Numerical Simulation of Frost Formation on a Plate-Fin Evaporator

In the present paper, the Eulerian-granular model is adopted, to predict the frost growth on one channel of a plate-fin
evaporator. A proper mass transfer model and modified frosting criteria are used to simulate the frost formation process. First, the
model is validated with experimental data obtained under various operating conditions. The numerical predictions for the frost
thickness and density are in good agreement with available experimental data. Furthermore, a parametric analysis is carried out to study
the impact of the geometrical parameters of a three-dimensional plate-fin evaporator. A qualitative comparison shows a good
agreement between the numerical data and experimental observations reported in the literature. One interesting outcome emerging from
this study is that the distance between refrigerant tubes can play an important role in the frosting time.