Design of an Eco-Friendly Insulated Solar Stove for Rural Areas in Mexico and Guatemala

Solar stoves are an economic, social and healthy alternative for rural cooking. Recently, the principles of operation of these devices have been improved to offer an efficiency similar to that of wood stoves. This document presents a design that involves the use of fiberglass and perlite as the insulating materials used in the manufacture of a solar stove. The model was mathematically evaluated from data on irradiance in two areas of high solar incidence, in the state of Aguascalientes, Mexico, and the Corredor Seco, Guatemala. The design of the prototype consists of three main parts, the cooking vessel (pot), the insulated cover and the lid, where it is possible to guarantee the heat through a phase change material. The solar stove stores heat from the parabolic reflector to be used by the insulated cylinder. The values obtained through the simulations indicate a sustained heat from 220°C to 210°C during 360 minutes (6 hours), also 9 hours heat between 210-120°C which enough time to cook food with high caloric demand for cooking. After this time, the solar stove decreases 10°C within 4.4 hours, a space in which it is capable of heating a sufficient amount of previously cooked food.