A detailed study of the transient behavior of dual-skin chest-freezer with R290

Author(s)

Gardenghi, Alvaro Roberto ^[1] ; Campanini, Matheus Mughrabi ^[1] ; Lacerda, Jonatas Ferreira ^[2] ; Tibiric, Cristiano Bigonha ^[1] ; Cabezas-Gomez, Luben ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Sao Carlos Sch Engn, Dept Mech Engn, Heat Transfer Res Grp, Trabalhador Sao Carlense Ave 400, BR-13566970 Sao Carlos, SP - Brazil

^[2] Tecumseh Brasil LTDA, Cel Jose Augusto Oliveira Salles St 478, BR-13565900 Sao Carlos, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF REFRIGERATION-REVUE INTERNATIONALE DU FROID; v. 131, p. 300-311, NOV 2021.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

This work reports on a numerical and experimental study of the transient behavior of a dual-skin chest-freezer refrigeration system, operating with R290. A simpler dynamic mathematical model, called thermal, and a more sophisticated one, called capacitive, which models the mass distribution in the systems components, were evaluated. The experiments provided measured data for the characterization of the transient operation of the appliance, supply of models' input data, and validation of the models. Comparisons between simulation and experimental results showed a very good agreement for both transient and time-averaged systems behavior and performance. The maximum relative error for temperatures at pull-down and on/off operations was 5.5%. The capacitive model simulated the transient experimental behavior of the refrigeration system well when goods were inserted in the freezer's cabinet, showing a 2.7% maximum relative error for the systems performance parameters. Moreover, it yielded a parametric analysis of the refrigerant charge, determining a 200g mass of R290 for the optimum performance. The thermal model is an excellent feature for a first design, simulating 100 min of a real operation in few seconds. The capacitive model provides more complex results, and is a very good tool for a detailed systems design. The experimental data can be used by other researchers for validating their simulations and experimental studies. The paper provides new findings for a system operating with R290, a fluid that has been widely used in small scale refrigeration systems for household applications. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 16/09509-1 - Phase change heat transfer processes of high performance applied to solar energy recovery
• Grantee: Gherhardt Ribatski
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants