Experimental study on the influence of base plate temperature and fin pitch on frosting characteristics of parallel cold plates

作者：Jiadong Ji, Jinhui Zhao, Xuwang Ni, Yuling Pan, Yongmei Li · 发表于：Case Studies in Thermal Engineering · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1016/j.csite.2025.106209 · 被引用次数：2 · 研究领域：Vibration and Dynamic Analysis、Icing and De-icing Technologies、Advanced Surface Polishing Techniques

Frosting on the surface of heat exchangers will significantly impact system performance. To alleviate adverse effects, it is important to analyze the frosting characteristics. The study aims to investigate the effects of base plate temperature and fin pitch on the frosting characteristics of parallel cold plates under natural convection. The frosting period, frost thickness, dynamic frosting rate, and surface roughness were analyzed when the base plate temperature varied from −25 °C to −10 °C and the fin pitch was 1 mm–3 mm. The results show that droplet nucleation and coalescence are the main factors in the initial period of frosting, and lower base plate temperature is conducive to the formation of smaller droplet sizes. The frost thickness increases with time and eventually stabilizes, exhibiting a stepwise growth trend under the influence of fin pitch. The dynamic frosting rate rapidly increases during the droplet condensation and coalescence period and then sharply decreases, followed by fluctuations around 0. The condition for the appearance of the feather-shaped frost crystal and its role in reducing the frost layer surface roughness has been further elucidated. This study aims to provide a scientific theoretical reference for suppression and defrosting in engineering practice.