1. ME 340 Tyler Carr David Bilodeau

2. Purpose  Determine the best reflective surface for use in a solar cooker. The cooker is being designed by Engineers Without Borders as a low cost cooker for use in Peru. ME 340 - Carr & Bilodeau The Solar Cooker

3. Experimental Setup ME 340 - Carr & Bilodeau The different materials were mounted the exact same way on a testing surface and then placed in an insulated container. They were then placed 6 inches below a heat lamp. The surface temperature was then recorded at an exact time after the lamp was turned on (10 minutes).

4. Assumptions  Convection is zero as a result of the walls on the bowls  The insulation is perfect using the insulated container so q’’ net = 0  α = ε, so the one with the lowest T s has the highest reflectivity ME 340 - Carr & Bilodeau

5. Results MaterialSurface TemperatureReflectivity Ranking Tape (pink writing)30.93 Tape (black writing)36.75 Tape (no writing)30.32 Tinfoil324 Mylar301 ME 340 - Carr & Bilodeau Because of the assumptions that were made, only qualitative conclusions can be achieved. The Mylar has the lowest surface temperature and therefore is the most reflective. However, since this was for a solar cooker, it was too difficult to attach the Mylar to the parabolic dishes. As a result, the tape with no writing will be used.