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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Development of a high-efficiency, automatic-defrosting refrigerator-freezer. Phase II. Field test. Volume III. Executive summary and task reports

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:6587455

The second phase of the development of a high-efficiency, automatic-defrosting, refrigerator-freezer is described. Following the successful completion of Phase I (design, construction, and laboratory testing of a 16 ft/sup 3/ high efficiency refrigerator-freezer prototype), Phase II was initiated to evaluate sales potential and in-home performance as a necessary step in creating a product that was both manufacturable and marketable. Twenty-five pilot production 18 ft/sup 3/ units using prototype tooling were produced on the assembly line to confirm the feasibility of full-scale production. These units were then used in a market and field test program in which consumer appeal and in-home performance were assessed. The market evaluation confirmed that refrigerators incorporating high-efficiency features at added cost are saleable and that large capacity, automatic-defrosting, refrigerator-freezers will continue to capture a large portion of the market in the years ahead, The field test confirmed the in-home energy saving potential of a high efficiency, automatic-defrosting refrigerator-frezer utilizing advanced design features such as optimized, thick-wall, foam an average energy savings of 60% compared to a baseline unit of conventional design.

Research Organization:
Little (Arthur D.), Inc., Cambridge, MA (USA)
DOE Contract Number:
W-7405-ENG-26
OSTI ID:
6587455
Report Number(s):
ORNL/SUB-77-7255/3; ON: DE83007176
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English