Modelling and experimental validation of the hot-gas defrost process of an air-cooled evaporator

A detailed transient simulation model has been developed to predict and evaluate the performance of the hot-gas defrost process of an air-coil evaporator. In the model, the defrost process is subdivided into six stages: preheating, tube frost melting start, fin frost melting start, air presence, tube-fin water film and dry-heating. In each stage, the control volume is subdivided into systems represented by a single node, which has the representative properties of the system. A finite difference approach was used to solve the model equations. The results include the time required to defrost, the distribution of the energy during defrost process, the instantaneous refrigerant properties and the instantaneous fin and tube temperature distribution. The results are compared with experimental data obtained in a local storage facility under actual operating conditions and also using data available in the literature. The model results substantially agree with the experimental data in both cases.