Construction of a Parabolic Solar Cooker using Mylar Tape for Rohingya Refugee Rehabilitation Program

Nearly one million Rohingya people now live in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, the world's biggest refugee camp. Burning firewood by these people for cooking purposes would intensify the deforestation that will eventually seriously damage the Cox's Bazar ecosystem. Since this part of Bangladesh is flourishing with ample solar radiation, the use of a parabolic solar cooker can be a good alternative to cooking. This paper demonstrates the development of a solar parabolic cooker using low-cost materials to be used in the rehabilitation program for Rohingya. The cooker has an aperture diameter of 62 cm and a focal length of 44 cm. Mylar tape is used as a reflective material that helps to concentrate solar irradiance at the focal point of the incident. The black cast aluminum vessel which serves as the cooking pot absorbs the concentrated heat. Experimental results show that 500 gm of rice can be cooked within 50-55 minutes by the developed solar parabolic cooker. Besides the highest water temperature 373.05 K is achieved by this cooker. Moreover, this parabolic solar cooker can cook an omelet within 5-7 minutes. In addition, the parabolic solar cooker is tested at different weather conditions and the maximum cooking temperature of 390.95 K is achieved.