Experimenting with Refrigerator Heat Gain: A Guide

[HoanCai]

This is an experiment I have to do...

Using a timer (or watch) and a thermometer, conduct the following experiment to determine the rate of heat gain of your refrigerator. First make sure that the door of the refrigerator is not opened for at least a few hours so that steady operating conditions are established. Start the timer when the refrigerator stops running and measure the time Dt1 it stays off before it kicks in. Then measure the time Dt2 it stays on. Noting that the heat removed during Dt2 is equal to the heat gain of the refrigerator during Dt1 + Dt2 and using the power consumed by the refrigerator when it is running, determine the average rate of heat gain for your refrigerator, in W. Take the COP (coefficient of performance) of your refrigerator to be 1.3 if it is not available.

I'm not sure where to start besides getting the Wattage of the fridge (Work to remove heat) and measuring the time it takes for the motor to come on and to remove heat. Can anyone help me on this?

 

[Jhero]

Hello, thank you for sharing your experiment with us. I can provide some guidance on how to conduct this experiment and calculate the rate of heat gain for your refrigerator.

First, you will need to gather the necessary materials: a timer or watch, a thermometer, and the power consumption of your refrigerator. It may also be helpful to have a notebook or spreadsheet to record your data.

Next, ensure that the door of your refrigerator has not been opened for a few hours to establish steady operating conditions. This will ensure that your measurements are accurate.

Start the timer when the refrigerator stops running and record the time, this will be your Dt1. Then, measure the time it stays on and record this as Dt2. It may be helpful to repeat this process a few times to get an average time for both Dt1 and Dt2.

Next, you will need to calculate the heat removed during Dt2. This can be done by using the power consumption of your refrigerator when it is running. The formula for power is P = W/t, where P is power in watts, W is work (heat removed in this case), and t is time in seconds. So, if your refrigerator consumes 500 watts of power during Dt2, the heat removed would be 500 x Dt2.

Now, using the formula for COP (Coefficient of Performance) which is COP = Q/W, where Q is heat removed and W is work, you can calculate the average rate of heat gain for your refrigerator. If the COP is not available, you can use the given value of 1.3.

I hope this helps you get started on your experiment. Remember to record all your data accurately and repeat the process a few times for more accurate results. Good luck!