MIRROR BOOSTERS FOR SOLAR COOKERS--Ill

Abstract

An analysis of the energy accretion pattern of a box type solar cooker with a plane mirror hinged on the northern edge is made. The effect of latitude on the energy contribution by the mirror onto the cooker aperture is investigated. Calculations are made for 3 days in a year for the cooker in a fixed position with the optimum mirror angle at noon and also with continuous azimuthal tracking. Only the direct component of insolation is considered in all calculations. The computations show that the energy contribution by the mirror becomes increasingly significant with an increase in latitude of the location. The effectiveness of the mirror is more during the winter solstice, which is a desirable trend. It is also seen that azimuthal tracking of the miror flattens the energy distribution curve for a given day.