This model should be compared with the HotFood model, which simulates the addition of hot food to a normally loaded refrigerator.

The other model in this example is DoorOpening, which simulates the effects of opening and closing the compartment doors.

Simulation

The model simulates the effect of a piece of hot food added at t=0 seconds to a refrigerator that is nearly empty, with only a small amount of fresh and frozen food stored in the compartments.

To simulate the model, click the Simulate button:

By default, the model is simulated over a period of 7200 seconds.

Visualization

After simulating the model, look at the displayed plot of the food and air temperatures in the refrigerator compartment. The plot looks like this:

You can see that the fresh food temperature increases by about 7 K, outside acceptable limits. The low thermal mass of the near-empty refrigerator also leads to excessively frequent thermostat switching, visible after t=5500 seconds.

By simulating the HotFood model, you can see the effect of adding hot food to a normally loaded refrigerator instead of a near-empty one:

You can see that, in the normally loaded refrigerator, the fresh food temperature increases by about 2 K, which is within acceptable limits.

Other Scenario

Try simulating the other model in this example, DoorOpening, to explore the effects of opening and closing the refrigerator and freezer compartment doors.