Diseño y simulación de un sistema de congelación para la conservación de 1000 kg de camarón hasta -20 °C utilizando 𝐶𝑂2 como fluido refrigerante

Abstract

This technological proposal shows the design of a freezing system for the conservation of 1000 kg of shrimp up to a temperature of -20 °C, using carbon dioxide (R-744) as a cooling fluid in a compression cycle in a subcritical regime and is verified by computerized simulation. The study includes the thermodynamic analysis of the shrimp freezing process, the calculation of the total thermal requirements of the system and the dimensioning of the main refrigeration components, considering technical, environmental and operational criteria. In addition, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is used to analyze the airflow and thermal distribution in the system, in order to verify the uniformity of the process and the correct extraction of heat from the product. The results obtained show that the designed system manages to achieve and uniformly maintains the target temperature of -20 °C in the shrimp load, validating the thermal design and equipment selection. Likewise, the use of 𝐶𝑂2 as a refrigerant represents an environmentally sustainable alternative to conventional refrigerants, fulfilling the technical requirements for industrial applications for the freezing of fish products.