The experimental investigation of the performances of solar cookers designed and produced in different types

In this study solar cookers, which are widely used in the Middle Eastern and African countries and about which the researches are increasingly continuing, were investigated. 4 solar cookers, the reflecting surface coated with polished chrome nickel and with a depth of 5 cm, 10 cm, 15 cm, 20 cm respectively and a radius of 60 cm each, were produced and their performances were tested. The solar cookers? height from the ground was 1 m. They were designed to follow the sun in the directions from east to west and from south to north. The solar cookers were focused manually. As a result of the performance tests, the effect of the depth of the dishes to the cooking time was examined. It was observed that increasing the dishes depth decreased the distance between the focal point and the dish, but the cooking time increased accordingly. The experiments, conducted with dish type solar cookers, were also conducted with electric and natural gas cookers and a cost comparison was made.Key Words : Solar Cookers, Design, Performance