Moisture evaporation prediction model for fresh storage of vegetables in refrigerator

• Published in: Journal of mechanical science and technology Vol. 37; no. 4; pp. 2043 - 2054
• Main Authors: Kim, Hyeongsik, Kim, Jooshin, Park, Youngmin, Park, Sang-Hu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Seoul Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers 01.04.2023; Springer Nature B.V; 대한기계학회
• Subjects: Air flow; Control; Dynamical Systems; Engineering; Evaporation; Industrial and Production Engineering; Mechanical Engineering; Moisture control; Moisture effects; Original Article; Prediction models; Refrigerators; Structural design; Vegetables; Vibration; 기계공학; Fresh vegetable storage; Refrigerator; Storage design; Moisture evaporation; Moisture evaporation prediction model
• ISSN: 1738-494X; 1976-3824
• DOI: 10.1007/s12206-023-0340-x

This work aims to predict the moisture evaporation in vegetable storage drawers of a household refrigerator with considering the operating conditions of a refrigerator and to propose a prediction model of moisture preservation for a long-term storage of vegetables. An experimental equipment was setup to evaluate the operating conditions, such as temperature and humidity control, cold airflow path, and structural design of a drawer. Moisture evaporation in fresh vegetables was evaluated quantitatively, and a new predictive model of moisture evaporation was developed on the basis of the data. The coefficient of determination was 93.2 % in the prediction model developed when spinach and bok choy were used in the basic experiment, which matched well with the experimental data obtained from a real refrigerator test with difference of approximately 0.4 %. We believe that the proposed approach can be utilized in the initial design stage of a vegetable drawer of a household refrigerator and is expected to be implemented in diverse applications related to fresh storage of vegetables.