Heat and Mass Transfer Characteristics of a Finned-Tube Evaporator Under Frosting Conditions

An experimental study was performed to investigate the heat and mass transfer characteristics of a finned-tube evaporator coil utilized in a domestic refrigerator under frosting conditions. Airside heat transfer coefficient was measured as a function of air temperature, humidity ratio, air velocity, and evaporating temperature. In addition, frost thickness was monitored and measured by visualization tests during frosting operation. Based on the experimental results, the degradation of heat transfer performance due to frost formation was explored as a function of operating parameters. The rate of frost formation on the evaporator increases at relatively high humidity, high airflow rate, low inlet air temperature and low refrigerant temperature. As the frost thickness increases, airflow rate gradually decreases, while the capacity increases at the early stage of frost formation and then significantly drops.