Abstract

Condensation in refrigerators can be a major challenge and is not acceptable even at minimum level. Generally, refrigerators experience two types of condensation: 1) Internal condensation and 2) External condensation. It experiences large temperature differences between internal compartments and the ambient and thus, there is a possibility that the external surface temperature may drop below ambient air temperature. If the temperature of the surface drops below the Dew Point Temperature (DPT), the ambient air coming in contact with the surface will result in condensation of water vapor on the refrigerator surface - external condensation. Improper door closing can result in high humidity inside the compartment leading to internal condensation, specifically near the door and in the gasket region. For predicting the external condensation risk 3D steady state thermal simulations using ANSYS WB 19.2 is used. For calculation inside air is considered at a temperature of 4 ? and the ambient air is considered at 32 ?. In this study, 3D steady state Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations using Ansys Fluent 19.2 are used to predict the zones, which are prone to internal condensation risk in the refrigerator compartment. Moisture calculations at surfaces are performed using 1D simulation in Dymola. The study demonstrates the procedure to ensure no moisture at the internal or external surface of the refrigerator, and the refrigerator performance is calculated. The increase in condensation in the refrigerator is directly proportional to the heat load. Hence, it hampers the overall performance main score of the refrigerator which also impacts the energy rating. The present study is promising in terms of qualitative understanding of internal and external condensation that occurs in the refrigerator. This study helps to make early decisions and avoid a number of prototype testing. This helps to reduce overall project cost and time consumption.