| abstract
| - The hope is that by reducing the internal volume of the oven by several inches the design will be able to attain an internal oven temperature above 149 °C (300.2 °F)). This will entail adding more cob to the oven interior to decrease its dimensions; constructing a smaller Reflectix liner for the oven; and reducing and refitting the polycarbonate window and frame to create a tight seal with the Reflectix liner. Current manufactured solar box cookers range from $200 USD more than $400 USD, a price that is out of range for refugees, and for NGOs wanting to provide distressed populations with low cost, donated solar cookers. The great advantage of solar box cookers is that they are more insulated than solar panel cookers (like the CooKit) and can thus reach temperatures between 150 °C (302 °F) to 177 °C (350.6 °F). This allows them to stew, roast and bake much faster than a panel cooker. Also most box cookers can hold more than one pot, which is a great advantage for larger families or for families that need to cook two dish meals. The cob box cooker we are designing and testing can hold two twelve-inch traditional cooking pots. With its soft but durable insert acting as an oven door, this design will allow the women to built a cob oven shell for the insert, creating a solar box oven inside their family compound. If they have to move, the lightweight insert can be removed from the cob shell, carried to a new location and put into another locally constructed cob oven, as cob design requires having the oven wall structure remain in one location, and in one orientation once constructed. It is estimated that the Reflectix insulating oven insert, the polycarbonate window and frame, the metal sheet flooring for the oven and the removable reflector can likely be produced (in bulk) for less than $30. The rest of the materials needed to make the cob solar box oven (mud, straw and fabric for the pillow) can be obtained and made locally. The reflector can be made in the camps by the women who are currently making the Cookits using the materials they already have (foil, cardboard, glue and metal grommets). The six, attached panels of the reflector are held together by 12 small, inexpensive plastic zip ties that are run through grommets in the corners of each panel. Since the reflector is only used during the cooking process, and it is never exposed to moisture, it is not necessary that it be waterproof. The oven itself, should be able to withstand the wind and the limited rain that falls.
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