Modelling and experiments of dry ice sublimation in an insulation box

A crucial aspect of the cold chain involves maintaining temperature-sensitive products at the desired temperature during transportation to guarantee the safety and quality of perishable products and fulfil regulatory requirements set by various governing bodies. Dry ice is used as a cold agent for transporting temperature-sensitive products packed inside an insulation container. Since dry ice is commercially available in multiple forms and shapes, it is essential to predict the life of various types of dry ice inside an insulation container. In this work, the sublimation process of three types of dry ice, namely, snow, pellets, and slices, placed inside an insulation container made of expanded polystyrene is experimentally and numerically investigated. It is shown that the mass of dry ice inside the insulation container, irrespective of its form, decreases linearly with time for most of the sublimation process except towards the end of sublimation