Affiliation:
1. University of Beira Interior, Portugal
2. Eletrofrio Refrigeração Ltda, Brazil
Abstract
This chapter reports an overview about experimental studies concerning the thermal performance of air curtains and heat exchangers installed in vertical open refrigerated display cases. The air curtain analysis shows the influence on the thermal performance by varying the width of the discharge air grille and the perforation density of the back panel by a mathematical model. The variation on the perforation density of the back panel and the width of discharge air grille alter significantly the thermal entrainment factor and the energy consumption of the equipment. Focusing the influence of environmental conditions on the performance of the heat exchanger, a second mathematical model was developed to evaluate the total heat load, its partial components and the condensate water mass. This analysis provides valuable information to the design of the air curtain and heat exchanger based on in-store environmental conditions and airflow efficiency.