Abstract
An experimental study has been conducted to investigate the effects of surface energy on frost formation. Test samples with two different surfaces are installed in a wind tunnel and exposed to a humid airflow. Dynamic contact angles (DCA) for these surfaces are $23^{\circ}\;and\;88^{\circ}$, respectively. The thickness and the mass of frost layer are measured and used to calculate the frost density while frost formation is visualized simultaneously with their measurements. Results show that frost density increases as time increases at specific test conditions. The air Reynolds number, the airflow humidity and the cold plate temperature are maintained at 12,000, 0.0042 kg/kg and $-21^{\circ}C$, respectively. The surface with a lower DCA shows a higher frost density during two-hour test, but no differences in the frost density have been found after two hours of frost generation. Empirical correlations for thickness, mass and density are assumed to be the functions of the test time and DCA.