Volume 46: Energy Transitions toward Carbon Neutrality: Part IX

Experimental Investigation of an Oil-Based Heat Pipe Evacuated Tube Collector for Cooking Application Tomas M. Nhabetse, Boaventura C. Chongo, Claudio L. Tingote, Jimmy Chaciga, and Ole J. Nydal

Abstract

This study focuses on integration of solar thermal evacuated tube collectors for clean energy cooking, aligning with the Sustainable Development Goals. The system is designed to heat oil instead of water, creating a hot reservoir for heat extraction and cooking. The complete system comprises solar thermal collectors, heat transfer oil, a storage tank, a cooking vessel, a control system, and valves. The maximum observed temperature was about 186 oC with an oil-based solar thermal collector whose average efficiency was 29 %. The performance of the solar collectors depends on the global solar irradiance incident on the heat pipes. This paper therefore, presents the experimental results of a heat pipe-evacuated solar thermal collector.

Keywords Heat pipe-evacuated solar tube collector; solar cooking; and solar thermal