3590 -- Analytical and Numerical Results for the Deicing of Ice-Maker Evaporators

Presents an analytical and numerical study of ice-maker evaporators. The analytical study is carried out for a flat-plate heat exchanger, this configuration being chosen for its mathematical simplicity. The numerical analysis is done for a tube-in-tube evaporator. The evaporator model is incorporated into a heat pump model to simulate the overall system behaviour. The study presents the analytical part first. This includes heat transfer results with and without deicing, an optimisation of an ice-maker evaporator in which the ice self-releases from the surfaces after a critical thickness is reached (deicing with no penalty), and the effect of a deicing penalty on the optimum heat exchanger. The theoretical analysis is followed by the simulation results. The simulation uses detailed models of a tube-in-tube evaporator and a heat pump. The simulation results are used to test the generality of the conclusions reached in the analytical part.

KEYWORDS: deicing, ice heat pumps, evaporators, flat plate heat exchangers, tube in tube heat exchangers, heat exchangers, heat pumps, optimisation, calculating, performance, heat flow