Concentrating Solar Energy for Steam Generation and its Application in Mega Kitchens

International Journal of Mechanical Engineering

© 2019 by SSRG - IJME Journal

Volume 6 Issue 6

Year of Publication : 2019

Authors : Pushpal Tayal, Gangesh Chawla, J.P. Kesari

10.14445/23488360/IJME-V6I6P104

How to Cite?

Pushpal Tayal, Gangesh Chawla, J.P. Kesari, "Concentrating Solar Energy for Steam Generation and its Application in Mega Kitchens," SSRG International Journal of Mechanical Engineering, vol. 6,  no. 6, pp. 11-20, 2019. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.14445/23488360/IJME-V6I6P104

Abstract:

India is a vast country with many mega kitchens where cooking for a large number of people is done. This requires a lot of fuel to burn to cook food daily. Most large kitchens use LPG as fuel. The same can be achieved using a Scheffler dish based heating system, wherein the conversion of water to steam would occur by using solar heat. This system would require a large initial investment, but it would be compensated with a short payback period, leading to increased profits due to decreased operating costs. Also, this system would be non-polluting, leading to less stress on the environment. The major drawback in the operation of this system is the availability of Sun only in day hours.
In contrast, the food is being cooked in the early morning before the Sun and in the evening after the Sun has set and also the rainy days. This could be tackled in two ways, First by integrating the Scheffler dish based heating system with the existing LPG supply, so that LPG can be used at times when there is not apt solar energy, and Second, by stimulating the storage of solar power. This paper presents three case studies where the Concentrated Solar Power system has been implemented for mass cooking used in BrahmaKumaris region of Mount Abu, Temple of Shirdi and Shrine of Tirupati. Estimation of daily savings of fuel and costs is also done. Finally, the annual saving is estimated on implementation of a hypothetical Scheffler-based heating system. The break-even point is calculated, which shows that the recovery period would be small, i.e. around 3-4 years, leading to faster recovery of costs and reduced costs. This paper shows that the implementation and faster recovery of costs would lead to a reduction in operating costs and maintenance costs.

Keywords:

Solar thermal, Scheffler dish, Cooking, India, Concentrated Solar Power.

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