EXPERIMENTAL AND NUMERICAL INVESTIGATION TO AVOID EXTERNAL CONDENSATION ON FLIPPER MULLION IN FRENCH DOOR REFRIGERATOR

In French-style doors a flipper mullion is provided to have an air tight seal to avoid heat leakage between the doors. It is attached to one of the French doors through both of the hinge members. However, due to the complexity of the current concept, the outside surface of the flipper mullion remains in a cold temperature, presenting moisture. The moisture is unacceptable for aesthetic and safety reasons. A usual solution is to use a heater inside the flipper mullion (7 to 10W). The heater increases the temperature of the outside surface, avoiding the moisture formation. It increases the complexity of the assembly and the energy consumption. A 7W flipper mullion heater power corresponds to 5 kWh/ month, which means around 4% of the total energy consumption of regular French door refrigerators. In the present study, an attempt has been made to reduce the external condensation by changing the material and the design of flipper mullion. Variation of flipper mullion external surface temperature with change in the material and design of flipper mullion are investigated to determine the economically viable concept.