Integrated energy display cabinet maintains seafood freshness but struggles with humidity control

Why It Matters

This research highlights the critical balance between temperature and humidity for optimal food preservation. Designers must consider both factors to prevent product degradation, even when employing energy-efficient solutions.

Key Finding

The display cabinet effectively cooled seafood, and its dual-energy system worked as intended. However, it did not maintain adequate humidity, leading to surface drying of the seafood.

Key Findings

• The cooling system successfully achieved and maintained temperatures down to -5°C, suitable for fresh seafood storage.
• The integrated solar and PLN energy system with ATS functioned correctly, switching power sources based on battery charge levels.
• The system failed to achieve the target humidity range (90%-95% RH), with average relative humidity measuring only 50%.

Research Evidence

Aim: To design and test a display cabinet cooling system integrating solar and grid power for fresh seafood, evaluating its performance against established temperature and humidity standards.

Method: Commissioning test

Procedure: A display cabinet cooling system was designed and built, integrating solar and PLN electricity with an Automatic Transfer Switch (ATS). The system's ability to maintain a target temperature of -5°C and a humidity range of 90%-95% for fresh seafood was tested. Performance data was collected through commissioning tests.

Context: Food service industry (restaurants, cafes), specifically for displaying fresh seafood.

Design Principle

Optimal preservation of perishable goods requires simultaneous control of temperature and humidity.

How to Apply

When designing any refrigerated storage or display unit for food products, conduct a thorough analysis of both temperature and humidity requirements and implement appropriate control systems for both.

Limitations

The study identified a lack of an active humidification system as a limitation, relying on opening the cooler door to increase humidity, which is inefficient and compromises temperature control.

Student Guide (IB Design Technology)

Simple Explanation: This study shows that while a new fridge for seafood kept it cold, it also made the fish dry because it didn't have a good way to control how humid the air was inside.

Why This Matters: This research is important for design projects because it shows that even a well-intentioned design can have flaws if it doesn't consider all the necessary conditions for a product to function correctly. It emphasizes the need for comprehensive testing.

Critical Thinking: How might the reliance on opening the cooler door to increase humidity have also negatively impacted the temperature control and energy efficiency of the display cabinet?

IA-Ready Paragraph: This research by Santosa et al. (2021) demonstrates that while achieving target temperatures for seafood preservation is feasible with integrated energy systems, maintaining optimal humidity levels (90%-95% RH) is crucial and often requires dedicated humidification systems, as their study found that insufficient humidity led to product surface drying.

Project Tips

• When designing a product that needs to maintain specific environmental conditions, consider all relevant parameters, not just the most obvious ones (like temperature).
• Think about how different environmental factors interact with each other and how controlling one might affect another.

How to Use in IA

• Use this research to justify the importance of controlling humidity in your design project, especially if you are designing a food storage or display system.
• Cite this study when discussing the limitations of your own design or when explaining why you chose to include specific features to manage humidity.

Examiner Tips

• When evaluating a design, look beyond the primary function. Did the designer consider secondary but critical environmental factors like humidity?
• Assess whether the testing methods used were comprehensive enough to identify all potential performance issues.

Independent Variable: Integration of solar and PLN energy, Automatic Transfer Switch (ATS) control.

Dependent Variable: Temperature achieved (-5°C target), Relative Humidity achieved (90%-95% RH target), System performance (ATS switching).

Controlled Variables: Type of seafood displayed, ambient environmental conditions (assumed constant during testing).

Strengths

• Successful integration of renewable energy with grid power.
• Effective temperature control for seafood preservation.

Critical Questions

• What are the most effective and energy-efficient methods for actively controlling humidity in refrigerated display units?
• How does the frequency of door opening for restocking or customer interaction affect the ability to maintain both temperature and humidity?

Extended Essay Application

• An Extended Essay could investigate the cost-benefit analysis of implementing active humidification systems in commercial display cabinets, comparing energy consumption and product spoilage rates.
• Further research could explore novel materials or design strategies for passive humidity regulation within refrigerated environments.

Source

Analysis of Display Cabinet Design with Commissioning Test for Fresh Sea Food · Logic · 2021 · 10.31940/logic.v21i3.190-196