A prototype solar-powered cold storage system, developed jointly by the faculty members of the National Institute of Technology, Tiruchi (NITT), and Indian Institute of Food Processing Technology, Thanjavur (IIFPT), was commissioned at the Industrial Automation Laboratory at the NITT on Saturday.
The project was funded by the Department of Science and Technology. The cold storage of two tonne capacity was inaugurated by Mini Shaji Thomas, Director, NITT, and C. Anandharamakrishnan, Director, Indian Institute of Food Processing Technology (IIFPT), in the presence of A.S.Ananthakrishnan, Chairman, Confederation of Indian Industry, Tiruchi Zone, and S.Rominus Valsalam, Former Associate Director, Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC), Thiruvananthapuram.
The objective of the cold storage system was to replicate a mobile multi-commodity cold storage system to store different fruits and vegetables towards reducing post-harvest losses. The system consisting of two cold rooms and a chiller unit kept in between the cold rooms.
The shelf life of fruits and vegetables can be increased by maintaining the temperature and humidity of the fruits and vegetables on the recommended range.
An unique aspect of the project is the use the Low Melting Temperature Phase Change Material (PCM) to store and circulate in the cold storage rooms instead of direct evaporation of refrigerant. The excess cold energy can be stored in the PCM and utilised in the absence of solar energy.
This is an energy saving and cost-effective system, a NITT press release said.
According to the project team, the technology is ready to be transferred to interested stakeholders. The project team from NITT included M.Jaya Bharata Reddy, N. Sivakumaran,V. Mariappan, S.Senthil Kumar, and G.Saravana Ilango.
M. Loganathan, and V.R Sinija were from the IIFPT, the release added.