Analysis of Frost Formation and Novel Defrost Techniques for Commercial Refrigeration Applications

Frost formation presents a major challenge for the refrigeration industry, in both residential and commercial applications. Frost buildup increases pressure drop (resulting in higher fan power) and decreases heat transfer, due to the reduced air flow area and thermal conductivity when compared to the base heat exchanger material. Prior research and development in the area of frost removal and mitigation have focused on energy inefficient processes such as refrigeration process interruption, hot gas bypass and deployment of electric heaters that cause degradation in overall process efficiency. Under this project activity, Oak Ridge National Laboratory will partner with Hillphoenix to minimize the impact of frost growth on the heat exchanger surfaces used in commercial refrigeration and evaluate and develop novel mitigation methods, i.e. some will be done to predict frost and prevent frost formation, but the team will also look into novel ways to mitigate frost and water adhesion if it occurs.

Project Impact

This project will develop an understanding of frost formation on heat exchanger surfaces and establishment of framework to (i) delay frost formation and (ii) defrost using passive and active technique including radiations and vibrations. The team will demonstrate scalable and cost-effective defrosting techniques.