Automation of Refrigeration Systems for Extending Shelf life of Fruits and Vegetables in Remote Areas for Economically Weaker Section

Abstract

India is an agricultural country. During lockdown, there had been a big problem transporting the productionto cold storages. Considering the problem of villagers, a low cost and affordable refrigeration system is proposedhere. The time and cost of transportation through the cold chain and the storage are thus saved. This cold storageis automated to control the environmental conditions suitable for extending life of fruits and vegetables. It uses amicrocontroller to control humidity, temperature and CO2 level which is appropriate for the commodity to bestored by the farmer. It alerts the farmer before the expiry date of the stored commodity through a message on thephone number linked with the storage. It uses the water obtained from condensation on cooling ducts for humiditycontrol. To maintain the optimum level of CO2 inside the chamber, fresh air is circulated at regular intervals oftime. It consumes same power as a refrigerator would consume. It does not require continuous water supply orammonia as in regular cold storage systems. It can be easily customized for a particular user.