Prediction and Evaluation of Frosting Surface on Cylindrical Structure Using Growth Rate Model

Icing and frosting on a surface can cause critical degradation in mechanical performance. In the aviation and astronautical fields, lots of accidents and safety issues have been attributed to this problem. Various prediction models for frost formation have been developed to address this issue. In the present study, we apply a newly developed model to numerical prediction of frost formation on a cylindrical surface. The proposed model in the present study is based on the growth rate from the Arrhenius formula considering Gibbs free energy term with the entropy difference. The overall frost properties are calculated using the correlation for the diffusivity of vapor in humid air. The approach is validated by comparing the computational results with the experimental data obtained from previous literatures. The results generally show similar trends to the measurement data. It is expected that a better treatment for the heat and mass balances in the early period of the growth would rectify the discrepancy between the measurements and the computation. The predicted results are within an error range of ± 25%, and thus the present model is expected to be applicable not only to a flat surface but also to more complex surfaces with curvature.