7 - Modelling cold food chain processing and display environments

Abstract

Refrigeration systems are crucial in reducing the rate of degradation of food, extending the shelf life of food products and maintaining the integrity of the food chain. In the UK, refrigeration systems for food processing, distribution storage and retail are estimated to be responsible for approximately 16,100GWh energy use and 13.7 MtCO2e greenhouse gas emissions. These represent 28% of final energy use and 7% of greenhouse gas emissions of the whole food chain. The energy consumption of refrigeration systems is a function of the temperature at which the food needs to be maintained during processing, distribution and retail; this in turn is influenced by the way the air cooled by the refrigeration systems is distributed within the temperature-controlled environment. Air distribution not only influences the efficiency of cooling and energy consumption but also influences the comfort of workers in food manufacturing facilities and retail premises. Modelling air flows in temperature-controlled food manufacturing facilities and in food storage and display equipment enables more effective design of air distribution systems and appropriate sizing of refrigeration equipment for the application. This chapter reviews such modelling approaches and provides examples of how modelling using computational fluid dynamics can be used in the investigation of air flows and temperature distribution in manufacturing facilities and storage and display equipment.