Experimental study on frost suppression for ASHP combining superhydrophobic heat exchanger and air flow

In order to improve the anti-frosting performance of superhydrophobic fin-tube heat exchanger (SFHE) in ASHP, a frost suppression method was put forward, by using air flow action on the SFHE surface intermittently to remove the condensate droplets at early stage of frosting. The anti-frosting performance of the improved method was analyzed, and its energy consumption was evaluated. Experimental results showed that the frost suppression method could significantly improve the anti-frosting performance of the SFHE, and the degree of the improvement increased with the increase in velocity and temperature of the air flow. When the additional energy consumption for achieving the air flow was considered, the total heating capacity of the ASHP increased by 14.8-32.0% and the mean COP 11.8-29.4% in a comparison period. Therefore, the frost suppression method combining SFHE and air flow, not only improved the anti-frosting performance of the SFHE but also increased the heating performance of the ASHP.