Energy Efficiency of Combined Ovens

The management optimization of energy fluxes applied in the professional cooking sector has an attractive potential, and represents a big step ahead, because it is characterized by a high energy demand and has a large diffusion all over the world. Furthermore, professional cooking sector still presents significant possibilities for energy efficiency enhancements, in both design solutions and operating strategies. The present study focuses on energy efficiency analyses on combined ovens for professional use. In the initial phase of the evaluation, energy efficiency standards EFCEM, ENAC and ASTM have been compared with experimental results. Discrepancies were shown by means of a systemic application of the mentioned standards to a specially instrumented prototype of professional oven. Different test conditions do not allow a meaningful comparison of test results, leading to the definition of a new methodology for the energy efficiency evaluation of a combined oven. structured on the experimental analysis of the balance of fluxes incoming and outcoming from the oven in different cooking modalities. It allows improving the knowledge of the machine and, afterwards, helps in the definition of different design choices, derived from the analysis.