Characterization and experimental investigation of phase change materials for chilled food refrigerated cabinet applications

There is increasing interest in using phase change materials (PCMs) to store energy within refrigeration equipment. The main purpose is to increase the thermal capacity of the equipment and maintain product temperature within safe limits during frequent door openings, on–off cycling of the compressor and mains power failure. This paper considers candidate phase change materials for application in chilled food refrigeration cabinets for product temperature range between 0°C and +5°C. The results showed that paraffin products exhibited negligible supercooling but have low latent heat compared to water based products which have higher latent heat but exhibit a greater degree of supercooling. The addition of appropriate quantities of nucleate agent (AgI) can reduce supercooling significantly, making water based products suitable for use as PCMs for cold storage in chilled food cabinets.