• Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.475-482
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• 1998

In this paper, an experimental study was conducted to investigate the performance of the spherical ice particle production system which uses the technology of water spray in a vacuum chamber for increasing the heat transfer area. As a result, following conclusions were obtained. The diffusion-controlled evaporation model agreed relatively well with experiments. The spray flow rate influences the performance of the system rather than any other factors, for example, the spray nozzle position, the nozzle number. As the spray rate increases, the system efficiency increases. It is due to the entrainment of small droplets among the spray with the exhausted vapor. Thus the system should be designed and operated to prevent the entrainment. Assuming the compressor efficiency to be 70%, the COP of the system reaches highly up to 6 at a maximum spray rate. Under the conditions, however, the rigid ice layer is obtained because ice particles bond together with increase of the spray rate. Therefore, the spray rate should be controlled properly to make the spherical ice particles.