ABSTRACT

Due to irregular power supply common in developing countries, as well as the growing high cost of hydrocarbon, the need arises for the development of a dual energy source oven that uses both electricity and gas for heating oven chambers. The oven was fabricated with the use of indigenous materials according to the conceptual design. The oven consist of a housing unit(frame), a thermometer, a gas regulator, a tray, an oven door, a perforated plate, a heating gas burner, an electric heating element, caster wheels/ rollers support. The housing unit which is the frame represents the entire outlook ofthe baking oven. The components make possible the use of alternative heat sources. In the heating chamber is an electric heating element that generates and dissipates heat within tire enclosure. Cooking gas is supplied to the burner located in the lower chamber ofthe oven via pipe connection to the gas cylinder. Perforation allows for dissipation of unwanted gases within the chamber. COMSOL Multiphysics is used for simulation and for optimization of determined properties of raw state of unbaked cake flour, heating element. The performance test gave oven efficiency of 95.2 percent. The temperature of the entire system when considered in an ideal state as simulated by comsol performs better with gas as a heat source though slightly different from electric heater. For the temperature-varying density simulation, the temperature of the entire system and heating elements first decreases in temperature, then increases because density first rises with respect to time, then decreases with respect to time; therefore, the initial temperature drop ofthe system is due to the higher density, and the temperature rise is due to the decreasing density. The oven can be adapted for both domestic and industrial purposes and have been found very useful in bakery industries.