Numerical and experimental study on heat transfer characteristic and thermal load of the freezer gasket in frost-free refrigerators

摘要

The present study has been carried out to analyze the heat transfer characteristics and thermal load near the freezer gasket region of a 649 L domestic frost-free refrigerator/freezer. Both 3D numerical simulations and experimental test were performed. The numerical models for different freezer gasket sections were developed, while considering the non-uniform distribution of temperature inside the freezer cabinet. The calculated temperatures showed acceptable agreement with the measured temperatures. The total thermal load of gasket region is 10.57/6.68 W, in the status of compressor on/off. Thermal load of cold-bridge accounts for 23.8%/25.8% of the total thermal load, and thermal load of gasket bulk holds 76.2%/74.2%, respectively. When the compressor on-off time ratio is 7:3, total thermal load near the freezer gasket region is 9.40 W during an on-off cycling operation of compressor, accounting for 17.1% of the total thermal load in the freezer cabinet. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd and International Institute of Refrigeration. All rights reserved.