Finding a Solution for a
Chilly Challenge
Mom was right – leaving the refrigerator door open wastes
energy. A lack of discipline at home may not cause energy bills
to shoot sky high, but for grocery stores that have thousands of
consumers constantly opening and closing doors in the frozen
food section, the bottom line takes a hit.
consumer can reach in through layers of
cold and warm air that act as an invisible
door to grab an item.
Dr. Subrata Roy, UF mechanical and
aerospace engineering associate
professor and director of the Applied
Physics Research Group, is working with
four Ph.D. students on the project to
enhance the technology, determine
temperature changes and review
the level of performance in power
consumption for efficiency.
“Plasma jets have numerous
Most grocery and convenience stores have freezers with pull
doors that typically hold ice cream and frozen dinners, and opencase refrigerators that store meats and dairy products. Those
types of displays are estimated to represent 35 percent and 55
percent of the total energy consumption of grocery stores and
convenience stores, respectively.
To lessen this impact, Gainesville’s