Mean velocity and TKE measurements in a refrigerator machine room using magnetic resonance velocimetry

Improving the energy efficiency and flow noise of a refrigerator is critical to manufacturers. To this end, it is essential to comprehend the flow distribution and turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) characteristics of the machine room of the refrigerator. We analyzed the characteristics of the mean velocity and TKE obtained by magnetic resonance velocimetry (MRV) with a 1/2 scale-down, 3D-printed model of a refrigerator machine room. As a result, we proposed an improved geometry resulting in a better flow distribution and a higher flow rate across a condenser and a lower TKE in the machine room. We will discuss the results of flow visualization in detail as well as the MRV’s capabilities in measuring the 3-dimensional, 3-component velocity and TKE for highly complex and opaque geometries.