Thermal environment control of chilled food manufacturing facilities plays a critical role in maintaining the required food product temperature during processing to ensure food quality and maximise shelf life. The provision of cooling to maintain the required temperatures in the processing halls, which should be in the range between 4 °C and 12°C also impacts on energy consumption and CO2 emissions. Chilled food manufacturing facilities normally have high ceilings to provide flexibility in their use and accommodate different height equipment. In these facilities cooling is commonly provided by fan coil units installed at ceiling level that recirculate air in the space through the cooling coils with high velocities. Small amounts of fresh air can also be provided to the space through a separate fresh air system. The low temperatures and high velocity of air circulating in the space lead to uncomfortable environments for the workers and high energy consumption. Refrigeration systems in chilled food manufacturing facilities account for more than 60% of the energy consumption in the plant so identifying ways of improving the thermal environment in these facilities and reducing energy consumption can lead to increased productivity and profitability of chilled food operations. This thesis makes a contribution to this challenge by investigating alternative air distribution approaches for both existing and new facilities. A primary consideration was to identify solutions that could be easily retrofitted to existing cooling systems in the space at low cost and minimum disruption to the production. The research involved the investigation of two chilled food manufacturing spaces with different cooling system arrangements to establish their performance characteristics and ability to provide the required conditions of temperature and velocities at low level in the space to minimise thermal discomfort. Learnings from these investigations were used to develop in the laboratory a test facility that could reproduce chilled food manufacturing environments at a smaller scale and enable the investigation of different cooling systems and air distribution arrangements. CFD models were also developed and validated against temperature and air velocity data from the chilled food spaces in the factories and the test facility. The models were then used to evaluate different chilled air distribution designs prior to them being manufactured and installed for evaluation in the test facility. The main objective was to achieve temperature stratification and low air velocities at low levels in the space. Key findings and contribution to knowledge for science and technology of cold processing areas are the follow: i) The monitoring of the two case studies provided evidence of the air-temperature distribution issues in existing chilled food facilities such as high velocities, poor temperature distribution, cooling of the whole space and increased energy consumption. ii) Numerical and experimental results of this research provided guidelines of how air distribution solutions in existing chilled food facilities can be improved regarding their air temperature efficacy and energy efficiency. For example, supplying air from evaporator coils at medium level with circular or semi-circular fabric ducts as air distribution solutions, could achieve temperature stratification in the space with lower temperatures at low level covering the manufacturing area and higher temperatures towards the ceiling; In addition, medium level air supply with fabric duct was shown to provide in the region of 9% reduction in energy consumption compared to high level supply with the same duct; Furthermore, medium level air supply with a fabric duct provided 23% energy savings compared to air supply with an un-ducted fan-coil system which is the most common air distribution method in chilled food factories; iii) Numerical and experimental results derived guidelines of which air distribution systems should be avoided in new chilled food facilities. Tests and CFD modelling comparing air distribution with circular fabric duct and metal duct with linear diffusers showed that the circular fabric duct provided a better thermal environment in terms of temperature uniformity and low air velocities; Furthermore, comparing the air flow velocities obtained from the air distribution system via non-ducted coil and fabric ducts as air distribution solutions, it can be highlighted that the fabric duct provided much lower air flow velocities. This is beneficial to achieve some temperature stratification in the space and reduce the discomfort of the workers produced by high velocities as seen in the case of the non-ducted coil. iv) A simulation tool developed that couples refrigeration system and CFD modelling has been shown to be able to simulate the dynamics of air distribution and refrigeration system energy consumption in chilled food spaces. The tool can be used to optimise the design of air distribution systems from both thermal environment and energy consumption perspectives.

The aim of this report has been to investigate the use of electricity energy before and after a conversion of foodservice. The ambition was also to highlight the food safety and the retention of nutrients in relation to the conversion. The methods being used were qualitative interviews, case studies, study visits and literature. The equipment and the use of energy was the same in 2008 as in 2011 for hot-holding of the tested component, sauce with ham. The chilled system used more than three times the energy and cost for one portion than one portion in the hot-hold system. The food safety is all about routines and quality programs, of course the chilled system must have more critical control points. Nutrients are often labile when heating, especially water-soluble vitamins. Vitamin C showed losses in each step in both systems. The conclusion is that the combined system is much more energy-demanding than the hot-holding. There are concerns in both systems on food safety and retention of nutrients. Used as here, with only the main component chilled and the rest of the meal prepared where the meal is served, the chilled system seems to give better quality than a hot-holding system from nutrition- perspective. Maybe the greatest gain in food safety and retention would be to have cooking kitchen in most schools.

Chilled water systems constitute a major portion of energy consumption in air conditioning systems of commercial buildings and process cooling of manufacturing plants. These systems do not operate optimally in most of the cases because of the operating parameters set and/or the components used. A Chilled water system analysis tool software (CWSAT) is developed as a primary screening tool for energy evaluation. This tool quantifies the energy usage of the various chilled water systems and typical measures that can be applied to these systems to conserve energy. The tool requires minimum number of inputs to analyze the component-wise energy consumption and incurred overall cost. This thesis also examines various energy conservation measures that are available for chilled water systems. The components, arrangements, and the common energy conservation opportunities for chilled water systems are presented. The new version of the tool is developed in Object Oriented Programming Language Microsoft Visual Basic.Net© to maintain the tool latest with current technology, add and expand capabilities and avoid obsolescence. Many Improvements to the previous tool are made to improve quality and the types of the systems the tool can handle. The development of the new routines and interfaces is also accommodated in the new version to make the tool universal. In order to determine the accuracy of the new version of the tool, a comparison is made between the results from the previous and new version of the tool. The results of the comparisons are presented.

Master of Science / Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering / Donald L. Fenton / Emergency cooling systems are applied to any application where the loss of cooling results in damage to the product, loss of data, or equipment failure. Facilities using chilled water for cooling that experience an electrical power outage, even a small one, would cause the chiller to shut down for 20 minutes or more. If emergency cooling is not available, temperatures would continue to increase to dangerous levels, potentially damaging the facility. Examples of facilities that could be protected by having emergency cooling systems are data centers, hospitals, banks, control rooms, laboratories, clean rooms, and emergency shelters among others. This project addresses the current lack of information and methods needed to correctly design emergency cooling systems. Three application uses were investigated for the possible benefits of having emergency cooling systems. The software TRNSYS was used to simulate five typical emergency cooling systems for each of the three applications. The characteristics and differences of the systems developed from the simulations were then analyzed and documented. The five systems simulated include a pressurized chilled water tank (parallel), atmospheric chilled water tank (parallel and series), low temperature chilled water tank (parallel), and ice storage tank (series). Simulations showed that low temperature chilled water tanks were less stratified than regular chilled water tanks by approximately 10%. Simulations also showed that the differences between atmospheric and pressurized tanks were negligible. Each tank discharged energy in the same manner and managed to replenish itself in the same amount of time. Examination of the different system configurations showed that tanks in series with the thermal load have issues with recharging due to its inability to isolate itself from the thermal load. It was also observed that while low temperature chilled water and ice storage tanks had the potential of reducing the storage tank volume, the amount of time ragged cooling will last is decreased by at least a factor of two. The examination of the five systems produced the desired design methodologies needed to address the lack of information on emergency cooling systems. With the reported information designers can effectively engineer systems to meet their needs.

A inseminação artificial em caninos representa uma atividade importante no manejo reprodutivo desta espécie. O uso de sêmen resfriado, preservado por um determinado espaço de tempo, com a conservação da viabilidade espermática torna-se indispensável. Para a preservação a 4ºC torna-se necessário o conhecimento de curvas de resfriamento mais adequadas para um determinado diluente a ser utilizado. No presente experimento foram utilizados 11 cães adultos, dos quais foram colhidos 5 ejaculados de cada e que após exame imediato avaliando aspecto, volume, motilidade, vigor, concentração, HOST (teste hiposmótico), IME (integridade de membrana) e formas patológicas, foram submetidos a diluição com tris-gema. Após a diluição os ejaculados foram novamente avaliados quanto à motilidade, vigor, HOST e IME. Foram iniciados dois procedimentos de refrigeração dos ejaculados fracionados, um a uma velocidade de -0,1ºC/minuto e outro a -0,3ºC/minuto. Vinte quatro e quarenta e oito horas após foram avaliados motilidade e vigor nas duas amostras. Os exames de HOST e IME foram realizados após quarenta e oito horas de resfriamento. Diferenças quanto à qualidade do sêmen dos diferentes cães foram encontradas. Quanto as diferentes velocidade de resfriamento não foram observadas diferenças. Foram constatadas diferenças na qualidade do sêmen recém diluído e após o resfriamento, porém a qualidade do sêmen se manteve inalterada entre vinte e quatro e quarenta e oito horas após o resfriamento. / The artificial insemination in canines represents an important activity in reproductive management of this species. The use of chilled semen, preserved for a determined amount of time, with conserved spermatic viability has become a necessity. For the preservation at 4o C it has become necessary to know the most adequate chilling curve for the chosen extender. In this experiment, 11 adult dogs were used, who each contributed 5 ejaculates which were immediately examined for volume, motility, vigor, concentration, HOST (hyposmotic test), IME (membrane integrity) and pathological forms, and then diluted with tris-egg yolk. The ejaculates were mixed with extender then evaluated for motility, vigor, HOST and IME. Two cooling procedures were started on the fractionate ejaculates, one at a velocity of -0.1oC per minute and the other at -0.3oC per minute. Twenty-four and fortyeight hours later the two samples were evaluated for motility and vigor. The HOST and IME exams were performed forty-eight hours after chilling. Differences in semen quality were found between the different dogs. There were no differences with the two cooling rates. Differences were found in semen quality right after dilution and after the colling process; however semen quality shows no difference between twenty-four and forty-eight hours after chilling.

The Achilles heel of the heat pump technology has for long been the low efficiency occurring during domestic hot water production. The problem is the high condensation pressure needed to reach high temperatures. To produce domestic hot water, the system need to deliver a supply temperature of about 60 °C, to be compared with a supply temperature of around 30-50 °C when heat is delivered to a radiator circuit. This drawback has for long held the heat pump technology back and instead gave room for alternative technologies on the market, like district heating.The Energy Machine is a heat pump system developed to bypass the poor efficiency during domestic hot water heating. The technology is based on the use of two heat pumps working together. The main heat pump delivers heat to the heating system, as usual, whilst the second smaller heat pump heats the domestic hot water. As the second heat pump is fed with reject heat from a subcooler in the main heat pump, it can operate at high efficiency, even when producing domestic hot water.The aim of this master thesis has been to investigate how the performance of the Energy Machine differs from that of a conventional heat pump system. In order to do so, models describing the two systems have been designed using MATLAB, Simulink. Simulations have then been performed to investigate how the two systems perform on an annual basis.The results of the simulations show that the Energy Machine performs much better than the conventional systems at most operating conditions, especially during domestic hot water heating. The annual COP- factor of the Energy Machine has proven to be 33,5 % higher than that of a conventional heat pump system. / Värmepumpsteknikens akilleshäl har sedan lång tid tillbaka varit den låga verkningsgraden som uppstår vid tappvarmvattenproduktion. Problemet är att det krävs mycket högt kondenseringstryck för att uppnå den höga framledningstemperatur som efterfrågas vid tappvarmvattenproduktion. Normalt krävs en temperatur omkring 60 °C vid tappvarmvattenproduktion, att jämföras med 30-50 °C då värme levereras ut på en radiatorkrets. Detta problem har länge hållt värmepumpstekninken tillbaka och istället givit utrymme för alternativ teknik på marknaden, såsom fjärrvärme.Energimaskinen, eller Energy Machine, är ett värmepumpssystem utvecklat för att kringgå problemet med den låga verkningsgraden vid tappvarmvattenproduktion. Tekniken bygger på två värmepumpar som arbetar tillsammans. En basmaskin används för att leverera värme ut på värmesystemet, medan en mindre värmepump används för att producera tappvarmvatten. Den mindre värmepumpen matas med värme från en underkylare i basmaskinen, vilket ger hög förångningstemperatur och därmed hög COP faktor, även vid tappvarmvattenproduktion.Målet med projektet har varit att jämföra prestandan hos en Energy Machine med ett konventionellt värmepumpssystem. För att kunna göra dettta har två modeller designats, en modell som beskriver en Energy Machine och en modell som beskriver ett konventionellt värmepumpssystem. Modellerna gjordes i MATLAB, Simulink, och simuleringar utfördes varpå resultaten tolkades och jämfördes.Resultaten från simuleringarna visar att en Energy Machine presterar mycket bättre än ett konventionellt värmepumpssystem i de allra flesta driftfallen , men särskilt vid tappvarmvattenproduktion. Simuleringarna visar att COP- faktorn på årsbasis för en Energy Machine är 33,5 % högre än den för ett konventionellt värmepumpssystem.

This dissertation proposed a new methodology for determining the optimal operating strategies for a chilled water storage system under a Time-of-Use electricity rate structure. It is based on a new classification of operating strategies and an investigation of multiple search paths. Each operating strategy consists of a control strategy and the maximum number of chillers running during the off-peak and on-peak periods. For each month, the strategy with the lowest monthly billing cost and minimal water level higher than the setpoint is selected as the optimal operating strategy for the current month. A system model is built to simulate the tank water level at the end of each time step and the system total power during each time step. This model includes six sub-models. Specifically, the plant model is a forward model using a wire-to-water concept to simulate the plant total power. For the Thermal Energy Storage (TES) model, the tank state is described with total chilled water volume in the tank and its derivation is the tank charging or discharging flow rate. A regression model is adopted to simulate the loop supply and return temperature difference as well as the loop total flow rate demand. In the control strategy sub-model, except for three conventional control strategies and the operation without TES, a new control strategy is advanced to load the chiller optimally. The final results will be a table showing the monthly control strategy and maximal number of chillers staged on during the off-peak and on-peak periods, an approach which is easy for the operators to follow. Two project applications of this methodology are introduced in this dissertation. One is an existing TES system with state-of-the-art control and metering systems. The monthly optimal operating strategies are generated, which will achieve significant savings. The comparisons among different control strategies are also provided. The other application consists of multiple plants with little data. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the economic feasibility of designing a new chilled water storage tank and sharing it among four plants. This problem can be solved with a simplified system model, and an optimal tank size is recommended.

District Cooling Systems (DCS) have been widely applied in large institutions such as universities, government facilities, commercial districts, airports, etc. The hydraulic system of a large DCS can be complicated. They often stem from an original design that has had extensive additions and deletions over time. Expanding or retrofitting such a system involves large capital investment. Consideration of future expansion is often required. Therefore, a thorough study of the whole system at the planning phase is crucial. An effective hydraulic model for the existing DCS will become a powerful analysis tool for this purpose. Engineers can use the model to explore alternative system configurations to find an optimal way of accommodating the DCS hydraulic system to the planned future unit. This thesis presents the first complete procedure for the use of commercial simulation software to construct the hydraulic model for a large District Cooling System (DCS). A model for one of the largest DCS hydraulic systems in the United States has been developed based on this procedure and has been successfully utilized to assist its master planning study.

A inseminação artificial em caninos representa uma atividade importante no manejo reprodutivo desta espécie. O uso de sêmen resfriado, preservado por um determinado espaço de tempo, com a conservação da viabilidade espermática torna-se indispensável. Para a preservação a 4ºC torna-se necessário o conhecimento de curvas de resfriamento mais adequadas para um determinado diluente a ser utilizado. No presente experimento foram utilizados 11 cães adultos, dos quais foram colhidos 5 ejaculados de cada e que após exame imediato avaliando aspecto, volume, motilidade, vigor, concentração, HOST (teste hiposmótico), IME (integridade de membrana) e formas patológicas, foram submetidos a diluição com tris-gema. Após a diluição os ejaculados foram novamente avaliados quanto à motilidade, vigor, HOST e IME. Foram iniciados dois procedimentos de refrigeração dos ejaculados fracionados, um a uma velocidade de -0,1ºC/minuto e outro a -0,3ºC/minuto. Vinte quatro e quarenta e oito horas após foram avaliados motilidade e vigor nas duas amostras. Os exames de HOST e IME foram realizados após quarenta e oito horas de resfriamento. Diferenças quanto à qualidade do sêmen dos diferentes cães foram encontradas. Quanto as diferentes velocidade de resfriamento não foram observadas diferenças. Foram constatadas diferenças na qualidade do sêmen recém diluído e após o resfriamento, porém a qualidade do sêmen se manteve inalterada entre vinte e quatro e quarenta e oito horas após o resfriamento. / The artificial insemination in canines represents an important activity in reproductive management of this species. The use of chilled semen, preserved for a determined amount of time, with conserved spermatic viability has become a necessity. For the preservation at 4o C it has become necessary to know the most adequate chilling curve for the chosen extender. In this experiment, 11 adult dogs were used, who each contributed 5 ejaculates which were immediately examined for volume, motility, vigor, concentration, HOST (hyposmotic test), IME (membrane integrity) and pathological forms, and then diluted with tris-egg yolk. The ejaculates were mixed with extender then evaluated for motility, vigor, HOST and IME. Two cooling procedures were started on the fractionate ejaculates, one at a velocity of -0.1oC per minute and the other at -0.3oC per minute. Twenty-four and fortyeight hours later the two samples were evaluated for motility and vigor. The HOST and IME exams were performed forty-eight hours after chilling. Differences in semen quality were found between the different dogs. There were no differences with the two cooling rates. Differences were found in semen quality right after dilution and after the colling process; however semen quality shows no difference between twenty-four and forty-eight hours after chilling.

A inseminação artificial em caninos representa uma atividade importante no manejo reprodutivo desta espécie. O uso de sêmen resfriado, preservado por um determinado espaço de tempo, com a conservação da viabilidade espermática torna-se indispensável. Para a preservação a 4ºC torna-se necessário o conhecimento de curvas de resfriamento mais adequadas para um determinado diluente a ser utilizado. No presente experimento foram utilizados 11 cães adultos, dos quais foram colhidos 5 ejaculados de cada e que após exame imediato avaliando aspecto, volume, motilidade, vigor, concentração, HOST (teste hiposmótico), IME (integridade de membrana) e formas patológicas, foram submetidos a diluição com tris-gema. Após a diluição os ejaculados foram novamente avaliados quanto à motilidade, vigor, HOST e IME. Foram iniciados dois procedimentos de refrigeração dos ejaculados fracionados, um a uma velocidade de -0,1ºC/minuto e outro a -0,3ºC/minuto. Vinte quatro e quarenta e oito horas após foram avaliados motilidade e vigor nas duas amostras. Os exames de HOST e IME foram realizados após quarenta e oito horas de resfriamento. Diferenças quanto à qualidade do sêmen dos diferentes cães foram encontradas. Quanto as diferentes velocidade de resfriamento não foram observadas diferenças. Foram constatadas diferenças na qualidade do sêmen recém diluído e após o resfriamento, porém a qualidade do sêmen se manteve inalterada entre vinte e quatro e quarenta e oito horas após o resfriamento. / The artificial insemination in canines represents an important activity in reproductive management of this species. The use of chilled semen, preserved for a determined amount of time, with conserved spermatic viability has become a necessity. For the preservation at 4o C it has become necessary to know the most adequate chilling curve for the chosen extender. In this experiment, 11 adult dogs were used, who each contributed 5 ejaculates which were immediately examined for volume, motility, vigor, concentration, HOST (hyposmotic test), IME (membrane integrity) and pathological forms, and then diluted with tris-egg yolk. The ejaculates were mixed with extender then evaluated for motility, vigor, HOST and IME. Two cooling procedures were started on the fractionate ejaculates, one at a velocity of -0.1oC per minute and the other at -0.3oC per minute. Twenty-four and fortyeight hours later the two samples were evaluated for motility and vigor. The HOST and IME exams were performed forty-eight hours after chilling. Differences in semen quality were found between the different dogs. There were no differences with the two cooling rates. Differences were found in semen quality right after dilution and after the colling process; however semen quality shows no difference between twenty-four and forty-eight hours after chilling.