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This paper presents a new TRNSYS model of a refrigeration system incorporating phase change material (PCM) for mobile transport. The PCTSU is charged by an off-vehicle refrigeration unit and the PCM provides cooling when discharging and the cooling released is utilized to cool down the refrigerated space. The advantage of this refrigeration system compared to a conventional system is that it consumes less energy and produces significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions. A refrigeration system for a typical refrigerated van is modelled and simulations are performed with climatic data from four different locations. The main components of the TRNSYS model are Type 88 (cooling load estimation) and Type 300 (new PCTSU component), accompanied by other additional components. The results show that in order to maintain the temperature of the products at −18 °C for 10 h, a total of 250 kg and 390 kg of PCM are required for no door opening and 20 door openings during the transportation, respectively. In addition, a parametric study is carried out to evaluate the effects of location, size of the refrigerated space, number of door openings and melting temperature of the PCM on the thermal performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: An innovative refrigeration system incorporating phase change material (PCM) is proposed to maintain refrigerated trucks at the desired thermal conditions. The advantage of using PCM to maintain low temperatures is that a conventional refrigeration system does not have to be located on-board the vehicle. In addition, the system consumes less energy and produces much lower local greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The phase change thermal storage unit (PCTSU) is charged by a refrigeration unit located off the vehicle when stationary. The PCM is discharged and provides cooling when in service. A new PCM with a lower cost than currently available PCMs was developed, suitable for maintaining the refrigerated truck at a temperature of −18°C. The PCM has a melting temperature of −26.7°C and a latent heat of 154.4kJkg−1. A prototype system was constructed and test results proved that the proposed refrigeration system is feasible for mobile transport. An analysis shows that delivery of refrigerated products can be made with a PCM system having a weight comparable to that of an on board conventional refrigeration system with less than half of the energy cost. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]