Heat and moisture insulation by means of air curtains: Application to refrigerated chambers

•Analysis of vapour entrainment through air curtains in refrigerating chambers.•Models validated with experimental data from the authors and the literature.•The transport of the humid air and its condensation on the walls is considered.•Detailed study considering single jet, twin-jet, and recirculating jets.

The present study is devoted to the determination of the efficiency of air curtain units (ACUs) applied to heat and moisture insulation of refrigerated chambers. A detailed study of the fluid dynamics and heat and mass transfer of the ACU in the refrigerated space and the external ambient is carried out by means of large eddy simulations (LES). The heat and moisture entrainment through the doorway and their transport inside the inner space are fully described. Three different configurations are studied: non-recirculating, recirculating and twin-jet air curtains. The condensation produced in the cool walls of the refrigerated space is evaluated considering the warm humid air from the ambient which penetrates inside the chamber through the doorway. The influence of both the discharge velocities and the discharge angles on the sealing capabilities of the three different tested ACU configurations is determined.