Effect of enthalpy exchanger on reducing frost accumulation on evaporator in frost-free refrigerator

Performance of a frost-free refrigerator may be deteriorated by frost accumulation on its evaporator surface. The objective of this study is to investigate the feasibility of using an enthalpy exchanger (EE) to reduce the frost accumulation on evaporator surface in frost-free refrigerator. The influence of EE on air circulation and the change process of air humidity is analyzed, and it is indicated that the application of EE is capable to decrease the amount of water vapor entering the evaporator and consequently reduce the frost accumulation on evaporator surface. The design process of EE in frost-free refrigerator is illustrated, and an optimal type of EE is presented. An experiment on a frost-free refrigerator shows that the application of EE decreases the frost accumulation by 18.8%. In addition, effects of EE on other main performances of frost-free refrigerator besides the frost accumulation are evaluated.