Seasonal performance of air conditioners: the effect of frost formation on the performance of a parallel-plate heat exchanger
The frost-formation process and its effect on the performance of a parallel-plate heat exchanger were modeled and experimentally investigated. A frost-growth model was developed which: (1) treated the frost layer as a porous media, (2) incorporated empirical relationships from previous studies for the thermal conductivity and tortuosity as a function of density, and (3) estimated frost growth as a function of time, plate temperature, air temperature, air humidity, Reynolds number, and location on the plate. A heat-exchanger test loop was built and tested to experimentally investigate the frost-formation process and to verify the model. Test conditions were limited to plate temperatures from -12 to -5/sup 0/C, air-humidity ratios fom 0.00382 to 0.00514 kJ/kg/sub a/, Reynolds numbers from 4400 to 32,400, and air temperatures from 5 to 12/sup 0/C.
- Research Organization:
- Purdue Univ., Lafayette, IN (USA). Ray W. Herrick Labs.
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC02-80CS23337
- OSTI ID:
- 5865320
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/CS/23337-T4; ON: DE83016057
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
320100* -- Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization-- Buildings
BLOWERS
COOLING SYSTEMS
CRYSTALLIZATION
ENERGY SYSTEMS
ENERGY TRANSFER
FROST
HEAT EXCHANGERS
HEAT PUMPS
HEAT TRANSFER
HUMIDITY
ICE
PERFORMANCE
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE
TESTING