Influence of pallet height on energy consumption and cooling effectiveness in an apple cold storage
Abstract This study investigates the influence of pallet height on energy consumption and cooling effectiveness using a validated cold storage model based on CFD simulations. The model was validated against experimental temperature data, with a maximum normalized root mean square error (NRMSE) of 4....
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Nature Portfolio
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-95886-y |
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| author | Leo Daniel Alexander Sanjeev Jakhar Mani Sankar Dasgupta |
| author_facet | Leo Daniel Alexander Sanjeev Jakhar Mani Sankar Dasgupta |
| author_sort | Leo Daniel Alexander |
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| description | Abstract This study investigates the influence of pallet height on energy consumption and cooling effectiveness using a validated cold storage model based on CFD simulations. The model was validated against experimental temperature data, with a maximum normalized root mean square error (NRMSE) of 4.57%, indicating good agreement. Four pallet height configurations namely No pallet (0.0 m), 0.3 m, 0.6 m, and 0.9 m were assessed over a 40-hour cooling period. Temperature distribution within apple-filled crates was used to identify the locations of hot and cold spots, and performance metrics such as compressor energy consumption, specific energy consumption, mean crate temperature, thermal heterogeneity, and cooling effectiveness were analyzed. The results indicate that the No-pallet configuration disrupts airflow resulting in insufficient cooling, as evidenced by lower cooling effectiveness, while larger pallet heights (0.6 m and 0.9 m) introduce excessive air spacing resulting in higher thermal heterogeneity. The 0.3 m pallet height exhibited best performance such as lowest mean crate temperature of 4.7 °C, (8.7% lower), lowest thermal heterogeneity of 3.29 (14.42% lower), lowest compressor energy consumption per kelvin of 1.474 kWh/K (0.5% lower) and highest cooling effectiveness of 0.4 (5.37% higher). These findings provide practical insights for optimizing pallet configurations in cold storage, aiding energy-efficient operations in commercial refrigerated warehouses and post-harvest supply chains. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-4897edfdbec4400db84571cd82d4f94b |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
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| spelling | doaj-art-4897edfdbec4400db84571cd82d4f94b2025-08-20T04:01:52ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-04-0115111510.1038/s41598-025-95886-yInfluence of pallet height on energy consumption and cooling effectiveness in an apple cold storageLeo Daniel Alexander0Sanjeev Jakhar1Mani Sankar Dasgupta2Smart Building Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Birla Institute of Technology & ScienceSchool of Mechanical Engineering, Vellore Institute of TechnologySmart Building Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Birla Institute of Technology & ScienceAbstract This study investigates the influence of pallet height on energy consumption and cooling effectiveness using a validated cold storage model based on CFD simulations. The model was validated against experimental temperature data, with a maximum normalized root mean square error (NRMSE) of 4.57%, indicating good agreement. Four pallet height configurations namely No pallet (0.0 m), 0.3 m, 0.6 m, and 0.9 m were assessed over a 40-hour cooling period. Temperature distribution within apple-filled crates was used to identify the locations of hot and cold spots, and performance metrics such as compressor energy consumption, specific energy consumption, mean crate temperature, thermal heterogeneity, and cooling effectiveness were analyzed. The results indicate that the No-pallet configuration disrupts airflow resulting in insufficient cooling, as evidenced by lower cooling effectiveness, while larger pallet heights (0.6 m and 0.9 m) introduce excessive air spacing resulting in higher thermal heterogeneity. The 0.3 m pallet height exhibited best performance such as lowest mean crate temperature of 4.7 °C, (8.7% lower), lowest thermal heterogeneity of 3.29 (14.42% lower), lowest compressor energy consumption per kelvin of 1.474 kWh/K (0.5% lower) and highest cooling effectiveness of 0.4 (5.37% higher). These findings provide practical insights for optimizing pallet configurations in cold storage, aiding energy-efficient operations in commercial refrigerated warehouses and post-harvest supply chains.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-95886-yComputational fluid dynamicsCold storagePorous mediumPost harvestThermal heterogeneity |
| spellingShingle | Leo Daniel Alexander Sanjeev Jakhar Mani Sankar Dasgupta Influence of pallet height on energy consumption and cooling effectiveness in an apple cold storage Scientific Reports Computational fluid dynamics Cold storage Porous medium Post harvest Thermal heterogeneity |
| title | Influence of pallet height on energy consumption and cooling effectiveness in an apple cold storage |
| title_full | Influence of pallet height on energy consumption and cooling effectiveness in an apple cold storage |
| title_fullStr | Influence of pallet height on energy consumption and cooling effectiveness in an apple cold storage |
| title_full_unstemmed | Influence of pallet height on energy consumption and cooling effectiveness in an apple cold storage |
| title_short | Influence of pallet height on energy consumption and cooling effectiveness in an apple cold storage |
| title_sort | influence of pallet height on energy consumption and cooling effectiveness in an apple cold storage |
| topic | Computational fluid dynamics Cold storage Porous medium Post harvest Thermal heterogeneity |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-95886-y |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT leodanielalexander influenceofpalletheightonenergyconsumptionandcoolingeffectivenessinanapplecoldstorage AT sanjeevjakhar influenceofpalletheightonenergyconsumptionandcoolingeffectivenessinanapplecoldstorage AT manisankardasgupta influenceofpalletheightonenergyconsumptionandcoolingeffectivenessinanapplecoldstorage |