Energy conservation potential for solar cooker constructed with 25-PPI copper foam layer as a porous absorber

The thermal performance of two different models of box–style solar cookers was determined in natural environments. While the first solar cooker used copper absorber plates, the second box solar cooker used 25 PPI copper foam sheets. Solar cookers oriented to the south were erected in September 2023 in Baghdad, Iraq, with a latitude of 33.3 degrees north and 44. The heat absorber panel employed in the experiments is a copper metal foam with a pore density of 25 PPI, and the tilt angles used are 0°, 3°, 6° and 9°. The stagnation temperature of the device containing a 25 PPI copper foam absorber was found to be about 13 degrees higher than that of a box type solar cooker having a normal absorber plate. A 25 PPI copper foam absorber plate in a box-style solar cooker can save 31% more cooking time than that of a flat absorber plate. When the 25 PPI copper foam absorber panel is tilted at 6 degrees, the desired temperature of the internal air is reached. The cooking power equation of the cooker is well within the permissible limits, and that means one can safely use the cooker regularly for boiling water and cooking. The solar cooker with 25-PPI copper foam as a porous absorber can reduce energy conservation by 31% compared with a conventional solar cooker.