The Application of Advanced Methods in Analyzing the Performance of the Air Curtain in a Refrigerated Display Case

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modeling is effectively coupled with the experimental technique of Digital Particle Image Velocimetry (DPIV), to study the flowfield characteristics and performance of the air curtain of a medium-temperature open vertical refrigerated display case used in supermarkets. A global comparison of the flowfield and quantification of the entrained air into the case indicate that there is a considerable amount of cold air spillage from a typical display case that is replaced by the ambient warm entrained air across the air curtain, lowering the energy efficiency of the case. The computational model that is developed from the marriage of CFD and DPIV techniques provides a reliable simulation tool that can be used for the design optimization of air curtains. A correct estimate of the infiltration rate by changing different parameters in a validated computational simulation model will provide a feasible tool for minimizing the spillage of the cold air, and thereby designing more energy efficient open display cases.