Abstract
Frost formation is a phenomenon where both heat and mass transfer occur simultaneously, and these two processes are known to be linked to each other. Frost formation is also an unsteady phenomenon with the accompanying crystal growth. In this study, we micro-machined groves of the order of several hundred micrometers on the cooling surface to investigate their effects on the frosting phenomena, under the state of natural convection. Experiments showed that both the frost layer thickness and amount of frost could be reduced by the micro-grooves. In these experiments, we also observed that frost crystals would not be formed inside the grooves. Heat transfer measurements showed that the micro-machined shape did not significantly affect the heat transfer.
