Review on Anti-Frost Technology Based on Microchannel Heat Exchanger

Frosting is an inevitable adverse phenomenon in many fields such as industrial refrigeration, cryogenics, and heat pump air conditioning, which may influence the efficiency of the equipment and increase the energy consumption of the system. The complicated louvered-fin structure and fluid-channels arrangements of the microchannel heat exchanger (HEX) will affect the heat transfer performance and frosting characteristics. First, this article analyzes different factors such as refrigerant distribution, refrigerant flow pattern, and HEX surface temperature distribution. Further, combined with the features of the microchannel HEX, the existing anti-frosting technologies and various methods of surface treatment for anti-frosting are summarized. The review focuses on the preparation of superhydrophobic surfaces and their superior properties. Furthermore, the internal mechanism is analyzed in conjunction with the relevant research of our group. Superhydrophobic character has excellent anti-frosting performance and heat transfer performance, which is of great significance for improving energy-saving and system performance. Finally, the future development of superhydrophobic surface technology is analyzed and prospected.