Ms. Pallavi Sankhe will present her MTP2 as per the details below:

Date: 1st July 2026

Time: 1430 – 1530 hrs.

Venue: C-TARA Conference Room No.1

Topic: CFD-Based Thermal Performance Analysis of Zero Energy Cool Chamber (ZECC) Using Bamboo Walls and Wet Sand Evaporative Cooling System

Guide: Prof. Chaaruchandra Korde

Examiners: Prof. G. N. Hariharan, Prof. M. V. Rane

Abstract:

India experiences significant post-harvest losses of fruits and vegetables due to the lack of affordable cold storage facilities in rural areas. The Zero Energy Cool Chamber (ZECC), which operates on the principle of passive evaporative cooling through wet sand walls, provides an electricity-free and sustainable storage solution for small and marginal farmers. Although bamboo-based ZECC prototypes have been experimentally developed at CTARA, IIT Bombay, a systematic Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)-based thermal performance analysis of these configurations has not been reported.

This study evaluates the thermal performance of a bamboo-based ZECC using two-dimensional steady-state CFD simulations in ANSYS Fluent 2026 R1. The study aimed to: (i) develop and validate a CFD model of the CTARA bamboo-based ZECC; (ii) compare the thermal performance of three inner wall configurations-bamboo, bamboo-GI composite, and GI sheet; (iii) investigate the effect of wet sand layer thickness (25 mm, 75 mm, 100 mm, and 125 mm) on cooling performance; (iv) identify the optimum wall material and sand thickness for effective cooling; and (v) validate the numerical results using published literature and CTARA experimental observations.

Six CFD simulations were performed to analyse temperature distribution, airflow patterns, and natural convection within the chamber. The results demonstrated that the bamboo wall configuration achieved the best thermal performance, reducing the chamber temperature by 12.3°C below ambient, while the GI sheet configuration exhibited the poorest insulation performance due to its high thermal conductivity. The sand thickness analysis indicated that increasing the sand layer improved cooling, with 75 mm identified as the practical optimum considering both cooling effectiveness and material requirements. The validated CFD model provides a reliable framework for optimizing future ZECC designs for sustainable, low-cost post-harvest storage in rural areas.

Keywords: Zero Energy Cool Chamber (ZECC), Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), ANSYS Fluent, Bamboo Walls, Evaporative Cooling, Thermal Performance, Natural Convection, Post-Harvest Storage, Sand Layer Thickness Optimization.