Design, manufacturing, thermal characterization of a solar cooker with compound parabolic concentrator and assessment of an integrated stove use monitoring mechanism

Efficient-use firewood cookers have been monitored successfully using Cooker Use Monitors (SUMs) that make it possible to identify use patterns by means of objective indicators. The present study proposed utilizing SUMs to study the adoption process of solar cookers. The Jorhejpatarnskua I solar cooker (CSJI) -a variant of the Jorhejpatarnskua model (CSJ)- was characterized thermically using standardized tests. This article also describes a method for integrating SUMs into the design of the solar cooker by installing a mechanical device equipped with springs in the basket that holds the cooking pot where the food is placed. This mechanism facilitates the recording of temperature patterns that identify the functioning of the solar cooker. The result of this characterization was a series of thermal parameters for the CSJI which demonstrate that it is suitable for use in the solar resource conditions that predominate in the Meseta Purépecha in Michoacán, Mexico.