The apparatus for the fin-tube heat exchanger frosting experiment
is detailed in a previous study [23]. The geometry of the
fin-tube heat exchanger was based on actual fin-tube heat
exchangers used for air-source heat pumps. The geometric parameters
of the tubes and fins are listed in Table 1.
The mass transfer rate and mass transfer coefficient with
respect to air velocity were estimated to investigate their behavior
with respect to the air velocity in a fin-tube heat exchanger under
frosting conditions. The mass transfer rate of water vapor can be
calculated from the air flow rate and the difference between the
humidities at the inlet and outlet of the heat exchanger as follows: