Utilization of borax dekahydrate solutions as a phase change material in a cold storage system for precooling process

Öz

The precooling process is one of the important stages of cold storage, conducted to prevent the spoilage of fresh vegetables and fruits shortly after harvesting. In this study, a cooling system operating under the conditions of the precooling process was tested with and without phase change materials (PCMs). Water and borax decahydrate (Na2B4O7.10H2O) solutions at different concentrations were integrated into the system as PCMs. It was revealed that the compressor running time (%) decreased with all PCMs. This value, determined to be 21.05% without PCM, decreased to a value of 12.12% with 1.0 wt.% Na2B4O7.10H2O solution. Therefore, the maximum reduction in total energy consumption was calculated to be 41.7% with 1.0 wt.% Na2B4O7.10H2O solution. Additionally, it was observed that the time to reach the internal cabin air temperature to the ambient temperature was approximately 4.3 times longer with 1.0 wt.% Na2B4O7.10H2O solution than that of the case without PCM during a power failure period. Consequently, 1.0 wt.% Na2B4O7.10H2O solution is recommended as an alternative PCM to be used in cooling systems employed in the precooling process.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Borax decahydrate
• phase change materials
• precooling
• cold storage
• energy saving

Boraks dekahidrat çözeltilerinin faz değiştiren malzeme olarak ön soğutma işlemi yapılan soğuk depolama sisteminde kullanımı

Öz

Ön soğutma işlemi taze sebze ve meyvelerin hasattan kısa süre sonra meydana gelen bozulmalarının önüne geçmek amacıyla yürütülen soğuk depolamanın önemli basamaklarından biridir. Bu çalışmada, laboratuvar ölçekli bir soğutma sistemi ön soğutma işlem koşullarında faz değiştiren malzemesiz (FDM’siz) ve FDM’lerle test edilmiştir. FDM olarak sisteme su ve farklı konsantrasyonlarda hazırlanan boraks dekahidrat (Na2B4O7.10H2O) çözeltileri entegre edilmiştir. Kompresör çalışma süresinin (%) tüm FDM’lerle azaldığı tespit edilmiştir. FDM’siz durumda %21,05 olarak belirlenen bu değerin ağ. %1,0 Na2B4O7.10H2O çözeltisi ile %12,12 değerine kadar düştüğü belirlenmiştir. Dolayısıyla, toplam enerji tüketiminde maksimum azalma, ağ. %1,0 Na2B4O7.10H2O çözeltisi ile %41,7 oranında hesaplanmıştır. Elektrik kesintisi esnasında ise, kabin iç hava sıcaklığının ortam sıcaklığına ulaşma süresi FDM’siz duruma göre ağ. %1,0 Na2B4O7.10H2O çözeltisi ile yaklaşık 4,3 kat uzadığı belirlenmiştir. Sonuç olarak, ön soğutma işleminde kullanılan soğutma sistemlerinde kullanmak üzere ağ. %1,0 Na2B4O7.10H2O çözeltisi alternatif FDM olarak önerilmektedir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Boraks dekahidrat
• faz değiştiren malzemeler
• ön soğutma
• soğuk depolama
• enerji tasarrufu

Kaynakça

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