In-storage softening of kiwi fruit: effects of delayed coolingRamollissement des kiwis au cours de l'entreposage: influence du retard de la réfrigération

Rapid softening of kiwi fruit while in storage at 0°C limits the marketing period for this crop and contributes to economic loss. The time required to bring fruit to optimum storage temperature is affected by delays between harvest and placing fruit in the cooling facility and by the completeness of cooling. Incomplete cooling of fruit in commercial forced-air coolers results in overall above-optimal average fruit temperatures for undesirable lengths of time and also results in a wide range of temperature among individual fruits. The half cooling time for palletized kiwi fruit packed in wooden trays with liners was 7 h in the coolers tested; thus seven-eighths cooling required 21 h. Delays of 24 h or more before the start of cooling accelerated the softening of fruit, enhanced soluble solids content, and increased the incidence of rotting and shrivelling during storage.     

Influence of cooling and temperature maintenance on the quality of California grown stone fruit

Stone fruits require rapid cooling within a few hours of harvest. High temperature and cooling delays can speed fruit deterioration from several causes. Flesh softening is most rapid at temperatures between ≈4 and 38°C, where ethylene sensitivity is greatest. Water loss is related to exposure time and the magnitude of water vapour pressure difference between fruit and environment. Internal breakdown, a low temperature injury problem, is aggravated in California by high temperature delays before cooling. Fruit rot organisms spread most rapidly at warm harvest temperatures and are slowed or stopped at near 0°C. When packing is delayed, then cooling before packing is essential. Because injury susceptibility is least at intermediate temperatures (5–20°C), fruit may be cooled to 5–10°C for next day packing, but should be cooled to near 0°C for longer delays. Regardless of prior cooling, the warming that will occur during packing makes essential final cooling to near 0°C following packing. Methyl bromide fumigation, if needed for quarantine treatment, should occur before cooling because warm fruit is less injured and fumigant doses are lower at warmer temperatures.     

Evaluation of standing-wave thermoacoustic cycles for cooling applications

The most promising applications for standing-wave thermoacoustic cooling were investigated from the perspective of the ratio of coefficient of performance (COP) to the reversible COP or COPR. A design optimization program based on the thermoacoustic simulation program known as DELTAE was developed. The program was applied to two standing-wave thermoacoustic cooler configurations in order to determine the best possible COPRs for various temperature spans between hot-side and cold-side stack-end temperatures. It was found that the COPR of standing-wave thermoacoustic coolers increases with temperature span and reaches a maximum for temperature lifts around 80 °C. Analysis of the results and the losses clearly shows that the efficiency of these systems may be good for refrigeration, but not for air-conditioning and cryogenic cooling. The COPRs determined from measurements for various thermoacoustic coolers developed so far show similar trends, and generally support the optimization results.     

A novel experimental investigation of a solar cooling system in Madrid

This paper reports novel experimental results derived through field testing of a part load solar energized cooling system for typical Spanish houses in Madrid during the summer period of 2003. Solar hot water was delivered by means of a 49.9 m² array of flat-plate collectors to drive a single-effect (LiBr/H₂O) absorption chiller of 35 kW nominal cooling capacity. Thermal energy was stored in a 2 m³ stratified hot water storage tank during hours of bright sunshine. Chilled water produced at the evaporator was supplied to a row of fan coil units and the heat of condensation and absorption was rejected by means of a forced draft cooling tower. Instantaneous, daily and period energy flows and energy balance in the installation is presented. System and absorption machine temperature profiles are given for a clear, hot and dry day's operation. Daily and period system efficiencies are given. Peak insolation of 969 W m⁻² (at 12:30 solar time on 08/08/03) produced 5.13 kW of cooling at a solar to cooling conversion efficiency of 11%. Maximum cooling capacity was 7.5 kW. Cooling was provided for 8.67 h and the chiller required a threshold insolation of 711 W m⁻² for start-up and 373 W m⁻² for shut-down. A minimum hot water inlet temperature to the generator of 65 °C was required to commence cold generation, whereas at 81 °C, 6.4 kW of cooling (18.3% of nominal capacity) was produced. The absorption refrigeration machine operated within the generation and absorption temperature ranges of 57–67 and 32–36 °C, respectively. The measured maximum instantaneous, daily average and period average COP were 0.60 (at maximum capacity), 0.42 and 0.34, respectively. Energy flows in the system are represented on a novel area diagram. The results clearly demonstrate that the technology works best in dry and hot climatic conditions where large daily variations in relative humidity and dry bulb temperature prevail. This case study provides benchmark data for the assessment of other similar prototypes and for the validation of mathematical models.     

Application of hydrocarbon mixtures in small refrigerating and cryogenic machines

Application of hydrocarbon mixtures enables the creation of simple, reliable and durable refrigerating and cryogenic Joule–Thomson micro coolers for the temperature range of −73 to −183 °C. The temperature, thermal, power and hydraulic performances of a series of prototypes are presented. The results of tests demonstrate that small, single stage, sealed, lubricated compressors can be applied to these purposes. The start up and steady operation hydraulic performance of those machines are quite similar to the performance of domestic refrigerators. The last, together with the fact that in the studied micro coolers the lubricated compressors are used at temperatures down to −183 °C, ensures a large resource of operation. That is just the reason that holds out a hope for prospects in a broad field of applications for the studied prototypes, despite their lower power performances in contrast to gas micro coolers.     

A comprehensive design and rating study of evaporative coolers and condensers. Part II. Sensitivity analysis

Sensitivity analysis can be used to identify important model parameters, in particular, normalized sensitivity coefficients; by allowing a one-on-one comparison. Regarding design of evaporative coolers, the sensitivity analysis shows that all sensitivities are unaffected by varying the mass flow ratio and that outlet process fluid temperature is the most important factor. In rating evaporative coolers, effectiveness is found to be most sensitive to the process fluid flow rate. Also, the process fluid outlet temperature is most sensitive to the process fluid inlet temperature. For evaporative condensers, the normalized sensitivity coefficient values indicate that the condensing temperature is the most sensitive parameter and that these are not affected by the value of the mass flow ratio. For evaporative condenser design, it was seen that, for a 53% increase in the inlet relative humidity, the normalized sensitivity of the surface area increased 1.8 times in value and, for a 15 °C increase in the condenser temperature, the sensitivity increased by 3.5 times. The performance study of evaporative condensers show that, for a 72% increase in the inlet relative humidity, the normalized sensitivity coefficient for effectiveness increased 2.4 times and, for a 15 °C increase in the condenser temperature, it doubled in value.     

Application of thermal battery in the ice storage air-conditioning system as a subcooler

This article experimentally investigates the thermal performance of a thermal battery used in the ice storage air-conditioning system as a subcooler. The thermal battery utilizes the superior heat transfer characteristics of two-phase closed thermosyphon and eliminates the drawbacks found in convectional energy storage systems. Experimental investigations are first conducted to study the thermal behavior of thermal battery under different charge temperatures (−5 °C to −9 °C) in which water is used as the energy storage material. This study also examines the thermal performance of the subcooled ice storage air conditioner under different cooling loads. Experimental data of temperature variation of water, ice fraction, refrigerant mass flow rate and coefficient of performance (COP) are obtained. The results show that supercooling phenomenon appears in the water and it can be ended when the charge temperature is lower than −6 °C. The system gives 28% more cooling capacity and 8% higher COP by the contribution of the thermal battery used as a subcooler.     

Influence of mist-chilling on post-harvest quality of fresh strawberries Cv. Mara des Bois and Gariguette

The aim of this study was to assess the impact of mist-chilling on high-grade strawberry post-harvest quality (Cultivars “Gariguette” and “Mara des Bois”). Strawberries were chilled at 2 °C using three processes: air blast chilling at 0.3 m s⁻¹ or 1 m s⁻¹ and mist-chilling at 1 m s⁻¹. After chilling, fruits were submitted to different distribution chains characterised by different handling conditions and storage temperatures (2 °C or 7 °C) and by a 12 h retailing step at 20 °C. Strawberry quality was assessed by measuring 7 parameters: weight loss, commercial loss, firmness, sugar content, acidity, colour and sensory quality. Compared to air-chilling, mist-chilling did not reduce chilling time but it reduced weight loss by 20–40%. Mist-chilling had no detrimental effect on commercial loss defined as the percentage of fruit more than 1/3 of surface affected. It did not induce any major changes on strawberry quality. Temperature fluctuations undergone during cold storage and retailing had a detrimental effect on weight loss. The beneficial effect of packaging on weight loss was confirmed.     

Simulation of a transcritical CO2 heat pump cycle for simultaneous cooling and heating applications

A steady state simulation model has been developed to evaluate the system performance of a transcritical carbon dioxide heat pump for simultaneous heating and cooling. The simulated results are found to be in reasonable agreement with experimental results reported in the literature. Such a system is suitable, for example, in dairy plants where simultaneous cooling at 4 °C and heating at 73 °C are required. The optimal COP was found to be a function of the compressor speed, the coolant inlet temperature to the evaporator and inlet temperature of the fluid to be heated in the gas cooler and compressor discharge pressure. An optimizing study for the best allocation of the fixed total heat exchanger inventory between the evaporator and the gas cooler based on the heat exchanger area has been carried out. Effect of heat transfer in the heat exchangers on system performance has been presented as well. Finally, a novel nomogram has been developed and it is expected to offer useful guidelines for system design and its optimisation.     

Extension of the vase life of cut daffodil flowers by rapid vacuum coolingProlongation de la durée de conservation en vase de jonquilles coupées par refroidissement rapide sous vide

Vacuum cooling has been widely used as a rapid cooling method for vegetables to enhance their quality and shelf life. The extension of vacuum cooling to the floricultural industry has great potential economic advantages. In the current study, vacuum cooling of freshly cut daffodils was carried out and their cooling processes were investigated. The vase life of vacuum cooled flowers with and without cold storage was studied. The results show that vacuum cooling can significantly extend the vase life of the flowers with and without cold storage and it is a very effective pre-cooling technique for cut flowers. Spraying water prior to vacuum cooling cannot only reduce the cooling time without any negative effects on vase life, but also weight loss. The reduction of weight loss is especially beneficial to vacuum cooling of vegetables.     

Factor affecting the cooling rate of lettuce in vacuum cooling installations

Commercial-scale experiments carried out during the last five years have shown that the cooling time of a head of lettuce, wrapped in PVC film and packed in a carton, can vary from 25 to 65 min, depending on the design of the vacuum installation. Experiments were, therefore, carried out with a commercial four pallet vacuum cooler, provided in accordance with the requirements of the Agricultural Engineering Institute, with three vacuum pumps and two compressors. The influence of pumping speed, cooling unit capacity and initial temperature on the cooling time and on the final temperature of lettuce leaves and butts was investigated. The results were compared with the cooling rate obtained with other vacuum cooling installations. Design data are proposed.     

Numerical simulation of an advanced energy storage system using H2O–LiBr as working fluid, Part 1: System design and modeling

The advanced energy storage technology proposed and patented by authors can be applied for cooling, heating, dehumidifying, combined cooling and heating, and so on. It is also called the variable mass energy transformation and storage (VMETS) technology in which the masses in one or two storage tanks change continuously during the energy charging and discharging processes. This paper presents an advanced energy storage system using aqueous lithium bromide (H₂O–LiBr) as working fluid. As one of VMETS systems, this system is a closed system using two storage tanks. It is used to shift electrical load and store energy for cooling, heating or combined cooling and heating. It is environmental friendly because the water is used as refrigerant in the system. Its working principle and process of energy transformation and storage are totally different from those of the traditional thermal energy storage (TES) systems. The electric energy in off-peak time is mostly transformed into the chemical potential of the working fluid and stored in the system firstly. And then the potential is transformed into cold or heat energy by absorption refrigeration or heat pump mode when the consumers need the cold or heat energy. The key to the system is to regulate the chemical potential by controlling the absorbent (LiBr) mass fraction or concentration in the working fluid with respect to time. As a result, by using a solution storage tank and a water storage tank, the energy transformation and storage can be carried out at the desirable time to shift electric load efficiently. Since the concentration of the working solution in the VMETS cycle varies continuously, the working process of the VMETS system is dynamic. As the first part of our study, the working principle and flow of the VMETS system were introduced first, and then the system dynamic models were developed. To investigate the system characteristics and performances under full-storage and partial-storage strategies, the numerical simulation will be performed in the subsequent paper. The simulation results will be very helpful for guiding the actual system and device design.     

Experimental investigation of silica gel–water adsorption chillers with and without a passive heat recovery scheme

We experimentally show that for the same heat exchanger inventory allocation, a four-bed adsorption chiller delivers a 12% higher ultimate cooling capacity than its two-bed counterpart. In addition it delivers a significantly improved quality of instantaneous cooling than a two-bed chiller at the same cooling capacity. The COP-enhancing feature of a passive heat recovery scheme that does not involve additional pumping action or valves is experimentally proven. It improves the COPs of a two-bed chiller and a four-bed chiller by as much as 38 and 25%, respectively, without any effect on their cooling capacities. The highest COPs achieved with a two-bed and four-bed chillers are 0.46±0.02 and 0.45±0.02, respectively. These are measured at a hot-water inlet temperature of 85 °C, cooling-water inlet temperature of 29.4 °C and chilled-water inlet temperature of 12.2 °C.     

Development of an ejector cooling system with thermal pumping effect

This paper presents a feasibility study of an ejector cooling system (ECS) that utilizes a multi-function generator (MFG) to eliminate the mechanical pump. The MFG serves as both a pump and a vapor generator. The MFG is designed based on the pressure equilibration between high and low pressures through heating and cooling process. In this design, an ECS that contains no moving components and is entirely powered by heat can be practicable. A prototype using refrigerant R141b as working fluid was constructed and tested in the present study. The experimental results showed that the system coefficient of performance (COP_o) was 0.218 and the cooling capacity was 0.786 kW at generating temperature (T_G) 90 °C, condensing temperature (T_C) 32.4 °C and evaporating temperature (T_E) 8.2 °C. While taking into account the extra heat needed for the MFG operation, the total coefficient of performance (COP_t) is 0.185. It is shown that a continuous operation for the generation of cooling effect in an ECS with MFG can be achieved. This cooling machine can be very reliable since there is no moving part.     

Effects of reservoir volume on performance of pulse tube cooler

A pulse tube cooler has the advantages of long-life and low-vibration over conventional cryocoolers such as G-M and Stirling coolers because of the absence of moving parts at low temperature. On the other hand, the combination of a reservoir and orifice is indispensable to optimize the performance of pulse tube coolers. In order to make the pulse tube cooler compact for practical applications, the volume of reservoir should be minimized. This paper analyzes the effects of the reservoir volume on the thermodynamic performance of various components in a simple orifice and a double-inlet pulse tube cooler by combining a linearized model with a thermodynamic analysis. Expressions of entropy production for those components are presented. The results show that the reservoir volume has a significant influence on the entropy production in the various components when the reservoir to pulse tube volume ratio is smaller than about 5. The ratio is important to determine the minimum reservoir volume for a pulse tube cooler. Optimum settings for a double-inlet pulse tube cooler are also discussed.     

Experimental investigation of a micro-combined cooling, heating and power system driven by a gas engine

An experimental investigation of the performance of a micro-combined cooling, heating and power (CCHP) system is described. The natural gas and LPG-fired micro-CCHP system uses a small-scale generator set driven by a gas engine and a new small-scale adsorption chiller, which has a rated electricity power of 12 kW, a rated cooling of 9 kW and a rated heating capacity of 28 kW. Silica gel–water is used as working pair in the adsorption cooling system. The refrigeration COP of the adsorption chiller is over 0.3 for 13 °C evaporation temperature. The test facility designed and built is described, which supplies better test-rig platform for cooling, heating and power cogeneration. Experimental methodology of this system is presented and the results are discussed. An energetic analysis of micro-CCHP system is performed as well. The overall thermal and electrical efficiency is over 70%.     

Supersonic two-phase flow of CO2 through converging–diverging nozzles for the ejector refrigeration cycle

CO₂ is environmentally friendly, safe and more suitable to ejector refrigeration cycle than to vapor compression cycle. Supersonic two-phase flow of CO₂ in the diverging sections of rectangular converging–diverging nozzles was investigated. The divergence angles with significant variation of decompression were 0.076°, 0.153°, 0.306° and 0.612°. This paper presents experimental decompression phenomena which can be used in designing nozzles and an assessment of Isentropic Homogeneous Equilibrium (IHE). Inlet conditions around 6–9 MPa, 20–37 °C were used to resemble ejector nozzles of coolers and heat pumps. For inlet temperature around 37 °C, throat decompression boiling from the saturated liquid line, supersonic decompression and IHE solution were obtained for the two large divergence angles. For divergence angles larger than 0.306°, decompression curves for inlet temperature above 35 °C approached IHE curves. For divergence angles smaller than 0.306° or for nozzles with inlet temperature below 35 °C, IHE had no solution.     

Low- and high-temperature vitrification as a new approach to biostabilization of reproductive and progenitor cells

Cells held in a liquid milieu undergo processes that cause progressive loss of viability. To prevent such degradation, cells need to be placed in conditions that essentially stop all chemical reactions for the duration of the time of storage. Because intracellular ice formation is lethal to most eukaryotic cells, stable storage of viable cells can be achieved only if intracellular vitrification without ice formation has occurred. This has been done by several methods, including equilibrium (slow) freezing, lyophilization (freeze-drying), and ice-free vitrification at subzero temperatures at moderate-to high cooling rates in the presence of cryoprotectants (‘conventional’ vitrification). In this paper, we discuss the mechanisms of vitrification, and specific aspects, advantages, and pitfalls of the different approaches. Particular emphasis is put on novel methods of cell preservation, such as cryoprotectant-free vitrification of sperm and high temperature vitrification by air/vacuum drying of progenitor and other nucleated cells.     

The effect of hydrocooling on ripening related quality attributes and cell wall physicochemical properties of sweet cherry fruit (Prunus avium L.)

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of hydrocooling, as a precooling treatment, on ripening related parameters of two sweet cherry cultivars (Prunus avium L. cvs. ‘Tragana Edessis’, ‘Mpakirtzeika’) after 1-week cold storage (0 °C, 95% R.H.). Results indicated that hydrocooling delayed the deterioration and senescence of cherry fruit, maintaining a higher quality, as indicated by reduced stem browning and surface shrivelling. In particular, hydrocooled ‘Tragana Edessis’ fruit showed considerably less stem browning (14.6–29.6%), while the benefits of hydrocooling were less pronounced in ‘Mpakirtzeika’ fruit. Other quality attributes, such as cracking, decay, external color and soluble solids content were not affected by hydrocooling. Furthermore cell wall properties, as indicated by uronic acid and neutral sugars content in cell wall material extracted from the cherry fruits, were slightly or not affected by the hydrocooling process. Overall, the present study showed that cherry fruit subjected to hydrocooling followed by 1 week's storage at 0 °C and 95% R.H. retained their quality for a further 3 days at room temperature, but after 5 days at room temperature many of the fruit were of unacceptable quality.     

Study of a novel silica gel–water adsorption chiller. Part II. Experimental study

The prototype of a novel silica gel–water adsorption chiller is built and its performance is tested in detail. The experimental results show that the refrigerating capacity (RC) and COP of the chiller are 7.15 and 0.38 kW, respectively, when the hot water temperature is 84.8 °C, the cooling water temperature is 30.6 °C, and the chilled water outlet temperature is 11.7 °C. The RC will reach 6 kW under the condition of 65 °C hot water temperature, 30.5 °C cooling water temperature and 17.6 °C chilled water temperature. The results confirm that this kind of adsorption chiller is an effective refrigerating machine though its performance is not as fine as the prediction results. Also it is well effectively driven by a low-grade heat source. Therefore, its applications to the low-grade heat source are much attractive.