Design and development of a refrigerator door gasket to prevent condensation

Abstract

Refrigerators are one of the most frequently used household devices; therefore, they represent an interesting subject for investigations. One of these research topics is the condensation problem in the gasket region. Despite the use of heaters in the refrigerator door, condensation on the surface of the gasket may still occur. Thus, there is a need for an improved gasket structure to overcome the condensation on the surface of the gasket. The present study aims at development of a new gasket design to prevent condensation in its region of the refrigerator. Critical points, where condensation may occur on the gasket surface, were determined experimentally and the parameters of a new design were clarifi ed by numerical analysis. Various air chambers were created in the gasket to change the temperature distribution on the surface for preventing condensation at some critical points. The eff ect of these air chambers' location on the temperature distribution in the gasket region was investigated and the temperature of the potential condensation zones was relatively increased.