Element

A study was carried out based on societal use of electric power for the purpose of domestic cooking resulting in the observation that a substantial number of households do, occasional or seriously use electric power for cooking through heat generating electric stoves. An ensuing market survey around Benin City also revealed that various brands of electric cooking stoves are being sold in the markets. A close observation further revealed that virtually all the brands on sale in the markets are imported and are quite expensive. Based on these findings the idea of providing a locally fabricated alternative for these foreign brands of electric cooking stove was conceived and it led to the execution of this project. An extensive study of used and broken electric stoves as well as an extensive literature review showed that it is possible to design and fabricate from locally available materials, with the purchase of just two of the main components, the heating element and the thermostat. With this understanding, basic engineering knowledge was then applied to design all the components of a basic electric cooking stove. The components included the Frame, the Heat Generating Compartment, the Support Ceramic for the heating element, the Heating Element, the Internal Wiring, the Thermostat and the External Wiring and Plug. The designed components were fabricated and assembled to produce the electric stove which was tested and found to operate to a very high level. The main findings from this project work shows that the unit fabricated was not only more affordable, it was more sturdy and able to support cooking pots larger than what the imported brands could support. The design was also made to generate higher temperatures that leads to faster cooking thus balancing the total cost of power usually needed to cook the same amount of food.