Porous medium modeling and parameter sensitivity analysis of 1-MCP distribution in boxes with apple fruit

1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) is a gas used commercially in cold storage rooms to delay ripening of fruit. It is currently not known how the gas distributes in the bins and is taken up by the fruit. Here a porous-medium model is developed based on volume averaging of the transport equations of momentum and 1-MCP in the air and product. The proposed model was compared with experimental data and validated direct-CFD model. The velocity field in and around the stack were well reproduced by the porous medium model. Concentration predictions were in average 4% and maximally 7% over the average measured values. The porous medium model also agrees well with the direct-CFD model. Influential model parameters were identified through parameter sensitivity study. Porosity, skin mass transfer coefficient and specific surface area strongly affect the simulation. Accordingly model simplifications were suggested and recommended for commercial cold storage rooms.