WU Yongshuai, WU Siyuan, SUN Yu, ZHAO Rijing, HUANG Dong
Journal of Engineering Thermophysics. 2025, 46(5): 1379-1400.
Frosting usually has a negative impact on device, when ultrasound is used for frost retardation/defrosting, can realize no downtime defrosting, cooling and heating without interruption during defrosting time. But due to its mechanism is not clear, technical difficulties to pragmatize, failed to get popularization and application. This paper reviews the research progress of ultrasound in the field of frost retardation and defrosting from two aspects of its mechanism and pragmatization. Firstly, the ultrasound characteristics is introduced, including commonly used ultrasound wave types and their propagation, ultrasound effects on frost retardation and defrosting, distribution of equivalent force on the cold surface; then, the growth of frost is inhibited by delaying the generation of liquid droplets, delaying the freezing of droplets, crushing the frozen droplets and suppressing the frost branch growing; based on the frost crystal fracture breaking, defrosting effecting factors and defrosting enhancement methods, ultrasonic defrosting mechanism is summarized; and, from the equipment frost retardation/defrosting effects and its energy consumption comparison, practical difficulties and problems, the ultrasound frost retardation/defrosting practical applications is sorted; Finally, a outlook of the ultrasound used for frost retardation/defrosting in the future is given to provide reference.