Building a physics-based virtual refrigerated container filled with fruit in ventilated packaging.

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Engineering
• Food Science
• Supply Chain Management

Background:

• Refrigerated transport is crucial for preserving fruit quality during long-distance shipping.
• Understanding cargo cooling dynamics and quality degradation is essential for minimizing food loss.
• Existing physics-based models often lack detailed simulation of airflow and individual fruit cooling.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a physics-based model of a refrigerated container for simulating fruit cooling and quality loss.
• To provide a foundation for digital twin applications in cold chain logistics.
• To identify critical points of quality degradation within the supply chain.

Main Methods:

• A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model using a two-phase porous media approach was developed.
• The model simulates airflow within the container and the cooling process for each individual fruit.
• Thermally-driven quality loss in fruit was modeled, incorporating remaining shelf life and cooling time metrics.

Main Results:

• A validated physics-based model of a refrigerated container with ventilated fruit packaging was successfully built.
• The model accurately simulates airflow and the cooling process of individual fruits within the cargo.
• Actionable metrics for fruit quality, such as remaining shelf life, were defined and applied.

Conclusions:

• The developed model enhances understanding of cargo cooling and quality loss in refrigerated supply chains.
• This validated model serves as a key component for creating a digital twin of refrigerated containers.
• Stakeholders can utilize this model to optimize temperature control and improve fruit quality preservation, thereby reducing food loss.