OpenFOAM implementation of algebraic frosting model and its applications on heat pump evaporators

This paper presents the implementation of an algebraic frosting model into a general-purpose Navier-Stokes computational fluid dynamics (CFD) solver. The selected frosting model, derived from the energy and mass conservation equations, is used to predict the growth of the frost zone in space and time, and the resulting modification of the local flow characteristics within the non-frosted part of the domain. This implementation is used for a CFD analysis of the frosting behavior of a heat pump evaporator (represented through all relevant geometrical features) under realistic operating conditions. The obtained simulation results are compared with the findings of the experimental investigation of the fin-and-tube heat exchanger frosting, coming from the air-to-water heat pump measurements.