Development of Apparatus for Increasing Efficiency and Savings in Radiation and Convection Heat Transfer in Stovetops

Abstract

A new apparatus is designed to increase the efficiency and save fuel in electric and gas stoves used in kitchens. Through analyses and experiments, improvements are made to this apparatus to utilize a larger amount of heat lost through convection and radiation, thus saving electricity and gas fuel used in stoves. Initial and final heat values ​​and cooking energies is compared. A test unit is prepared for this purpose, using an electric and gas stove, a pot with a diameter of approximately 17 cm, and a specific amount of water. Equipment used will include a thermometer, a stopwatch, and a thermal camera. Different diameter and thickness designs of the apparatus is created. These are incorporated heat insulation material to facilitate heat transfer to the outside environment: radiant heat transfer via a bright inner surface, conductive heat transfer via the insulation material, and convective heat transfer by lowering the outer surface temperature with the insulation material. The apparatus is designed with lower openings for air intake to improve gas combustion and upper openings for exhaust outlet. In the experiments, the time it takes for water in a steel pot to reach 80°C is determined for various designs of the appliance on a natural gas stovetop, and the efficiency increases and results are shown graphically. Lots of experiments done and the figures show for electric stove that uninsulated round without sheet metal plates the best performance with 9 minutes obtained for electric stove. For gas stove, with the device developed from 0.5 mm steel the temperature rises from 20°C to 80°C in 9 minutes, which is the best performance among all of the other alternatives.