Ice formation and accumulation are challenging concerns for several industrial applications including heating ventilation air conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC&R) systems, aircraft, energy transmission, and transportation platforms. Frost formation on heat exchangers, for example, reduces heat transfer efficiency and results in significant economic losses. Moreover, defrosting and de-icing techniques are energy-intensive, requiring large masses of ice to be melted completely and surfaces to be cleaned of leftover water during cyclic operation, making frosting-defrosting a multi-billion-dollar problem in the U.S.
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Source: Phys.org