Research on heat transfer characteristics and cold trap capacity of a water catcher during vacuum pre-cooling

Effect of vacuum pre-cooling process on apples was a complex process of heat and mass transfers. The research is based on the physical properties of apples and their heat and mass transfer mechanisms during vacuum pre-cooling. As for the heat transfer characteristics of a water catcher in vacuum pre-cooling, the research studied the heat transfer mechanism and calculated the cold trap capacity by experimental means, and it cold trap capacity were evaluated to supply references for future research into the practical applications of such vacuum pre-cooling techniques. The results provide a theoretical basis for exploring better pre-cooling process conditions and the design of water catchers. The experimental results show that, when the wall temperature of the water catcher is -5°C, the optimal cold trap capacity is about 90.72g and the required cooling capacity is 210.13W in the vacuum pre-cooling of 201.9g of apples.