Battery-Free Solar PCM Tomato Cold Storage with FEATool

Keeping harvested tomatoes cool is difficult in off-grid tropical regions, where high ambient temperatures accelerate deterioration but reliable electricity may not be available. Solar-powered refrigeration can provide daytime cooling, but maintaining low temperatures after sunset commonly requires electrochemical batteries. This study instead investigates whether phase change material (PCM) can store cooling thermally and provide a battery-free alternative for small-scale cold storage.



The researchers developed a coupled refrigeration and thermal-storage simulation framework. COCO modeled the propane R-290 vapor-compression refrigeration cycle, while FEATool Multiphysics modeled transient heat transfer and solid-liquid phase change within the PCM and tomato storage chamber. The combined simulations showed that PCM storage can buffer the chamber against temperature changes and substantially extend cooling into periods without solar input, supporting the feasibility of battery-free operation under the simulated tropical conditions.

Read more and download FEATool Multiphysics from http://www.featool.com/model-showcase/2026-08-27-Tomato-Cold-Storage/