Review on the measurement and calculation of frost characteristics

• Published in: International journal of heat and mass transfer Vol. 124; pp. 586 - 614
• Main Authors: Song, Mengjie, Dang, Chaobin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01-09-2018; Elsevier BV
• Subjects: Aerospace industry; Air conditioners; Air conditioning; Boundary conditions; Cold surfaces; Comparative analysis; Correlation; Defrosting; Empirical analysis; Frost characteristics; Frost layer thickness; Heat conductivity; Heat transfer; Heating; Mass transfer; Mathematical models; Mathematical morphology; Measurement method; Measurement methods; Modeling study; Refrigeration; Thermal conductivity; Thickness; Transport phenomena; Ventilation; CFD; FLG; Frost characteristics; Correlation; DCA; ASHP; CG; LNG; CCD; COP; FLFG; STG; DBG; DWC; SPM; Frost layer thickness; TEPS; FEV; RH; Modeling study; Measurement method
• ISSN: 0017-9310; 1879-2189
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2018.03.094

•Literatures on frosting characteristics, correlations, and mathematical models are reviewed.•Mechanisms of the frost formation process and its influence are introduced.•Frost layer thickness measurement methods and all frost characteristics are summarized.•The existing gaps in the research works on frost are identified, with recommendations offered.
As a common physical phenomenon, frost deposition is inevitable and always has significant negative effects on several industry fields, such as aerospace, aviation, and heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration. To accurately predict and control a frosting–defrosting cycle, there is a need to understand the interrelated heat, mass, and momentum transport phenomena within the frost and at the air–frost interface, which is a moving boundary condition. Consequently, during the past several decades, there has been a continuous effort to advance the understanding and modeling of frost formation on cold surfaces on the basis of experimental, semi-empirical, theoretical, and numerical approaches. To provide an overview of the analytical tools for scholars, researchers, product developers, and policy designers, a review and a comparative analysis of the available literature on frosting characteristics, correlations, and mathematical models are presented in this study. The mechanisms of the frost formation process and its influence will be first introduced, followed by the presentation of methods for the measurement of the frost layer thickness and the frosting rate. Then, the frost characteristics, including the accumulation, the density, the thermal conductivity and morphology, and the heat and mass transfer coefficients, will be summarized. The existing gaps in the research works on frost will be identified, and recommendations will be offered as per the viewpoint of the present authors. Finally, the conclusions of this study will be given.