Development of Solar Baking Oven Integrated with Linear Fresnel Parabolic Mirror Reflector (LFPMR)
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Date
2026-02-01
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
The increasing demand for sustainable medium-temperature thermal energy applications highlights the need for cost-effective solar thermal technologies. This study presents the numerical modeling, simulation, and experimental validation of a solar baking oven integrated with a Linear Fresnel Parabolic Mirror Reflector (LFPMR). Optical performance was evaluated
using Monte Carlo ray-tracing simulations in SolTrace to assess flux distribution, absorbed power, and optical efficiency under two aiming strategies: plate-based aiming (Case 1) and
global aiming (Case 2). Under a direct normal irradiance of 1,000 W/m² and an aperture area of 5.13 m², Case 1 produced an absorbed power of 1.64 kW, corresponding to an optical efficiency
of 36%. In contrast, Case 2 increased the absorbed power to 2.22 kW and improved the optical efficiency to 49.7%, indicating significantly enhanced solar energy capture with the global
aiming approach. Thermal behavior and airflow within the baking chamber were analyzed using ANSYS Fluent, incorporating the optical heat flux as a boundary condition. The simulations
predicted stable air temperatures ranging from 425 to 443 K and buoyancy-driven convection that promotes uniform heat transfer across baking trays. A prototype was fabricated and
experimentally tested under no-load and load conditions. The oven achieved a stagnation temperature of 330oC, corresponding to a first figure of merit of 0.37. Bread baking tests
demonstrated successful baking of 9.2 kg of dough within 70 minutes at tray temperatures between 201 and 250 oC, with an overall system efficiency of 36%. The results confirm that
LFPMR-based solar thermal systems offer a technically viable and energy-efficient solution for medium-temperature applications such as solar baking, with potential for decentralized and
community-scale deployment.
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Keywords
Solar baking oven, Linear Fresnel Parabolic Mirror Reflector, SolTrace, ANSYS Fluent, Optical efficiency, Thermal performance, Renewable energy