Share

IIR document

On-board refrigeration for indian fishing vessels: experimental evaluation of a propane-driven flake ice system.

Number: 18317

Author(s) : SINGHA P., DASGUPTA M. S., WIDELL K. N.

Summary

India, the world’s second-largest seafood producer, contributes about 8% of global output and exported 1.78 million metric tons of seafood, generating US$7.38 billion in 2023–24. Seafood harvesting is largely carried out by small fishing vessels, depending on shore-supplied ice for onboard preservation. This practice often results in operational inefficiencies, increased fuel consumption, and quality losses. This study develops and validates a numerical model of a diesel-engine-driven onboard flake ice generation system using R290 under high-ambient marine conditions. The model is validated using experimental data and applied to assess performance over a condensing temperature range of 36–42 °C. Comparative analysis with conventional HFC refrigerants (R404A and R407C) shows that R290 delivers up to 31.2% lower compressor power consumption and COP improvements of up to 31.3%. Although its heat recovery potential is lower, R290 achieves the highest combined COP, indicating superior overall energy utilisation and suitability for onboard refrigeration.

Acknowledgements
The authors acknowledge the support received from the ongoing Indo-Norwegian project – ‘INDEE3-Sustainable Cooling & Heating in India’ – funded by the Royal Norwegian Embassy in New Delhi and coordinated by SINTEF Ocean in Norway.

Available documents

Format PDF

Pages: 9 p.

Available

Free

Download

Details

  • Original title: On-board refrigeration for indian fishing vessels: experimental evaluation of a propane-driven flake ice system.
  • Record ID : 30034725
  • Languages: English
  • Subject: Technology
  • Source: 9th IIR International Conference on Sustainability and the Cold Chain. Proceedings: April 12-14 2026
  • Publication date: 2026/04
  • DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.18462/iir.iccc.2026.8317

Links


See other articles from the proceedings (52)
See the conference proceedings

Indexing