Abstract
This paper proposes a solution to the problems of lower heat transfer efficiency and higher consumption of raw materials in traditional single-tube row of tube evaporators, as well as the problems of higher food water loss and quality reduction under the forced convection of air cooler. By using the heat balance test method, the performance of three types of row of tube evaporators, namely single-tube double-fins row of tube evaporator (STDF-RTE), single-tube eight-fins row of tube evaporator (STEF-RTE) and single-tube double-fins row of tube evaporator with phase change material (STDF-RTE-PCM) is compared under different evaporation temperature. In addition, the insulation time of the STDF-RTE-PCM was also tested after the refrigeration unit was turned off. The results show that the STEF-RTE has 10.3% ～ 29.1% less consumables than the STDF-RTE for the same refrigeration capacity. The cold storage using the STDF-RTE-PCM has good temperature uniformity as the extreme difference of internal air temperature is within 2 °C under stable working conditions. After the refrigeration unit stops running, the PCM inside the STDF-RTE-PCM can still maintain the temperature of the cold storage in the ± 2 °C temperature range for 12 h. The experimental results provide an effective solution for improving the heat transfer performance of single-tube multi-fin row of tube evaporators for cold storage.
NSTL
Elsevier