Optimization of structure-material-gap for soft gaskets used in a refrigerator-freezer

As a key component connecting the door and cabinet in refrigerator-freezers, gaskets play a vital role in sealing and thermal insulation. Previous studies did not systematically research the factors about gasket optimizations. This study focuses on optimizing three single-factor of the gasket to reduce its heat load: structure, material, and gap. For each factor, two optimizations were proposed. Numerical simulations were conducted to evaluate the improvement of the optimized gasket in thermal insulation performance. The optimized effect of two structurally optimized gaskets is 34.89 % and 31.60 %. The optimized effect of two material optimized gaskets using foamed PVC and hollow microsphere PVC is 8.12 % and 9.11 %. The optimized effect of two optimized gaps is 3.18 % and 9.84 %. Heat transfer equations were then established to reveal the five inherent parameters contributing to the reduction in heat load of the gasket. The study further proposed dual-factor and triple-factor combined optimizations, analyzing the effects of structure-material, structure-gap, material-gap, and structure-material-gap optimizations using the heat transfer equation. Numerical simulation results showed the average optimized effect of structure-material was 39.58 %, structure-gap was 38.67 %, material-gap was 14.37 %, and structure-material-gap was 44.31 %. The study explained the attenuation characteristics of the effects of the various combined optimizations from the above numerical simulation results. Finally, in experiments of the reduction in energy consumption of the refrigerator-freezer. The effects of structural, material and structure-material optimization are 3.06 %, 1.61 %, and 3.56 %. The study aims to reduce energy consumption of refrigerator-freezers via gasket optimization to promote energy conservation and emission reduction in the refrigerator-freezer industry, with the optimizations expected to significantly reduce carbon emissions by 14.22 million tons per year.