ABSTRACT This paper is a numerical exploration of cold storage to optimise date storage by using two new design configurations – short‐wall and long‐wall evaporator positions – that are tested at four inlet flow angles (angles of attack). The main task is to find out the most effective design that ensures evenness of temperature in the racks with fruits and thus prolongs their preservation. The newness of the combined evaporator positioning and directional airflow control without employing physical deflectors is the novelty of the analysis of the fruit rack arrays in cold stores that was not properly studied before. The steady‐state fields of temperature and velocity were modelled using ANSYS Fluent. Findings have shown that the short‐wall model with a 0° inlet flow angle has the best temperature coverage (55.37% rack area between 10°C and 16°C), which is most suitable to be used in long‐term preservation (>3 months). Long‐wall designs (especially at 27° and 0°), on the other hand, did not perform very well (below 30% coverage in the ideal range), making them not suitable when long‐term storage is required. The results are useful in designing energy‐efficient cold storage facilities and enhancing techniques of fruit preservation.
Saif et al. (Thu,) studied this question.