Numerical Simulation of Refrigerated Display Cabinets

Food requires strict temperature control throughout the so-called ´cold-China´, in which a particular storage temperature is need for each link. Display cabinets are known to be the weakest link from this point of view and, therefore, particular attention is paid to their design. And it is a real challenge for manufacturers and users of refrigerated display cabinets to provide the products with minimal power-consumed but without fluctuation of airflow temperature on operating condition. The finite element method is employed for analysis of velocity and temperature distribution in refrigerated display cabinets. The CFD model is based on the fundamental equations of conservation of mass and energy to describe the flow patterns of airflow and the process of its heat and mass transfer for a vertical turbulent buoyant jet, and uses the CFD method to evaluate the energy performance of the air curtain for horizontal refrigerated display cabinets. The CFD method is also validated with experimental tests performed in accordance with the EN441 Standard. The conclusion of this paper will provide some guidance for the optimization design and experiments on display cabinets.