Simulation of multi-deck medium temperature display cabinets with the integration of CFD and cooling coil models

In this paper, the model for the multi-deck medium temperature display cabinets is developed with the integration of CFD and cooling coil sub-models. The distributed method is used to develop the cooling coil model with the airside inputs from the outputs of the CFD model. Inversely, the airside outputs from the cooling coil model are used to update the boundary conditions of the CFD model. To validate this cabinet model, a multi-deck medium temperature display cabinet refrigerated with a secondary refrigerant cooling coil was selected as a prototype and mounted in an air conditioned chamber. Extensive tests were conducted at constant space air temperature and varied relative humilities. The cabinet model has been validated by comparing with the test results for the parameters of air at different locations of the flow path, and temperatures of refrigerant and food product, etc. The validated model is therefore used to explore and analyse the cabinet performance and control strategies at various operating and design conditions.

[1]  Rv Barrett,et al.  Three-dimensional effects of an air curtain used to restrict cold room infiltration , 2007 .

[2]  Savvas A. Tassou,et al.  Simulation of the performance of single jet air curtains for vertical refrigerated display cabinets , 2001 .

[3]  Åke Melinder,et al.  A Critical Review on Thermophysical Properties of Liquid Secondary Refrigerants , 1998 .

[4]  A. London,et al.  Compact heat exchangers , 1960 .

[5]  B. Launder,et al.  The numerical computation of turbulent flows , 1990 .

[6]  Alvin C.K. Lai,et al.  Dynamic behavior of a direct expansion evaporator under frosting condition. Part I. Distributed model , 2006 .

[7]  Homayun K. Navaz,et al.  Past , Present , and Future Research Toward Air Curtain Performance Optimization , .

[8]  Frank P. Incropera,et al.  Fundamentals of Heat and Mass Transfer , 1981 .

[9]  Richard Watkins,et al.  Potential for Solar Energy in Food Manufacturing, Distribution and Retail , 2007 .

[10]  Denis Flick,et al.  Caractérisation expérimentale et numérique des transferts de chaleur à travers un jet d'air plan horizontal , 1996 .

[11]  Ramin Faramarzi.  Efficient Display Case Refrigeration , 1999 .

[12]  Pradeep Bansal,et al.  Modeling and performance analyses of evaporators in frozen-food supermarket display cabinets at low temperatures , 2007 .

[13]  Chi-Chuan Wang,et al.  A comparative study of compact enhanced fin-and-tube heat exchangers , 2001 .

[14]  Morteza Gharib,et al.  The Application of Advanced Methods in Analyzing the Performance of the Air Curtain in a Refrigerated Display Case , 2002 .

[15]  Judith Evans,et al.  The use of CFD to improve the performance of a chilled multi-deck retail display cabinet , 2005 .

[16]  Giulio Croce,et al.  Two- and three-dimensional CFD applied to vertical display cabinets simulation , 2006 .

[17]  D. Spalding,et al.  A calculation procedure for heat, mass and momentum transfer in three-dimensional parabolic flows , 1972 .

[18]  A. Abdel-azim.  Fundamentals of Heat and Mass Transfer , 2011 .

[19]  Brenda S. Henderson,et al.  Jet entrainment rate in air curtain of open refrigerated display cases , 2005 .

[20]  Denis Flick,et al.  Confinement thermique d'une enceinte par jet d'air en convection forcée , 1997 .

[21]  Clark W. Bullard,et al.  Development of a design tool for display case evaporators , 2006 .

[22]  Giovanni Cortella,et al.  cfd-aided retail cabinets design , 2002 .

[23]  Piotr A. Domanski,et al.  Properties and Cycle Performance of Refrigerant Blends Operating Near and Above the Refrigerant Critical Point, Task 2: Air Conditioner System Study , 2002 .

[24]  Chi-Chuan Wang,et al.  Technical Note A heat transfer and friction correlation for wavy fin-and-tube heat exchangers , 1999 .

[25]  Jean Moureh,et al.  A review of numerical models of airflow in refrigerated food applications , 2006 .

[26]  Graeme Maidment,et al.  A novel special distributed method for dynamic refrigeration system simulation , 2007 .

[27]  Y. Jaluria,et al.  An Introduction to Heat Transfer , 1950 .