Analysis of the flow and temperature distribution inside the compartment of a small refrigerator

This work presents the analysis of the flow and thermal behavior of the compartment in a refrigerator, in which its cooling effect is based on diffusion-absorption technology. CFD was used to model and simulate the refrigerator. The main objective was to compare the thermal behavior of a plate-evaporator design with a finned surface (reference refrigerator) and a plate-evaporator with a smooth surface (proposed design). Moreover, the study was completed with the discussion about the velocity distribution and the pathlines of the temperature and velocity. This was also observed under the influence of the wired shelf location inside the compartment. Additionally, the performance of the refrigerator was evaluated. This study aims to expand our knowledge about the temperature and flow fields of this refrigerator model. Finally, the development of this work highlights the importance of the numerical simulation in the search for improvements in the design of this refrigerator model, which might help manufacturers of diffusion-absorption refrigerators.