Numerical simulation of wind field characteristics and enhanced heat exchange performance for the novel bucket-shaped anti-frosting evaporator.

In the previous research, a new type of anti-frost evaporator for air source heat pumps was proposed. It has been verified through experiments that it has a good anti-frost effect and enhanced heat exchange characteristics. However, the mechanism of enhanced heat exchange is not clear, which makes it impossible to guide the improvement of the heat exchanger structure. For this purpose, this paper uses numerical simulation to study the flow and heat exchange characteristics on the air side of the heat exchanger. By comparing with the traditional suction method, the influence of blowing air on the air field and heat exchange characteristics inside the bucketshaped evaporator is investigated. The results show that compared with the traditional suction mode, the blowing air field in the bucket-shaped anti-frost evaporator has denser vortices and stronger disturbances, with larger heat transfer coefficients and heat transfer quantities. Making full use of the characteristics of the blowing vortices is the key to enhancing heat transfer, which lays a theoretical foundation for the subsequent optimization of the heat exchanger structure.