Hello mainstreetagain-ga,
Thank you for your question.
The New Mexico Solar Energy Association describes how to make a solar
oven. This is for children in Grades 3 to 6.
The simplest pizza box solar oven design, as given below, can get up
to two hundred degrees Fahrenheit on a warm sunny day.
“Materials needed for a single oven (simplest design)
1 large size pizza box oven
Several feet of aluminum foil
1 sheet black construction paper
2 1/2 feet of clear plastic wrap
4 feet of masking tape
2 feet of string
Instructions
- Assemble the pizza box, and open it up.
- Glue aluminum foil to all inside surfaces of the sides except the
top of the box, with the shiny surface facing in. This will create a
"radiation trap" that will trap, by reflection, invisible
(low-frequency) radiation that is radiated by the food and air inside
the box.
-On the top flap of the pizza box draw a square with a marker with
edges spaced 1" from the four sides of the box.
-Cut along three of the lines, on the sides and on the front edge of
the box, leaving the fourth line along the box's hinge uncut. Then
fold open the flap, making a crease on the fourth line (see the figure
above). Note: Extra supervision make be needed during this step,
because students often cut along the fourth line as well by mistake.
- Glue aluminum foil to the inside surface of the top flap, with shiny
side visible! This will form reflector, to reflect sunlight into the
oven. Be careful to make as few wrinkles as possible, and smooth out
whatever wrinkles occur.
- Tape the black construction paper to the bottom of the box. This
will help to absorb the incoming sunlight.
- Carefully stretch the plastic wrap over the opening of the box,
sealing the edges with tape to seal the air in.
- Cover any air leaks around the box edges with tape, except while
making sure that the box can still be opened, so you can place food
inside the box and remove it later.
- Go outside in the sunlight and place oven on a flat, level surface.
- Place food on some foil (or a paper plate) and place inside the
oven.
- Use string and masking tape to tie back and adjust the reflector, so
that sunlight is reflected into the oven, and especially onto the pie
tin.
- Let food cook, and check reflector angle now and then to make sure
sunlight is getting inside the oven.
Optional Features
- Add addition flaps to reflect sunlight into the oven. This can
substantially increase the gain of the oven. This will require some
extra cardboard (from some old boxes for example), and some extra
foil, glue, and string to adjust the flaps.
- Crumple up some sheets of newspaper and stuff them around the inside
of the box, to provide extra insulation.
- Add an additional layer of saran wrap across the box opening, but
attached to the inside surface of the top flap, such that an air space
is created between the layers of wrap (the plastic is bound to stick
together in some places: don't worry about this too much).”
Source: The New Mexico Solar Energy Association
http://www.nmsea.org/Curriculum/4_6/pizza_box_oven/pizza_box_ovens.htm
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Solar Now, originally funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, has its
office in the Sunroom at Beverly High School, Beverly, Massachusetts.
They provide a wealth of solar box cooking plans
http://solarcooking.org/plans.htm#box-style
Here are a few to choose from but there are many more at their
website.
The "Minimum" Solar Box Cooker
A great solar oven you can build quickly from two cardboard boxes
http://solarcooking.org/minimum.htm
The easy lid cooker
http://solarcooking.org/easylid.htm
Here is another pizza box oven
http://www.solarnow.org/pizzabx.htm
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After reviewing the above information I am confident you will be able
to cook delicious hotdogs with your student in one of these ovens as
complete instructions are included with each plan.
Search Criteria:
solar oven project
I hope the above information meet your needs. But if not, just make a
Request for Clarification, and let me know how else I can be of
service before rating my answer and closing the question.
Best Regards,
Bobbie7-ga |
