ANALISA PERFORMANSI COLD STORAGE HORTIKULTURA MENGGUNAKAN AIR CONDITIONER SPLIT 1 PK

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the performance of a horticultural cold storage system using a 1 PK split air conditioner (AC) as a more economical cooling alternative. The experiment was conducted at the Refrigeration Engineering Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Universitas Sumatera Utara, using 5 kg of kangkung (water spinach) as the cooling load. The tests were carried out under two conditions, namely without cooling load and with cooling load, while the storage temperature was maintained within a range of 5–7 °C. The analyzed parameters included compressor work, evaporator cooling capacity, electrical power consumption, and coefficient of performance (COP). The cooling system used R32 refrigerant. The results show that the cold storage system using a 1 PK split AC was able to achieve suitable storage temperatures for horticultural products and exhibited satisfactory system performance. Therefore, the use of a 1 PK split AC is considered feasible as an alternative cooling system for small- and medium-scale cold storage applications.