Oscillation effects on frost formation and liquid droplet solidification on a cold plate in atmospheric air flow

The present study is aimed to investigate the oscillation effects on the frost formation and the liquid droplet solidification on a cold plate in atmospheric air flow. A microscopic image system is used to observe the structure of the frost layer, and an electrodynamic shaker is designed to oscillate the cold plate at various amplitudes (D) and frequencies (f). The physical parameters considered in this study include the velocity, temperature, and relative humidity of the air (V, T-a, and phi), as well as the surface temperature of the cold plate (T-w), which is varied by adjusting the cooling refrigerant temperature (T-ref). The ranges of the physical variables considered in this study are: 2 less than or equal to V less than or equal to 8 m/s, 18 less than or equal to T-a less than or equal to 30 degreesC, 40% less than or equal to phi less than or equal to 70%, -18 less than or equal to T-ref (and T-w) less than or equal to 0 degreesC, 40 less than or equal to D less than or equal to 100 mum, and 100 less than or equal to f less than or equal to 200 Hz. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd and IIR. All rights reserved.