Introduction
Today we are going to perform a solar oven insulation experiment. Through this science experiment, we will determine how the temperature gets affected by different insulation within a solar oven and how the temperature in the cooking vessel gets affected by the heat absorber plate surface area contact with the cooking vessel.
We hypothesized, based on theory, and assumed that the insulation provided by different materials will be in the following order.
air < shredded newspaper < shredded newspaper + aluminum foil baffle < shredded newspaper + aluminum foil baffle + styrofoam
Our other hypothesis for the cooking vessel experiment is that the better the contact between the heat absorber and the cooking vessel, the higher will be the temperature in the vessel.
Aim
To determine:
1. How does the temperature get affected by different insulation within a solar oven?
2. How does the temperature in the cooking vessel get affected by the heat absorber plate surface contact area with the cooking vessel?
Theory
1. The electrical instrument that consists of two dissimilar conductors forming an electrical junction is termed a thermocouple.
2. It produces a temperature-dependent voltage as a result of the seedback effect, and we use this voltage to interpret the temperature.
Requirements
2. Cardboard
3. Aluminium Heat Foil
4. Tempered Glass
5. Aluminium Heat Absorber Plate
6. 250-watt Heat Lamp
7. Thermocouples
Procedure
Step 1: Construct four identical solar ovens using cardboard and aluminum foil.
Step 2: Use tempered glass as oven lids.
Step 3: Use an aluminum absorber plate for absorbing energy.
Step 4: Use a 25-watt heat lamp to experiment with insulation and cooking vessels as an energy source.
Step 5: Repeat the insulation experiment using the sun as the energy source. Use four ovens at the same time.
Step 6: Use thermocouples to monitor the temperature of ovens.
Step 7: Plot the graph between time and accurate temperature.
Observation
1. In the insulation experiment, the lowest efficiency was of the solar oven with air (no) insulation, and the highest efficiency was of the solar oven insulated with styrofoam + shredded newspaper + aluminum foil baffle which is 181.4 degrees celsius in the sun.
2. Between the oven insulated with shredded newspaper and shredded newspaper + aluminum foil baffle, the first one had the higher efficiency.
3. For all the conditions tested for the cooking vessel, the temperature inside the vessel was similar, which is about 2 to 2.4 degrees higher than the temperature of the absorber plate.
4. The rate of the rising temperature inside the vessel was also tested for all conditions.
Results
1. My hypothesis that the oven with no insulation would have the lowest temperature in the oven with shredded newspaper + styrofoam + aluminum oil baffle would have the highest temperature proved correct.
2. My hypothesis that in addition to aluminum foil baffles, the efficiency of shredded newspaper increases proved wrong.
3. This experiment did not support our hypothesis that the better the contact between the heat absorber and the cooking vessel, the higher the temperature in the vessel.
Precautions
1. Use gloves for performing this experiment,
2. Solar ovens should be identical.
Conclusion
In this solar oven insulation experiment, we have determined how solar oven efficiency gets affected by the different types of solar oven insulations and how the cooking vessel’s contact with the heat absorbers plate affects the temperature of the cooking vessel.
VIVA Questions with Answers
Q.1 What was the aim of your experiment?
ANS. To determine:
1. How does the temperature get affected by different insulation within a solar oven?
2. How does the temperature in the cooking vessel get affected by the heat absorber plate placed in contact with the cooking vessel?
Q.2 Which material had the lowest insulation efficiency?
ANS. The lowest efficiency was a solar oven with air (no) insulation.
Q.3 Which material had the highest insulation efficiency?
ANS. The highest efficiency was of solar oven insulated with styrofoam + shredded newspaper + aluminum foil baffle.
Q.4 Between shredded newspaper and shredded newspaper with aluminum foil baffle, which one had the higher insulating efficiency?
ANS. Shredded newspapers had higher insulating efficiency.
Q.5 What was the result of the cooking vessel experiment?
ANS. For all the conditions tested for the cooking vessel, the temperature inside the vessel was similar. And proved our hypothesis wrong.
Saquib Siddiqui is a Mechanical Engineer and a content creator. He has special interest in science experiments and teaches the same to school and college students. He is also a technical lead at RUDE LABS PVT. LTD.
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