Performance improvement in refrigeration systems using fin-reinforced phase change material

Authors

1 Mech. Eng., Babol University of Technology., Babol, Iran

2 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Golestan University, Gorgan, Iran

Abstract

Domestic refrigerators have become an essential part of modern life.Since these devices are connected to the power grid and operate continuously throughout the day and year, they consume a lot of energy.Experimental studies show that adding phase change materials in refrigerators in different places improves the energy efficiency of these appliances.In this study, the effect of adding a phase change material(PCM)box on the thermal performance and electricity consumption of a single-door refrigerator/freezer is studied.The box of phase change material is attached to the bottom surface of the evaporator with different materials.Water with a melting temperature of zero degrees Celsius has been used as a phase change material.To study the effect of increasing the thermal conductivity of water, fins with the same material(copper, aluminum and steel)as PCM box are placed in the box to evaluate their effect on temperature distribution and power consumption.The results show that the presence of the water box in contact with the bottom surface of the evaporator helps to reduce the temperature of the cabin due to the potential of water as a phase change material in absorbing and releasing cooling energy.Also, the results show that copper is more suitable for water storage because of its higher thermal conductivity and it helps to more evenly distribute the temperature.Furthermore, using a fin inside the water chamber, in addition to limiting the temperature range of the cabin, on average causes a further reduction in energy consumption by 1 to 4% compared to the case without a fin.

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References

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Journal of Solid and Fluid Mechanics
Volume 13, Issue 4
September and October 2023
Pages 159-170

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