Comparative Analysis of Heat Flow Rates of Seven Cold-boxes Made of Different Varieties of Wood

The result of the comparative analysis of seven cold-boxes made of seven varieties of wood is presented in this study. Seven geometrically the same cold-boxes for fish storage were constructed. The boxes were made of Iya, Mansonia, Araba, Iroko, Mahogany, Oriro and Akomu and labeled 1-7, respectively for easy identification. The cold-boxes are rectangular in shape with each having an internal dimension of 0.2 0.15 0.1 m with thickness of 0.025 m. Each cold-box is lined both internally and externally with aluminum foil of 1.5 mm thickness. A 2.0 kg iced Jack fish was put in each of the seven cold-boxes for 6 h (between 10.00 and 16.00 h) and a digital multimeter was used to measure the temperature of the fish inside the cold-box every 30 min for 2 consecutive days. The result of the test showed that Mansonia wood had the least heat flow rate of 28.87 W and therefore, the most effective for fish preservation, while Iroko wood had the highest heat flow rate of 91.65 W, thus the least effective, of the seven varieties, for fish preservation.