box lids and glue them.
Introduce with a tray o matte black sheet on the inner bottom of the box
small. This metal surface will absorb the radiation, transforming solar energy into
heat energy (0).
Place the large box upside down and fill the space between the two boxes with the balls.
Technopor. The thermal insulation serves to retain heat (E).
Close the lids and seal with adhesive tape.
Make the cover using cardboard. Assemble according to the scheme, forming a cover that
adjust with the oven and another flip-top lid (F).

Place the transparent sheet on the inside of the lid that fits the oven.
the greenhouse effect inside the homo (G).
Cover the folding lid with aluminum foil on its inner side to send more light to the
interior of the homo. This cover will allow light to enter.

1.- Test the oven by cooking some vegetable tortillas.

2.- Prepare cards that explain the operation and benefits of the oven.
3.- Organize a solar oven demonstration, invite the mothers of your school.

Theoretical Framework

DESIGN PRINCIPLE OF A SOLAR OVEN

The operation of a solar oven (box-type solar cooker) is mainly based on some
physical principles.
 Greenhouse effect
This effect allows to increase the heat inside the oven. It is the result of heat in spaces.
enclosed spaces where the sun shines through a transparent material such as glass or plastic.
Visible light passes easily through glass and is absorbed and reflected by the materials that
be in the closed space. The energy of the light that is mainly absorbed by metals
becomes thermal energy, which has a longer wavelength. Most of this
radiant energy, due to this longer wavelength, cannot pass through the crystal and therefore
consequently is trapped inside the enclosed space. The reflected light, or is absorbed by the
other materials in space or it passes through the glass if it does not change its wavelength.

Reflectors
The more sunlight enters the box, the greater the amount of energy inside will be.
This is why external reflectors are generally used to increase the amount of light.
solar incident.

Driving
Thesecond law of thermodynamicsIt states that heat always travels from hot to cold.
heat inside a solar cooker is primarily lost through conduction, radiation, and
convection.
The heat inside a solar cooker is lost when it travels through the molecules of everything.
material from the box into the air outside the box. This is why in all traditional designs of a
A solar oven uses a material called thermal insulation.

Radiation
What is warm or hot emits waves of heat, or radiates heat around it. These waves of heat
is emitted from hot objects through the air or space. Most of the radiant heat
that says goodbye to the hot pots inside a solar kitchen reflects back to the pots.
Although transparent glass traps most of the radiant heat, a little escapes.
directly through the glass. The glass traps radiant heat better than most of the
plastics.

Convection
Air molecules can enter and exit the box through gaps or imperfections in the
construction, or when opening the door; thus, the hot air escapes from the oven. This is why if you
wants to reduce heat loss due to this phenomenon, an airtight oven must be manufactured and
open the door as little as possible.

Heat storage
When thedensityand the weight of the materials within the insulated frame of the solar cooker
increases, the capacity of the box to retain heat increases. If we put it in the oven
metals, heavy pots, water or hard food that takes a long time to heat up, energy
incoming heat is stored as heat in these heavy materials, delaying the air in the box
it gets hot. These dense materials, charged with heat, will continue to radiate that heat inside
the box, keeping it warm for a long time even though the day is over.

Volume of the box

Everything being equal, the larger the area of solar accumulation of the box in relation to
the area of heat loss of the same, the higher the cooking temperature will be. Given two
boxes that have equal size and proportion solar accumulation areas, that of smaller
Depth will be warmer because it has less heat loss area.
The sun, in general, moves from east to west, which is why a solar cooker set up
Towards the midday sun, it should be longer in the east/west dimension to make a better
use of the reflector over a cooking period of several hours. As the sun travels through the
sky, this configuration results in a more consistent cooking temperature.

Of the colors
The bodies, when subjected to radiation and depending on their characteristics
superficial, absorb part of the radiation and reflect the rest. The color that absorbs the most light and
radiant energy that strikes it is the color black. Idealistically, a body that does not
absorbs no radiation is aperfect mirrorand a body that absorbs all radiation is a
black bodyperfect. And realistically, the bodies that absorb less radiation are
Specular surfaces and those that absorb more radiation are matte black surfaces.
This is why most of the metals used inside an oven (pots, grills)
they are painted black.

DESIGN PRINCIPLE OF A SOLAR CONCENTRATOR

Solar concentrator.
The direction of propagation of a wave is represented by lines called rays.
And depending on the shape of the surface they strike, so will be the direction of the reflected rays.
When the shape of said surface isparabolicall the rays that arrive parallel to the axis of the
parabolas are reflected passing through the same point calledfocusThis is the property
fundamental on which all parabolic devices are based.
A solar concentrator is an instrument that simply consists of the concentration of a
only focus of the incident rays on a surface, thus achieving high
temperatures that allow for the cooking of food. It is enough to orient it properly in the
direction of the sun, to achieve that the mirrorsconcavewhat account is convenient
oriented to concentrate the solar rays.
The kitchens that concentrate solar radiation raise temperature very quickly and are used for frying,
They can have high cooking powers and work on any day of the year, with direct sunlight.
with good intensity. They require much more frequent adjustments than oven-type kitchens, they
it needs to take care of the food, and they are generally more dangerous and need to be handled more cautiously
careful, for example, the glare of the radiation reflected in the mirror can dazzle the
user

MANUFACTURING MATERIALS
Box-type kitchens are made from various materials. Each of them presents
advantages and disadvantages of performance and/or economic.
Creating a high-performance kitchen using modern materials will make it more attractive.
solar cooking to people in developed countries. Millions of poor people around the
people continue cooking using firewood. These people could never afford a kitchen.
made with high-tech materials. Work can be done on creating kitchens that are more
practices for people from developed countries, or one can research how to do
more economical and accessible kitchens for people in developing countries.
Below is a brief detail of the materials that may possibly be used:

Structure
Structural materials are needed so that the box has and maintains a configuration and a
given form, and be durable for a long time.
Structural materials includecardboard, wood, plywood, masonry,
bamboo, metal, cement, bricks, stones, crystal, glass fiber, woven reeds,Indian cane,
plastic, paper mache, clay, treaded earth, tree bark, compressed fabrics with rubber of
to stick or other materials.
Many materials that perform well structurally are too dense to be
good insulators. To provide both things, structural stability qualities
As a good insulator, it is usually necessary to use different materials for the structure and
for insulation.
Unless a kitchen is used that will be where it rains, cardboard will be more than enough.
Cardboard is very manageable and withstands heat very well. Paper burns at approximately
200 °C (415º F) and a kitchen will not reach such a temperature.

Thermal insulator
In order for the box to reach sufficiently high temperatures inside to cook,
Walls and the bottom of the box should have a good insulation value (heat retention).
When building a solar kitchen, it is important that insulating materials surround the
interior of the cavity where the cooking is done in the solar box on all sides except for the side
normally glazed at the top. Insulating materials must be installed to allow for the
minimal heat conduction from the structural materials inside the box to the
Structural materials of the exterior of the box. The less heat loss there is in the part
The lower the box, the higher the cooking temperatures will be.
Walls can be insulated with different materials. The use of is not [Link]
ofStyroFoamartificial sponges) as they emit toxic gases when heated. The
natural materials such as cotton, wool, feathers, or even newspaper
wrinkled works well. There are people who prefer to leave a blank space by putting a layer of
corrugated cardboard as insulation. This makes the kitchen much lighter, and it looks
which works. Most of the heat lost in a solar cooker is produced by the glass,
the plastic (window), and not through the walls. This is the reason why a few points of
Heat loss does not affect the efficiency or temperature of a solar cooker.

Window
One surface of the box must be transparent and face the sun to supply heat through effect
greenhouse. The most common glazed materials are glass and high-resistant plastic.
temperatures like the roasting bags used in kitchens. Double glass is used, well
of glass or plastic to influence both heat gain and heat loss.
People generally say that glass works up to 10% better than plastic. And there are
reasons to believe this, since in windy conditions, the glass does not release as much heat as
plastic. Plastic, on the other hand, is recommended as it is much less fragile, easy to
it transports and works perfectly. A plastic that is easy to obtain is that of plastic bags
for ovens. These are usually sold in supermarkets. There are many other products
that can also work, like thePlexiglass.

Reflectors
One or more reflectors are used to bounce additional light inside the solar box in order to
increase the cooking temperature. This component is optional in equatorial climates but
increases the cooking outcome in temperate regions of the world. For the reflectors,
you can use both aluminum and mirror, mirrors reflect better, but they are very fragile and
expensive.

Containers
For the containers, it would be ideal to use those that are dark in color, lightweight, and shallow.
a little deeper than the food that will be cooked in them). The metal pans seem
to be better. The typical shiny aluminum cans can be painted black or turned
blacks through fire and heat.

ABOUT THE TEMPERATURES

The temperature that a box solar cooker or a panel cooker can reach depends
mainly from the number and size of reflectors used. A Kerr-Cole type solar cooker (or
also called box) can reach 150 °C (300 °F) which is the temperature at which
they usually cook the food. Even when the outside temperature is 1 °C, inside the oven
they can exceed 87 °C. Higher temperatures are not needed for cooking. An oven cooks
perfectly when it reaches 90 °C (200 °F). Higher temperatures only serve to
cook faster or a larger quantity and allow cooking on days with little sun. In any case
Many people prefer to cook at lower temperatures, as they can leave their food for the
tomorrow and go to work. In a box-type solar cooker with a single reflector, once the cooked
foods, the food stays warm and does not burn. It is good to remember that the food does not
it can exceed 100 °C (212 °F) well, until all its water evaporates. The temperatures
that appear in cookbooks are only there to achieve a faster cooking or well
to brown them.
If the clouds cover the sun while cooking, the food would continue to cook.
simply having 20 minutes of sun per hour. It is not recommended to cook meats by leaving them
only if there is a possibility of clouds.

Cooking of foods
Cooking food is a process that requires temperature and time. In fact, cooking
breaks at 50 or 60 °C. The higher the temperature, the faster the cooking. The ideal is
temperatures from 80 to 100 °C. Higher temperatures can destroy vitamins and proteins in the
foods.
There are some foods (fish) that cook optimally at very low temperatures. In
they need a higher temperature (from 135 to 145 °C) to become golden brown,
for example, the roasted chicken.
In oven-type kitchens it is not possible to fry. This is because although the stove can reach 180
at 200 °C, if frying begins, the temperature drops. Also, during frying, it is important to ventilate well to
evacuate the water vapor that comes out of the food. To fry with solar energy, it is necessary to use
kitchens with concentrators.
As a general rule, it can be calculated that with a box-type solar cooker with a single reflector, the
Cooking will take more or less double the time than with a conventional oven. Like in this
Type of ovens, food cannot burn, there is no need to go see it or move it while it cooks.
kitchen. You can simply leave the food in different containers and find it later
perfectly cooked.
Box-type solar cookers do not need to rotate; unless they are cooking.
legumes that take more than 5 hours.

Natural water. In any type of solar cooker, water can be brought to a boil. A small
the detail is that to make water drinkable only thepasteurizationand not her
sterilizationPasteurization occurs at 65º C (150º F) in just 20 minutes.
The treatment kills any bacteria or pathogenic organism, but does not waste the necessary energy.
for sterilization. One of the reasons why people are told to boil the
water is that thermometers are not available worldwide and it is used the
boiled as a temperature indicator.
Pasta. You can cook pasta in a solar cooker. To prevent the pasta from cooking over.
too starchy, use two pans. Heat the dry pasta with oil in one pan; and
the spices with the liquid (broth or water) in another. Fifteen or twenty minutes before
eat it, combine it all. If you are going to use sauce, heat it in a separate container.
Rice. A good recipe to try is a little rice, as it is easy and turns out very
different. In a solar oven, it does not use as much water.
Potatoes. Baked potatoes can be easily prepared in a parabolic concentrator.
They cook in less than an hour.
Lentils. They are prepared in a solar oven in about 3 hours. If they are cooked longer
time, they will be softer although they will not burn, so you can also go
experiencing the right timing based on each person's taste.
Pizza. There are pizza recipes based on solar kitchens. The most common ones make
use of a parabolic concentrator, although a solar oven can also be used.
Packaging. A solar oven can be used for packaging, but only for fruits, the others
foods must be canned under pressure.

Experimentation

USE IN THE WORLD

In the tropical regions, in Spain, in northern Chile and in the southern United States
you can cook all year depending on the weather. In areas like Canada, you can cook
whenever it is clear except for the three cold months of the year.
There are serious studies that say there are about 100,000 solar cookers in use just in China and
India. There are solar cookers projects in all countries of the world.
The largest communal solar kitchen in the world is located in Abu Road, India.
at the facilities of the headquarters of the Brahma Kumaris World Academy and operates
satisfactorily since 1999. It should be noted that it is a hybrid facility, as it has
a diesel support system that makes the system reliable under all weather conditions.
It is made up of six units with 14 Scheffler parabolic concentrators, each with 10
m2of reflector surface area and 3.5 kW of power.
Despite the fact that solar cookers are very good, they are not widely used because people
has no knowledge of the possibility of cooking with the sun. The projects that have most been
extended have been those that have been developed in the most needy places, where the
The climate has been ideal and where the promoters have delved deeper.
Due to excessive publication of the defects of these mechanisms and their disadvantages,
in some development projects of the 1960s, many still believed that solar cooking was not
feasible.
Cardboard box solar cookers can be suitable for many cultures, because the
materials are generally affordable and cheap. But the disadvantages of cardboard include
susceptibilities due to the moisture barrier and the lack of durability compared to others
materials.
Aesthetics is usually important. Cultures that have forms as normal
Rounded ones may reject the global concept of solar cooking due to the fact that the box is
square. And certain social strata may reject cardboard for considering it as a material
of little category.
The solar kitchen project in theHimalayaIndian, paid by the Indo-German Project
Dhauladhar is a fortunate application of the principles of solar cooking that needs a
particular culture. The participants in theDhauladhar Project, thanks to the adaptation of the
solar cooking concepts to local needs and customs demonstrated a process of
effective technology transfer. The materials come from the market economy, from the
local economy, and non-monetary subsistence economy. Using materials and techniques
It's easy to prepare the builders and help people maintain their kitchens.
Solar cooking has already been tested in a wide variety of cultures, and one of the goals
It is essential to raise awareness of the potentially spectacular benefits of this resource in
themes such as world hunger, health and deforestation and promote the cause of solar cooking in
everyone through the transfer of information, distribution, and technology.

Conclusion

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES

Advantages
Ease of use.
They do not pollute, they are very eco-friendly.
They do not need electricity or fuel.
Encourages the use of renewable energies.
Money is saved in terms of the amount used for cooking food.
The technology and knowledge needed for manufacturing is very accessible.
There is high availability of manufacturing materials.
The manufacturing materials are economical.
Since manufacturing materials are often synthetic and waterproof, the
Solar cooking presents a high degree of cleanliness.
It is a good solution in places where the climate allows for its everyday use.
It is a benefit in countries and places where energy resources for cooking are
scarce or too high in cost.
Disadvantages
More time is required to cook (generally more than 1 hour).
It depends on the weather conditions to be able to cook. It is not possible in winter with
cloudy or rainy days.
A high temperature is required.
It can only be used during the day.
ANNEXES: