Effect of phase change material on compressor on-off cycling of a household refrigerator

Abstract

Effects of phase change material on compressor on-off cycle of a household refrigerator has been investigated experimentally. Phase change materials are used behind the five sides of the evaporator cabinet, and the evaporator coil is immersed in the phase change material. Two types of phase change materials at different thermal loads have been used for the investigation. Experimental results with phase change material show that the number of compressor on-off cycles within the tested time are around 3–5 times lower than that of the system without phase change material, ultimately reducing the efficiency losses of the system as compared to a conventional refrigeration system. The experimental results with phase change material also confirm that average compressor running time is reduced about 5–30% as compared to without phase change material, and the test results with phase change material prove a noticeable reduction of the temperature fluctuation inside the cabinet.