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Black oxide coating - hot or cold - for solar heating panels

2005

Sir,

I am making a solar cooker which will save me some fuel cost and would like to try black oxide coating for the radiation absorption tray. Is the black oxide coating a good absorber of the solar radiation ?

If the answer is "yes" which type would you recommend - hot or cold ?

Would be much obliged for a reply. Thanks

D.V.Subramanian
Retired from Govt Service - Chennai, TamilNadu, INDIA

What is black to the eye may not be black to heat energy. Actually bright reflective chrome plating makes a better solar collector than black oxide. And better than that is black chrome plating. Black copper oxide is also good. Black paint is not as good, but may still be better than black oxide, while much easier and safer. I think a trip to the library for a book on solar energy would save you a lot of experimentation.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2005

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