Frost formation: optimizing solutions under a finite volume approach

Abstract

A three-dimensional transient formulation of the frost formation process is developed by means of a finite volume approach. Emphasis is put on the frost surface boundary condition as well as the wide range of empirical correlations related to the thermophysical and transport properties of frost. A study of the numerical solution is made, establishing the parameters that ensure grid independence. Attention is given to the algorithm, the discretised equations and the code optimization through dynamic relaxation techniques. A critical analysis of four cases is carried out by comparing solutions of several empirical models against tested experiments. As a result, a discussion on the performance of such parameters is started and a proposal of the most suitable models is presented.