Abstract
Electrical energy is increasingly produced in a sustainable way. The disadvantage is that this kind of generation is highly dependent on the weather conditions and therefore not always present at times when we need it and the other way around. Purpose is to identify ways to save energy at times when it is there but we do not need it. This research examined the extent to which energy can be stored using a thermal buffer in a refrigerator and thus the time of switching on and off. With this study, two kinds of phase change materials (PCM) are used as a thermal buffer. These materials are water with a phase change temperature of 0C and an organic solution with a phase change temperature of 4C. With an ambient temperature of 20C, these two materials showed that the temperature difference between the PCM and the compartment of the fridge is 10C when the temperature in the fridge reaches a constant level. The problem with these two materials is that their phase change temperature is too high. With water the temperature in the fridge stays constant at 10C and for the organic solution this is at 14C to 15C. Because the temperature
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Citation Formats
Jansen, T.
Freezing Fridge. Research to the influence of phase change materials in a fridge.
Netherlands: N. p.,
2011.
Web.
Jansen, T.
Freezing Fridge. Research to the influence of phase change materials in a fridge.
Netherlands.
Jansen, T.
2011.
"Freezing Fridge. Research to the influence of phase change materials in a fridge."
Netherlands.
@misc{etde_21485629,
title = {Freezing Fridge. Research to the influence of phase change materials in a fridge}
author = {Jansen, T}
abstractNote = {Electrical energy is increasingly produced in a sustainable way. The disadvantage is that this kind of generation is highly dependent on the weather conditions and therefore not always present at times when we need it and the other way around. Purpose is to identify ways to save energy at times when it is there but we do not need it. This research examined the extent to which energy can be stored using a thermal buffer in a refrigerator and thus the time of switching on and off. With this study, two kinds of phase change materials (PCM) are used as a thermal buffer. These materials are water with a phase change temperature of 0C and an organic solution with a phase change temperature of 4C. With an ambient temperature of 20C, these two materials showed that the temperature difference between the PCM and the compartment of the fridge is 10C when the temperature in the fridge reaches a constant level. The problem with these two materials is that their phase change temperature is too high. With water the temperature in the fridge stays constant at 10C and for the organic solution this is at 14C to 15C. Because the temperature in the fridge has to be 5C to 7C a PCM with a phase change temperature of -4C is needed. The range of extending the time between turning on and off the refrigerator is dependent on the amount of material that is used. The time can be extended from 1 hour without PCM till up to eight hours with 1,5 liters of PCM. The use of PCM's will not only help to extend the time of on and off but it also makes the fridge more efficient. In this study the efficiency of the fridge became 3.3% better. To prevent the temperature in the fridge getting too cold, the PCM needs to cover the whole surface of the cooling element. Otherwise, the cooling element has more influence on the temperature in the refrigerator than the PCM. Therefore the temperature will drop beneath 0C before the whole phase change is completed. Due to time constraints in this study practical research on the results of a PCM with a phase change temperature of -4C has not been performed. However, a simulation model of the fridge is made which gives a very good presentation of reality. This model also shows that a material of -4C is best to use.}
place = {Netherlands}
year = {2011}
month = {Sep}
}
title = {Freezing Fridge. Research to the influence of phase change materials in a fridge}
author = {Jansen, T}
abstractNote = {Electrical energy is increasingly produced in a sustainable way. The disadvantage is that this kind of generation is highly dependent on the weather conditions and therefore not always present at times when we need it and the other way around. Purpose is to identify ways to save energy at times when it is there but we do not need it. This research examined the extent to which energy can be stored using a thermal buffer in a refrigerator and thus the time of switching on and off. With this study, two kinds of phase change materials (PCM) are used as a thermal buffer. These materials are water with a phase change temperature of 0C and an organic solution with a phase change temperature of 4C. With an ambient temperature of 20C, these two materials showed that the temperature difference between the PCM and the compartment of the fridge is 10C when the temperature in the fridge reaches a constant level. The problem with these two materials is that their phase change temperature is too high. With water the temperature in the fridge stays constant at 10C and for the organic solution this is at 14C to 15C. Because the temperature in the fridge has to be 5C to 7C a PCM with a phase change temperature of -4C is needed. The range of extending the time between turning on and off the refrigerator is dependent on the amount of material that is used. The time can be extended from 1 hour without PCM till up to eight hours with 1,5 liters of PCM. The use of PCM's will not only help to extend the time of on and off but it also makes the fridge more efficient. In this study the efficiency of the fridge became 3.3% better. To prevent the temperature in the fridge getting too cold, the PCM needs to cover the whole surface of the cooling element. Otherwise, the cooling element has more influence on the temperature in the refrigerator than the PCM. Therefore the temperature will drop beneath 0C before the whole phase change is completed. Due to time constraints in this study practical research on the results of a PCM with a phase change temperature of -4C has not been performed. However, a simulation model of the fridge is made which gives a very good presentation of reality. This model also shows that a material of -4C is best to use.}
place = {Netherlands}
year = {2011}
month = {Sep}
}