Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
7-17-2025
Abstract
Frost formation in fin-and-tube heat exchangers in turbulent cross-flow presents significant challenges in industrial refrigeration applications, affecting heat transfer efficiency and operational reliability. The purpose of this work is to investigate frost deposition and growth on a staggered bank of a fin-and-tube freezer coil under turbulent forced convection conditions. The focus here is on investigating conditions that closely replicate real-world scenarios in large walk-in industrial freezers. Using a direct numerical simulation approach, we examine the flow dynamics and thermal behaviour in the presence of frost, considering turbulent regimes characterized by a Reynolds number in the range 1050≤𝑅𝑒𝐷,avg≤4800, with the characteristic length being the outer diameter of the tube and the velocity being the bulk fluid velocity between the plates (fins). Computational fluid dynamics simulations are employed to resolve the interactions between turbulent airflow and the frost layer. Our approach incorporates a modified immersed boundary method and a slow-time acceleration technique to address the complex dynamic interface between the continuously evolving frost layer and the flowing air stream. Our findings indicate that frost forms more on the sides of the finned surfaces (plates) and less on the tubes themselves.
Recommended Citation
Farzaneh, Mahsan, Nadim Zgheib, S. Balachandar, and S. A. Sherif. "Numerical simulation of frost formation and heat transfer on fin-and-tube heat exchangers in turbulent cross-flow." Philosophical Transactions A 383, no. 2301 (2025): 20240366. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2024.0366
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Publication Title
Philosophical Transactions A
DOI
10.1098/rsta.2024.0366
Comments
© 2025 The Authors. Published by the Royal Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by/4.0/, which permits unrestricted use, provided the original author and source are credited.