Experimental investigation of effect of ventilation strategies on the performance of cold storage

Abstract

Fresh fruits and vegetables are living organisms that require fresh air to survive while being stored. Respiratory gases can build up and damage produce if there is not enough ventilation during storage. Ventilation is required to prevent an excessive build‐up of respiratory gases and to maintain the freshness of produce. In hot and dry areas, air ventilation of refrigerated storage can have a negative impact on food produce quality and affect storage performance. An indoor experimental study was carried out to investigate the air ventilation of the cold room during various modes of air supply. The energy recovery device (ERD) with and without evaporative cooling arrangement is used in the air supply and the performance enhancement is compared. The ERD reduces the air ventilation load by more than 50% compared to direct ventilation of the cold room and consequently, it reduces the total power consumption of air ventilation. Furthermore, the overall cooling performance of the system is improved by up to 45.7% when the ERDs are used compared to the direct supply of fresh air during air change mode and the use of energy‐saving equipment has also proven improvements in the desired air conditions for food production.