2020 Volume 37 Issue 4 Pages 431-
In this study, the effect of the surface properties on the microstructure of the ice crystal in the frost layer is investigated by using the X-ray micro CT. The frost formation process begins with the condensation of water vapor on the cold surface as the supercooled liquid water droplets. After freezing the droplets, the columnar crystals appear from the top of the ice droplets, and the frost layer is formed. The surface properties of the cooling surface affect the droplet shapes of the dropwise condensation on the initial stage of frost formation. In this study, the frost layer is formed on the silicon substrate with different contact angles of less than 15 deg. or 96.2 deg. On the hydrophobic surface, the relatively small ice droplets are formed on the silicon substrate, and the plate type ice crystals cover on the ice droplets. The local frost density became small at the upper part of the plate type ice crystals.
