Molecular dynamics simulation of thermal de-icing on a nanochannel with hot fluids

Abstract

The thermal de-icing is an environmentally-friendly and high-efficiency technique to cope with ice accumulation issues. Herein, the thermal de-icing on a nanochannel with hot fluids is studied using the molecular dynamics simulation. Results show that the ice with a hexagonal network structure is gradually melted to the water with an amorphous structure from the ice mantle to the core. The ice temperature and the ice energy increase while the average number of hydrogen bonds decreases with the change of time. The rapid ice melting benefits from temperature differences between the ice and nanochannel which act as the driving force to promote the heat transfer. A large number of fluid atoms are trapped in low potential energy regions to participate in the interfacial heat transfer, which is conducive to the heat transfer between the ice and hot fluids of the nanochannel. The velocity slip occurs at the wall-fluid interface in the nanochannel. In addition, both the larger hot thermostat temperature and the stronger surface wettability between the ice and nanochannel can shorten the ice melting time, which are beneficial to the thermal de-icing on a nanochannel.