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Proceedings of CHT-12. ICHMT International Symposium on Advances in Computational Heat Transfer.
July, 1-6, 2012, Bath, England

DOI: 10.1615/ICHMT.2012.CHT-12


ISBN: 978-1-56700-303-1

ISSN: 2578-5486

NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF A PHASE CHANGE MATERIAL (PCM) IN A DOMESTIC REFRIGERATOR POWERED BY PHOTOVOLTAIC ENERGY

pages 693-705
DOI: 10.1615/ICHMT.2012.CHT-12.430
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ABSTRACT

We present in this work the results of a numerical simulation of a phase change material (PCM) used as a storage device in a domestic vapor compression refrigerator powered by photovoltaic energy. The phase change material is a eutectic solution. The PCM permits to keep the refrigerator compartment temperature quasi constant during the extended shutdown of the compressor. We use the finite volume method (FVM) as a numerical approach to address the conservation equations. The Phase change is simulated using the enthalpy method.
Our goal is to simulate - through a mathematical modeling of the phase change Kinetics phenomena in the PCM - the operating regime of the refrigerator. The model validity will be provided by the consistency of the numerical solution of the solidification phenomena, with the experimental results obtained in the laboratory. This comparison is made according to the start and the switch off sequences of the compressor, controlled by the temperature at the thermostat, which is located on the lateral side of the aluminum shell containing the PCM. The use of a PCM is a way of decreasing the cost of the photovoltaic systems by opting for a thermal storage cooling instead of electric storage batteries. It is also a way of minimizing the electrical consumption by reducing the operating time of the compressor.

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