Solar-Powered Lunch Box (SPL Box)

Afreen Zaheera, IV ‘B’i MAX NURSERY & PRIMARY SCHOOL

Royapettah, Chennai-14A PRIZE WINNING PROJCET OMEIAT SCIENCE FAIR-2011

Formulation of Hypothesis:

Solar energy can be used for warming the food using a specially designed lunch box.

Related studies: http://solarcooking.org/plans/

Materials/Methods:

Things Required

An eversilver lunch box.A mirror A transparent glass Thermocole

Fabrication of SPL Box:

The solar-powered lunch box consists of ever-silver box with attached lid.

The outer part of the box is insulated by thermocol.

A plane mirror is attached to the adjustable lid, to focus the sunlight on the food.

The attached lid is adjustable to adjust the mirror according to the direction of sunlight

Procedure:

350 g of Curd rice was taken in the SPL Box. Initial temperature of the rice was noted down as

T1

Initial temperature of the atmosphere was noted down as T’1.

The food was exposed to the sunlight.The glass was kept over the opened box. Every 15minutes the temperature of the

atmosphere (T’2) & the rice (T2) were noted down. The experiment was carried out for one hour

duration.This experiment was extended to Sambar rice and

Lemon rice under the same conditions.

Table 1 - Curd rice:S.No Time ( pm)

Atmospheric temperature

( T’ in oC)

Rice temperature ( T in oC)

 

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 

 2.00

 2.15

 2.30

 2.45

 3.00

 31 

32 

33 

33.5 

32.4  

 29 

36 

36.5 

36.7 

36.3

Table 2 - Sambar rice:S.No Time ( pm)

Atmospheric temperature

( T’ in oC)

Rice temperature ( T in oC)

 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 

 12.30

 12.45

 1.00

 1.15

 1.30

 33.3

 32 

33 

32.5 

32.3

 31.8

 41.3

 42 

42.3 

42 

Table 3 - Lemon rice:S.No Time ( pm)

Atmospheric temperature

( T’ in oC)

Rice temperature

( T in oC)

 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 

 12.30

 12.45

 1.00

 1.15

 1.30

 33 

34 

34 

33 

33

 32 

41 

41.8 

43 

43.8 

Conclusion of the study:

In this method exposure of the food just for 15 minutes in a SPL Box, will raise the temperature of the food by 10oC which is convenient & tastier to eat.

Further Study planned:

Replication to check whether the measurement is precise.

To extend the experiment for various food varieties at different climates