Numerical Simulation of Heat Transfer and Fluid Flow at Different Stacking Modes in a Refrigerated Room: Application of Pyramidal Stacking Modes

Abstract

By means of the porous media theory, computational fluid dynamic models of heat transfer and fluid flow at different pack stacking modes in a refrigerated room are elaborated. A practical case is simulated, where brick‐shaped packs with aquatic products, partially frozen to 261.15 K, are loaded in the room to complete the freezing process down to 255.15 К, followed by long‐term frozen food storage at the latter standard temperature. The best freezing completion effect (defined as the maximum reduction of the highest product temperature during a certain residence time) is achieved by using the pyramidal stacking mode whose upper package is in the center of four lower packages (UPF‐PSM) with two piles. The highest temperature of aquatic products at a two‐pile‐UPF‐PSM can be reduced from 261.15 to 255.60 K for a residence time of 24 h. Within the same time, the product temperature becomes most uniform at a UPF‐PSM. Simultaneously, the best uniformity of flow distribution and highest efficiency of air circulation in a refrigerated room are obtained by using the neat stacking mode (NSM) during the long‐term frozen storage. Furthermore, a comprehensive stacking mode is proposed (using UPF‐PSM for freezing completion and NSM for long‐term frozen storage), which enhances both the freezing completion effect and the efficiency of air circulation in the studied refrigerated room.