A dynamic modeling framework for energy performance evaluation and optimization of commercial chicory root storage

Commercial postharvest storage rooms consume electrical energy, yet opportunities for operational optimization remain underexplored. Existing models often represent refrigeration using predefined switching cycles or prescribed boundary conditions, without dynamically coupling cooling capacity to the evolving thermal state of the room. This study presents a validated dynamic computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model of a commercial chicory root storage room. The cooling battery, comprising the finned-tube heat exchanger and fans, was explicitly represented to capture transient airflow and heat transfer. Cooling capacity was controlled using a state-driven formulation that continuously adapted heat removal to thermal demand. Fan operation was described using manufacturer performance curves, including swirl effects, while fan electrical input was included as a thermal load. A baseline case with continuous fan operation was compared with reduced-airflow strategies involving deactivation of two of six fans and reduced-speed operation of all fans. An additional case combined fan deactivation with a lower cooling setpoint. Reduced airflow decreased median air velocity from 0.026 to 0.020–0.023 m s⁻ 1 and median heat-transfer coefficient from 3.27 to 2.94–3.09 W m⁻ 2 K⁻ 1 . It also increased temperature heterogeneity and localized warm regions, while lowering the cooling setpoint restored product temperature but not spatial uniformity. Reduced fan operation lowered total thermal load by up to 21% and total energy consumption by up to 40%. However, these savings were accompanied by modest changes in thermal conditions during prolonged storage. The results demonstrate the potential of dynamic CFD to quantify trade-offs between energy efficiency and product temperature control.