An Experimental Investigation of Thermal Characteristics of Phase Change Material Applied to Improve the Isothermal Operation of a Refrigerator
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Experimental Setup and Method
2.1. Experiment for Determining a Refrigerator PCM
2.2. Performance Experiment of a Refrigerator with PCM
3. Experimental Results and Discussion
3.1. T-History Method-Based Measurement of Thermal Properties of PCM
3.2. Operational Characteristics of a Refrigerator with PCM Installed in the Refrigerating Compartment
4. Conclusions
- When the viscosity agent (SAP) was added to a PCM based on the thermal property data of the T-history method, the PCM improved the supercooling temperature by 0.3 °C–2.3 °C as compared to a PCM without the viscosity agent. The latent heat of the PCM with the viscosity agent decreased by approximately 2 kJ/kg depending on the specimens.
- The PCM with 1 wt.% eutectic salt compounds had a phase change temperature of −0.5 °C, supercooling temperature of −2.9 °C, cold retention time of 510 min, and latent heat of 304.9 kJ/kg. These were the best thermal properties among all the PCMs with different mass concentrations. Accordingly, the PCM with 1 wt.% eutectic salt compounds was selected for the FDU.
- Choosing the PCM containing 1 wt.% eutectic salt compounds can reduce the total energy added to the refrigerator before the liquid–solid phase change period by lowering the supercooling temperature and thus eventually increasing the energy efficiency.
- In comparison with the refrigerator equipped with an EPS duct, the FDU-mounted refrigerator, which was filled with the PCM with 1 wt.% eutectic salt compounds restrained a drastic temperature rise inside the freezer compartment during defrosting. Furthermore, in the case of a power shutdown, the PCM in the FDU-mounted refrigerator reached the phase change temperature and released latent heat, thereby effectively restraining a drastic temperature rise inside the refrigerating compartment.
Author Contributions
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Materials Name | Chemistry Symbols | Chemical Abstract Service (CAS) Number |
---|---|---|
Sodium sulfate | Na2SO4 | 7757-82-6 |
Sodium phosphate | Na3PO4 | 7632-05-5 |
Potassium sulfate | K2SO4 | 7778-18-9 |
Carbamide | CO(NH2)2 | 57-13-6 |
Silica | SiO2 | 10279-57-9 |
Water | H2O | 7732-18-5 |
Thermal Properties | 1 wt.% | 3 wt.% | 5 wt.% | Pure Water (Reference) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Phase change temperature (°C) | −0.1 | −0.5 | −1.1 | 0 |
Liquid retention time (min) | 40.5 | 48.5 | 53.6 | 47 |
Supercooling temperature (°C) | −4.6 | −7.4 | −8.9 | −8.3 |
Liquid specific heat (kJ/kg·K) | 3.94 | 3.89 | 3.81 | 4.18 |
Solid specific heat (kJ/kg·K) | 1.93 | 1.88 | 1.84 | 2.04 |
Latent heat (kJ/kg) | 306.2 | 288.6 | 260.4 | 333 |
Thermal Properties | 1 wt.% + SAP | 3 wt.% + SAP | 5 wt.% + SAP | Pure Water (Reference) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Phase change temperature (°C) | −0.5 | −0.8 | −1.2 | 0 |
Liquid retention time (min) | 36.5 | 45.5 | 49.2 | 47 |
Supercooling temperature (°C) | −2.9 | −6.8 | −8.6 | −8.3 |
Liquid specific heat (kJ/kg·K) | 3.91 | 3.85 | 3.82 | 4.18 |
Solid specific heat (kJ/kg·K) | 1.89 | 1.84 | 1.80 | 2.04 |
Latent heat (kJ/kg) | 304.9 | 286.1 | 258.7 | 331 |
Location | EPS Duct Unit | Functional Duct Unit |
---|---|---|
Freezer compartment (1) | 1.8 °C | −5.4 °C |
Duct surface (2) | 8.8 °C | −1.5 °C |
Refrigerating compartment (3) | 7.4 °C | 5.9 °C |
Duration | With EPS Duct Unit (°C) | With FDU (°C) |
---|---|---|
At power off | 0.0 | 0.0 |
60 min after power off | 7.5 | 6.0 |
120 min after power off | 9.1 | 6.9 |
∆T/min | 0.076 | 0.058 |
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Lee, S.-J.; Park, S.-H. An Experimental Investigation of Thermal Characteristics of Phase Change Material Applied to Improve the Isothermal Operation of a Refrigerator. Energies 2018, 11, 2017. https://doi.org/10.3390/en11082017
Lee S-J, Park S-H. An Experimental Investigation of Thermal Characteristics of Phase Change Material Applied to Improve the Isothermal Operation of a Refrigerator. Energies. 2018; 11(8):2017. https://doi.org/10.3390/en11082017
Chicago/Turabian StyleLee, Seok-Joon, and Seul-Hyun Park. 2018. "An Experimental Investigation of Thermal Characteristics of Phase Change Material Applied to Improve the Isothermal Operation of a Refrigerator" Energies 11, no. 8: 2017. https://doi.org/10.3390/en11082017
APA StyleLee, S.-J., & Park, S.-H. (2018). An Experimental Investigation of Thermal Characteristics of Phase Change Material Applied to Improve the Isothermal Operation of a Refrigerator. Energies, 11(8), 2017. https://doi.org/10.3390/en11082017