Use of Paraffin Wax as a Thermal Energy Storage Medium in the Design and Construction of a Solar Box Cooker With a Reflector for Rural Areas in Nigeria

ABSTRACT One of the most prevalent renewable energy sources is solar energy, which may be used to address energy issues in rural regions in an environmentally friendly way. The intermittent nature of solar energy, however, makes effective use of it difficult. Utilizing thermal energy storage systems, which can store extra solar energy for later use, is one approach to overcoming this problem. This project was carried out to overcome the challenges of the inability to cook with the sun’s energy during non-sunny hours of the day using paraffin wax as a thermal energy storage medium. In this project, a solar box cooker with a reflector for rural areas of Nigeria was developed and built utilising locally accessible materials including glass, plywood, aluminum panel, aluminum foil, and glass wool to use paraffin wax as a thermal energy storage medium. The designed cooker was used to boil one litre of water for 35 minutes, fry three eggs for 10 minutes and it took it 70 minutes to cook a yam. Additionally, the project investigated the thermal efficiency of the cooker with regards to temperature distribution and heat transport properties. From the test results, it was observed that the heat captured in the box was able to be kept by the cooker and the temperature and heat absorption of the cooker increased when the paraffin wax melted. Results also showed that the best time to use the cooker is between the hours of 11:00 Am to 4:00 Pm, Nigeria local time.