Background
Senior Environmental Science Majors Nick Hurn and Kevin Burks are creating a small parabolic mirror cooker to demonstrate the wide uses of alternation energy in Humboldt County. It is part of an Spring 2013 ENGR305 class at Humboldt State University and will be featured on permanent display at Jefferson Community Center in Arcata, California. Parabolic cookers are designed to harness the sun's energy and transfer it directly into the process of cooking raw material. It will serve as a functioning solar cooker for lunches and activities for the students and staff as well as an example of a creative use of alternate energy for the community to enjoy.
Problem statement
The object of this project is to create a parabolic mirror cooker that is a successful example of the ways to capture and use the sun's energy in a sustainable manner. We plan to do this in two steps by first testing the most efficient and effective way of building the cooker, then implementing the most environmentally friendly construction techniques to achieve the creation of it.
Project Evaluation Criteria
The following Criteria will be used to assess the success of this project. After deliberation with the client, we determined the following criteria to be critical for the success of our project. The 1-10 scale signifies the importance of each listed criteria.
| Criteria | Constraints | Weight (1-10) |
|---|---|---|
| Functionality | The cooker must reach an optimal temperature (TBD) within a certain time (approx. 2 hours) | |
| Ease of Use and Safety | Design must be straightforward and child-friendly | |
| Educational Value | The cooker must effectively demonstrate the power of alternative solar heating | |
| Placement and Storage | Cooker must fit into a designated storage area (approx 4 ft. square) and fit through specified double doors | |
| Size | Must be big enough to effectively cook food in relatively short period of time while still maintaining mobility | |
| Mobility | The cooker must be able to be moved by 1-2 people (i.e. wheels, handles, lightweight) | |
| Durability | Must function for multiple years around children and withstand UV rays | |
| Budget | Must stay within the means of our budget | |
| Inspirational | Successfully captures kids imaginations and inspires them to seek further education in appropriate technology |
Proposed Time Line
These are the tentative dates for the completion of each goal.
| Project | Started | Completion |
|---|---|---|
| Design Completion | 18 February | 26 February |
| Acquire all necessary materials | 18 February | 05 March |
| Construction | 05 March | 23 March |
| Testing | 23 March | 30 March |
| Demonstration | 02 April | 02 April |
| Follow up | 02 April | 14 May |