Study on the storage time of a cold box based on conduction-convection-radiation coupling

A theoretical model coupling with conduction-convection-radiation was proposed to calculate the storage time of a cold box. The experimental and numerical results at amounts and positions of a refrigerant were used to verify the theoretical model of the cold box. The numerical results at various ambient temperatures were also used to verify the theoretical model. The theoretical model analyzed the influences of different positions of the refrigerant and the thickness of the cold box on the storage time. The determination value K was proposed. Results show that the maximum error between theoretical results and experimental and numerical results was 2.26 %, indicating that the theoretical model of storage time is consistent with the experimental and numerical results and the theoretical model can replace numerical simulation to reduce time. The storage time from the refrigerant position from bottom to top gradually decreases. The best thickness of the cold box was 27.5-38.75 mm, which was independent of the positions of the refrigerant, ambient temperatures, materials of the cold box and the refrigerant, and the sizes of the cold box.

Automated summary

In this study, a theoretical model was proposed to calculate the storage time of a cold box. The model was verified using experimental and numerical results, and the influences of refrigerant position and cold box thickness on the storage time were analyzed. The results showed that the theoretical model could replace numerical simulation and reduce time, and the optimal thickness of the cold box was independent of other factors.