An experimental study of heat transfer on a tube bank under frost formation conditions

An experimental study of heat and mass transfer on a tube bank under frost formation conditions was conducted using a closed-loop wind tunnel. The tube bank was exposed to a controlled environment; surface temperature from -14 degrees C to -8 degrees C, relative humidity from 50% to 90%, air dry bulb temperature from 1 degrees C to 11 degrees C, average air velocity from 0.3 ms(-1) to 1.0 ms(-1), and Reynolds number from 518 to 1719. The results showed a non-uniform frost growth due to the air stream characteristics. When the Reynolds number increases a more uniform pattern becomes noticeable. The frost growth is more uniform on the last tube than on the first one, due to the aerodynamic differences. Sensible heat transfer has a greater impact on the total heat transfer, compared to latent heat transfer effect. The higher the frost layer growth the lower the frost deposition rate on the tubes. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd and IIR. All rights reserved.