Ghana Solar Cooker | Engineers Without Borders

Ghana Solar Cooker

Lead Contact: Brian Roehl, broehl2illinois [dot] edu

Mettings: 8:00 - 9:00, Monday evening, 106B3 Engineering Hall

Webpage: http://ewbsolarcooker.wikispaces.com/

Project Description: The goal of the Solar Cooker project is to develop a stored energy solar cooker. Specifically, it will collect heat during the day, and use it for cooking in the evening. In this way, solar cooking will become available to anyone, without a major change in cooking habits. The major difference is that you can cook indoors, and at any time, neither of which a conventional solar cooker allows. This project is being done in conjunction with the Arial Foundation which already has a presence in Afienya, Ghana, and Ensenada, Mexico.

Please take a moment to our video submission in the Google 10¹⁰⁰ Challenge on Youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYG9uCu3hnA.

Status: Last spring we created a fully functional prototype and demonstrated it at Engineering Open House. We performed a series of validation tests on it in order to characterize the performance of the system, and therefore find ways to improve it. Over the Fall we completed a thorough redesign of a number of subsystems in order to optimize them for the final system. We are currently in the process of building the second prototype, incorporating those improvements.

2010 is Here!

With the onset of a new year, this is a good time to summarize the progress we have made over the last three semesters. Starting in August of 2008, we began researching different methods of creating a stored energy solar cooker. We went through a number of design iterations on paper until we had a design that we were confident in. About at Thanksgiving break, we began developing small prototypes in order to test the concepts that we were proposing.

After moving through the initial prototyping stage, and making adjustments, we began construction in the Spring of 2009. We worked on a tight time schedule in order to have a working system ready for EOH in March. There were a number of long nights, but we were able to finish construction the day prior to EOH. We showed off our working system in the Materials Science and Engineering Building, and over 10,000 people walked through the building between the two days of EOH. Once the weather cleared up, we began validation testing on the system to see how close the performance came to our projections. Using a number of thermocouples and a DAQ, we took temperature readings throughout the day to determine how the system was performing. That data was extremely helpful in highlighting issues with that design, and would lead to major revisions.

After a slow summer, we came back in the Fall ready to redesign the system. We performed a few more tests in order to ensure that we understood what was going on in the system, and then we began researching potential solutions. We sought out experts like Ty Newell, Professor Emeritus of Mechanical Engineering, who has an overwhelming amount of knowledge on renewable energy, and specifically on solar energy applications. Throughout the Fall we worked on the redesign of the system, changing each subsystem in a number of ways. Some examples of the modifications we made were switching from concrete to oil as the thermal storage mechanism, re-sizing the parabolic concentrator and designing a new cooking surface with much better heat transfer properties. We also changed the focus slightly, from a single family system, to a community system, shared among as many as 8 families. This change was made in order to accomodate the cost of certain elements of the system that would not be feasible in a single family system.

For the Spring semester of 2010, we will be constructing our fully functional second prototype, and it should meet or exceed the design requirements for the system. Construction should finish around March, and then testing will begin shortly thereafter.

Meeting Summary 12/01/08

Hey Team,

(Sorry in advance, this is going to be a long email...)

So as the semester starts winding down, I realized that we have only ONE MORE meeting left this semester. We have a few pieces of business left to take care of before everyone heads home for break.

The first thing that I need from everyone is a summary of the work you have done this semester. I'm looking for basic tasks you have worked on, both individually, and as a member of your group, and some explanation of what you did. For example, if you researched several options, highlight what you found, and why you ended up going with one option over the others. It doesn't have to be very long, just enough to describe what you have already done.

This serves two purposes. First, it acts a comprehensive list of all the work that has been done on this project, and can be used as a progress report of sorts. It also gives us a good measure of exactly where we're starting next semester. The second part is that it gives you a list of everything you have done so far on this project, which can be very useful to know for an interview. If you write that down now, and remember it, you will seem a lot more confident in an interview than if you have to struggle to remember exactly what you did months, or even years ago. It also is a good way to add a few bullet points to your resume about what you have done on this project.

You can either give me your work summary at the meeting on Monday, or you can email it to me. Thanks, I appreciate it.

Next up, I wanted to share a few new developments in the project. Over the break, Meagan took the time to build a first version parabolic trough concentrator. It looks great, and should allow for a lot of useful testing to be done. I have attached a picture of the completed trough.

Also, we now have a few samples of polyurethane foam insulation, so we will be conducting temperature tests to verify whether it can withstand the necessary temperatures. Ian is currently looking into where we can get access to a fume hood to safely test the polyurethane, as it emits very toxic gas during combustion.

We now have a space to work in the Engineering Special Projects Lab, so we will begin moving some meetings there next semester as we begin work on prototypes. I'm currently working out how to grant everyone card key access to the lab, and I will send out more information about that when I have it.

In terms of our EOH exhibit, everyone involved with the exhibit (therefore all of us), needs to go through a safety training meeting. There are a few dates this semester, and then several more next semester.

Wednesday, December 3 - 12pm-1pm - 106B8 Engineering Hall
Tuesday, December 9 - 1pm-2pm - 312 Engineering Hall
Wednesday, December 10 - 12pm-1pm - 106B8 Engineering Hall

Once you attend a safety meeting, please email me to let me know that you have gone, so that I have a record of that.

One last thing that I would like everyone to do is to complete an evaluation of my leadership of this project, and any changes that you would like to see implemented. This is an anonymous evaluation, so please be honest so I can learn what works, and what I need to improve. If you were at the meeting today, you already did this tonight, if not, you have a couple options. Once you fill it out, you can A. bring it to the meeting next week, B. drop it off in the EWB office (110C Engineering Hall) with my name on it, or C. email it to me (I won't look at the sender's name). Obviously email isn't the best for an anonymous response, but I'll leave it as an option in case you can't work out either of the other two methods.

I really appreciate the feedback, as this is my first semester running a project, and there are definitely things that I need to improve.

I think that covers it all for now, and I hope you all have a great week. Remember to take care of your work summary and leadership evaluation for the next meeting.

Thanks,

Brian

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Meeting Summary 11/03/08

Hey Team,

So for those of you who missed it, we had a very exciting meeting tonight. We've come up with a way to reduce the overall cost of the system, while adding functionality.

We are investigating the possibility of integrating the storage tank into the area directly below the cooking surface, and keeping the cooking surface hot at all times. Similarly to a grill, the cooking surface would be covered when not in use, although we would use a good deal more insulation than a grill cover.

This has several benefits, and a couple challenges. First, we may be able to keep the pump off during cooking, and only need to circulate fluid during the day as it is heated. Also, it reduces the total amount of insulation that we require. It also eliminates the warm up time for the cooking surface. Now it does introduce an extra way to incur heat losses, if the cooking surface is left exposed. Also, if not properly insulated, it would heat the house, which may or may not be desirable. Also, the cooking surface is hot all the time, which makes it less convenient to clean. Over the next week or so, we will evaluate this idea, and determine whether it is the best route for us to pursue.

One other quick note is that the meeting time next week has been changed. Due to several exams, we will be meeting at 8:30, in the same room. I will send out another reminder or two so that you all remember. This change is ONLY for next week, and on the 17th we will resume our normal meeting times.

I think that covers it for now, so have a great week!

Brian

Meeting Summary 10/27/08

Hey team,

So first of all, let me announce one organization change that just occurred. Due to the great overlap, and the number of members, the pumping and storage groups have been combined. So if you are in either of these groups, its going to be important to familiarize yourself with the work the other group has done so far. I look forward to seeing what this combined group can achieve.

Next, we're looking to have tentative budgets from each group in the next few weeks. I'm just looking for an estimate, so don't worry about making it perfectly accurate.

Finally, a forum has been set up for us on the EWB website (ewb-uiuc.org), and we can start using that for project discussions. The format isn't entirely set yet, so we adjust it as necessary for our needs.

One note for the Storage/Pumping group to think about. Instead of using 55 gal of olive oil to store the heat, why not use 5 gal of olive oil to run through the pipes, but then replace the rest of it with a thermal mass such as bricks? They have a specific heat of 0.9 kJ/kg*K, compared to 1.97 for olive oil, but the density of bricks is about twice that of olive oil. Plus they are ALOT cheaper. So think about how we can incorporate something along those lines into the storage system so we can bring the cost down to something more reasonable.

Brian

Google 10 to the 100th Meeting Summary

Hey Team,

I just wanted to remind you that we have our weekly meeting tonight - same time, same place (7 in 106B6 Engineering Hall). This weekend we put together our submission for the Google Project 10 to the 100 challenge, and I am very happy with how it turned out. Good job to all who worked on it. If you want to see the video we put together, you can find it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYG9uCu3hnA Special thanks to Ashwin and Anthony for doing the majority of the work on it.

We also have a couple exciting new things developing, and we're definitely moving closer to the prototyping phase of the project. Hope to see you all there tonight!

Brian

Google 10 to the 100th Meeting Announcement

Hey Team,

Tomorrow afternoon at 5:00 we will be meeting to put together our submission for Google Project 10 to the 100th. We will be in our normal room (106B6 Engineering Hall), and it should hopefully only take a few hours. We need to write a few paragraphs about our project, and also put together a short 30 second video clip about it.

So once again, if you're interested in helping with that, 5:00 in 106B6 Engineering Hall.

-Brian

Meeting Summary 10/13/08

Hey Team,

So tonight we discussed our project goals for the year along. We came to a consensus that the times given are reasonable for us to meet (and hopefully beat!).

1. Google Project 10 to the 100 - October 20th
2. Begin testing and prototyping - November 10th
3. Engineering Open House Exhibit - March 13th
4. Fully Operational System version 1 - May 6th

So to explain each one a little more fully.

1. Google Project 10 to the 100 - October 20th
We are going to enter this competition through Google for the best 5 ideas to improve the world. We need to come up with about 1000 words of project explanations, along with a 30 second ad for our project. We are going to be meeting this Friday, at 5:00, room TBA, to develop our submission. I know that it is really short notice, but this is an opportunity to really promote our project, and catapult it to a whole different level, so it is definitely worthwhile.

2. Begin testing and prototyping - November 10th
We're going to be adopting the motto that 100 hours of theory can't make up for a single hour out in the field. So, our plan is to begin testing and implementing our ideas so we have a better understanding of everything we will need to deal with as we move forward with the project. So as we approach this date, it is important to start considering what we will need to start our testing phase.

3. Engineering Open House Exhibit - March 13th
The goal here is to have an exhibit that we can use as a proof of concept model at the very least. At the very least, we can have a small scale model of what we're looking to build, and some nice posters about the project. Ideally, we could have a system that produces WARM (we don't need people burning themselves) fluid so that people could see it in action.

4. Fully Operational System version 1 - May 6th
The major goal for this year is to have a fully operational version one system built by the end of this year. We felt that it would be a huge step to have that done, so that we could start up next year by finding ways to improve upon the design, as well as determining how to start manufacturing these things. So it will by no means be over, but if we can accomplish this goal, we will be well on our way.

So I think that covers everything we discussed today. Don't forget, we have our meeting on Friday at 5:00, room TBA, to develop our submission for the Google 10 to the 100 competition.

I hope everyone is having a great week so far,

Brian

Arial Foundation Presentation Update 10/09/08

Hey team,

First of all, thanks to everyone who came out tonight to hear Tom Pirelli speak. It was definitely worthwhile, and he helped provide some more focus for our efforts as we move ahead with our project. So we're going to have a lot to talk about in our meeting on Monday, which is a good thing.

Over the weekend, I'm going to develop a tentative set of time based goals for the project, and we can evaluate and tweak them on Monday.

One clarification about the project that came up tonight. We are going to focus on making a system that is cost effective for a SINGLE home, as opposed to the community cooker idea that had been floating around. If the single home method is unreasonable, we will work on a community cooker, but the focus is on developing a single home cooker.

I think that should be all for now. I look forward to a very productive meeting on Monday!

-Brian

EWB Presents Tom Pirelli and the Arial Foundation

Thursday, October 9 at 7:30pm in 269 Everitt Lab

Tom Pirelli and the Arial Foundation have revolutionized affordable third world housing with the creation of the Arial Home. The prefabricated modular design, and efficient manufacturing process have created an entirely new way to deal with the housing crisis in impoverished countries. Come hear about the new technologies and the inspiration to one of EWB's new research projects.