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Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
This paper presents the experimental and numerical results of a set of air curtain evaluations in a
Vertical Open Refrigerated Display Cases (VORDC) when subjected to external disturbances due
to the transfer of people in front of the air curtain. Previous experimental studies identified that the
stability of the air curtain depends on the climatic conditions and ambient air movement inside the
stores. The ambient air and VORDC air curtain can be disturbed during the movement of people in
front of the VORDC, causing a certain amount of cold air to flow out of the VORDC and consequently
hot and humid air entering. It is not possible to quantify exclusively the increase in energy
consumption due to the transfer of people in the real case, due to the other variables involved in the
process. Thus, a robot (Automated Mannequin for Interference Reproduction in the Air Curtain -
MARIA) was mounted on a rail placed around the VORDC, in a climate chamber with controlled
environment according to climatic class (n. º 3: T=25°C; =60%). MARIA performed clockwise and
counterclockwise movements around the VORDC, with velocities of 0.2 m.s-1 at 0.8 m.s-1, with a pitch
of 0.2 m.s-1. For the numerical evaluation, a 3D CFD model was developed to predict and analyze
the air flow and heat transfer in the air curtain and outside both ways, refrigerated space and ambient
air due to transfer of a body parallel to the air curtain.
Description
Keywords
Air curtain Experimental Robot VORDC CFD
Citation
Publisher
The 25th IIR International Congress of Refrigeration (ICR 2019)