Comsol > Case Studies > Simulation Turns up the Heat and Energy Efficiency at Whirlpool Corporation

Simulation Turns up the Heat and Energy Efficiency at Whirlpool Corporation

Customer Company Size

Large Corporate

Region

Europe

Country

Italy

Product

Whirlpool Minerva Oven

Tech Stack

Finite Element Analysis (FEA)
Multiphysics Analysis

Implementation Scale

Enterprise-wide Deployment

Impact Metrics

Energy Saving
Environmental Impact Reduction
Innovation Output

Technology Category

Analytics & Modeling - Digital Twin / Simulation
Analytics & Modeling - Predictive Analytics

Applicable Industries

Consumer Goods
Renewable Energy

Applicable Functions

Product Research & Development
Quality Assurance

Use Cases

Energy Management System
Predictive Quality Analytics
Digital Twin

Services

Software Design & Engineering Services
System Integration

About The Customer

Whirlpool Corporation is the world’s largest home appliance manufacturer, known for its innovative and sustainable technologies. The company is committed to enhancing the resource efficiency of its products, particularly domestic ovens, which have significant room for improvement in terms of energy consumption. Whirlpool's R&D team in Italy is actively involved in the GREENKITCHEN® project, a European initiative aimed at developing energy-efficient home appliances with reduced environmental impact. The team is focused on studying the energy consumption of ovens by exploring heat transfer processes and testing new materials, manufacturing methods, and thermal element designs. Their goal is to reduce the energy consumption of Whirlpool’s ovens by 20 percent, contributing to a significant reduction in CO2 emissions and annual electricity usage in European residential homes.

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The Challenge

In terms of energy consumption, ovens have the most room for improvement of any appliance in the kitchen, with only 10 to 12 percent of the total energy expended used to heat the food being prepared. This is one of the reasons why Whirlpool Corporation, the world’s largest home appliance manufacturer, is exploring new solutions for enhancing the resource efficiency of their domestic ovens. Using a combination of experimental testing and finite element analysis (FEA), Whirlpool engineers are seeking solutions to improve energy efficiency by exploring new options for materials, manufacturing, and thermal element design. In partnership with the GREENKITCHEN® project, a European initiative that supports the development of energy-efficient home appliances with reduced environmental impact, researchers at Whirlpool R&D (Italy) are studying the energy consumption of their ovens by exploring the heat transfer processes of convection, conduction, and radiation. “Multiphysics analysis allows us to better understand the heat transfer process that occurs within a domestic oven, as well as test innovative strategies for increasing energy efficiency,” says Nelson Garcia-Polanco, Research and Thermal Engineer at Whirlpool R&D working on the GREENKITCHEN® project. “Our goal is to reduce the energy consumption of Whirlpool’s ovens by 20 percent.”

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The Solution

Whirlpool Corporation's R&D team, in collaboration with the GREENKITCHEN® project, is using a combination of experimental testing and finite element analysis (FEA) to explore new solutions for improving the energy efficiency of domestic ovens. The team is studying the heat transfer processes of convection, conduction, and radiation within the oven to better understand how to enhance energy efficiency. They created a model of Whirlpool’s Minerva oven to simulate its thermal performance during the standard 'brick test' used in the European Union to measure energy consumption. The simulation took into account various factors such as the emissivity of the glass door, the thickness of the walls, and the material properties of the walls. By comparing the simulation results with actual experimental data, the team was able to verify the accuracy of their model. This accurate simulation allows Whirlpool’s team to confidently test new design ideas and optimize the use of energy resources in the oven, ultimately leading to a robust, energy-efficient design for the European market.

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Operational Impact

The accurate simulation model allows Whirlpool’s team to probe the oven and brick at any point in space and time with confidence in the results they obtain.
The team can save both time and money by reducing the number of prototypes and design iterations needed before finalizing an oven design.
The verified model simplifies the verification of new design ideas and product alterations, helping designers find the right solution in less time.
The study confirmed the accuracy of the model, enabling the team to be confident in the results when testing future design ideas.
The knowledge gained from the simulation will help Whirlpool conduct further studies into different strategies for reducing energy consumption without compromising the final quality of the product.

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Quantitative Benefit

The goal is to reduce the energy consumption of Whirlpool’s ovens by 20 percent.
If only one electric oven is installed in every three households in Europe, the resulting increase in efficiency would reduce the annual electricity usage of European residential homes by around 850 terawatt-hours.
This would lead to a reduction of about 50 million tons in CO2 emissions per year.
The experimental results showed an average predicted value of 166 grams of evaporated water after 50 minutes, closely matching the actual value of 171 grams.

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