Entre às várias pessoas que contribuíram para a realização deste trabalho, agradeço: Primeiramente a DEUS e minha Nossa Senhora. Ao Professor Dr. Kamal A. R. Ismail, primeiramente, pela amizade, pela ajuda e apoio em todos os momentos da realização do meu doutorado, pela paciência em transmitir muito do seu valioso conhecimento, pela oportunidade e pela confiança que depositou em mim.Ao Professor Dr Carlos Teófilo Salinas Sedano, pela orientação deste trabalho e pela confiança que depositou em mim.À Fátima Lino de Morais, uma Muito Obrigada por todo o carinho e amizade por cada palavra de incentivo.
The frost growth on cold surfaces in evaporators is an undesirable phenomenon which becomes a problem for the thermal efficiency of the refrigeration systems because the ice layer acts as a thermal insulation, drastically reducing the rate of heat transfer in the system. Its accumulation implies an increase in energy demand and a decrease in the performance of various components involved in the refrigeration process, reducing its efficiency and making it necessary to periodically remove the frost, resulting in expenses for the defrost process. In the present work, a numerical-experimental analysis was performed in order to understand the formation process of porous ice in flat plates with different surface treatments and parameters. This understanding is of utmost importance to minimize the formation of porous ice on cold surfaces and improve equipment efficiency and performance. In this context, a low-cost experimental apparatus was developed, enabling an experimental analysis of the phenomenon under study. The environmental conditions evaluated are the temperature of the cold surface, room temperature, humidity, and air velocity. The material of the surfaces under study are aluminum, copper, and brass with different surface finishes, designated as smooth, grooved (hydrophilic), and varnished (hydrophobic). The numerical-experimental analysis demonstrates measurements and simulations of the thickness, surface temperature, and growth rate of the porous ice layer as a function of the elapsed time. The numerical results were in good agreement with the experimental results, indicating that the varnished surface, with hydrophobic characteristics, presents greater difficulty in providing the phenomenon. Therefore, the results showed that application of a coating allowed a significant reduction on the frost formation process contributing to the improvement of thermal efficiency and performance of refrigeration systems.
KEYWORDSFrost layer growth; frost thickness; minimization of frost; hydrophobic surface; refrigeration systems
Nomenclature
Bi
Biot number Bi mBiot number to mass transfer
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.