Experimental study of parabolic dish collector based solar cooker with different thermal energy storage system

The study focuses on the performance of a parabolic dish collector-based solar cooker integrated with different phase change materials (PCMs) to address the challenge of improving solar cooking efficiency.Conducted under the climatic conditions of Gwalior (M.P.), India, the experimental setup featured a parabolic concentrator with an area of 5.908 m².Erythritol and Paraffin Wax were tested as PCMs for solar-assisted rice cooking with water under varying solar radiation levels.Results show that Erythritol outperformed Paraffin Wax in terms of heat retention and cooking efficiency.With Erythritol, the maximum PCM temperature reached 107°C under solar radiation of 649 W/m², achieving a cooking time of 45 minutes and a peak food temperature of 96°C.In comparison, Paraffin Wax exhibited limitations, providing insufficient heat for proper cooking under similar conditions.The average exergy efficiency was 2.6% for Erythritol and 1.1% for Paraffin Wax.This study demonstrates the superior thermal performance of Erythritol as a PCM, highlighting its potential to enhance solar cooking technologies.The novelty of this work lies in its comparative evaluation of PCMs under real-world conditions, providing practical insights for optimizing solar thermal systems.