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A fundamental understanding of factors affecting frost nucleation.

Author(s) : NA B., WEBB R. L.

Type of article: Article

Summary

Theoretical analysis of the nucleation process for frost formation on a cold surface shows that the air at the cold surface should be supersaturated in order for frost nucleation to occur. The supersaturation degree is dependent on the surface energy, which is related to the water contact angle. The theoretical predictions were compared with experimental results, and reasonable agreement was obtained. Qualitatively, a low energy surface (high contact angle) requires higher supersaturation degree for frost nucleation than a high energy surface. Quantitatively, the experimental data shows that the low energy surface requires an approximately 10 times higher supersaturation degree than the low energy surface. The factors affecting the surface energy such as temperature, surface roughness, and foreign particles are discussed in this article.

Details

  • Original title: A fundamental understanding of factors affecting frost nucleation.
  • Record ID : 2004-0511
  • Languages: English
  • Source: International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer - vol. 46 - n. 20
  • Publication date: 2003/10

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