Design and Performance Assessment of an Energy-Efficient, Self-Contained Electric Fireplace for Sustainable Home Heating

Abstract

The present work aims to design, build, and analyze the performance of an electrically self-sufficient improved fireplace. After the computer-aided design, and modeling based on the design and simulation, the physical design of the system was carried out, starting with the clay structure conforming to the proportions of water, clay, and grog normally used for Sè pottery in the Mono department of Benin, right through to the metal casing and the various associated compartments. Based on the sizing of both the loads to be supplied and the system's internal control loads, without disregarding the thermoelectric power generation system and the storage battery, a thermal efficiency of 24.64% and maximum electrical efficiency of 64.75% were obtained. It's worth noting that this system considerably improves the user's lifestyle, offering a wide range of functions, including cooking with complete peace of mind, whatever the weather or space, and electricity for lighting and recharging a cell phone without any external power supply.