Effect of Phase Change Material Eutectic Plates on the Electric Consumption of a Designed Refrigeration System

Abstract

The main objective of this research is to design an improved refrigeration system incorporating a phase change material; experimental measurements have been carried out to reduce energy consumption. The adopted method was based on the comparison of two cases: the first corresponded to a classical cell and the second concerned an isolated experimental cell with phase change material (PCM) eutectic plates. An energy saving of up to 12.88% has been recorded. In the event of leaks, the operation will subsequently generate an over-consumption which was estimated at 22.03% compared to the initial consumption and 42.16% for a cell combined with eutectic plates. An incorrect choice of the thermostat temperature leads to unnecessary and expensive energy consumption. These materials have helped us to limit and sometimes almost avoid the stratification of temperature; on average, the temperature stratification was 0.68°C per 23 cm. A better air circulation from the evaporator can be promoted with a correct food distribution; it is possible, therefore, to reduce significantly the over-consumption due to cooling/freezing of the food. For a programmable thermostat (-10°C), a light over-consumption that can reach only 1.69% for bread and about 0.40% for water has been achieved.