Experimental Study on Frost Crystal Morphologies and Frosting Characteristics under Different Working Pressures

Abstract

Frost usually grows on the cooling surface of heat transfer equipment, which often operates under different working pressures. In such conditions, one of the fundamental influencing factors of frosting, the diffusion coefficient of water vapor around the cooling surface, is different from that in the normal atmosphere pressure. In order to investigate the pressure effect on frosting, a test rig for frosting visualization is designed. The role of working pressure around the cooling surface on the frost crystal morphologies and frost layer characteristics is evaluated under different air parameters and temperatures of cooling surface. The vertical growth and lateral distribution of frost crystals are strongly related to working pressure around the cooling surface. More frost crystal morphologies and faster growth rate of frost layer are presented at a lower pressure. The frost thickness, frost accumulation and density reduce with higher pressure. The dimensionless correlation of frost thickness is proposed considering working pressure around the cooling surface, humid air parameters, and temperature of cooling surface.