A model for predicting the thermal-hydraulic performance of louvered-fin, flat-tube heat exchangers under frosting conditions

Correlations and a model are developed to predict the time-varying performance of folded-louvered-fin, microchannel heat exchangers. The model utilizes the correlations developed from the experimental data and incorporates a sub-model for frost properties. The model successfully predicts the heat transfer performance of the heat exchangers studied, but its ability to predict the pressure-drop behavior needs further improvement. The model can be used to evaluate geometry effects on the frosting behavior of the louvered-fin, microchannel heat exchangers, and can be easily generalized to other applications with simultaneous heat and mass transfer.