PROBLEM 1.

50
KNOWN: Frost formation of 2-mm thickness on a freezer compartment. Surface exposed to convection process with ambient air. FIND: Time required for the frost to melt, tm. SCHEMATIC:
Ambient air T = 20C h = 2 W/mK Frost

Est Ein

Frost layer Adiabatic surface

mout
Melt Eout

Freezer compartment wall

ASSUMPTIONS: (1) Frost is isothermal at the fusion temperature, Tf, (2) The water melt falls away from the exposed surface, (3) Frost exchanges radiation with surrounding frost, so net radiation exchange is negligible, and (4) Backside surface of frost formation is adiabatic. PROPERTIES: Frost, f = 770 kg / m 3 , h sf = 334 kJ / kg. ANALYSIS: The time tm required to melt a 2-mm thick frost layer may be determined by applying a mass balance and an energy balance (Eq 1.11b) over the differential time interval dt to a control volume around the frost layer. (1a,b) dmst = m out dt dE st = E in E out dt

With hf as the enthalpy of the melt and hs as the enthalpy of frost, we have dEst = dmst h s Eout dt = mout h f dt Combining Eqs. (1a) and (2a,b), Eq. (1b) becomes (with hsf = hf hS) mout h sf dt = Ein dt = q As dt conv Integrating both sides of the equation with respect to time, find f As h sf x o = h As ( T Tf ) t m

(2a,b)

tm = tm =

h ( T Tf ) 700 kg / m3 334 103 J / kg 0.002m 2 W / m 2 K ( 20 0 ) K = 11,690 s = 3.2 hour

f h sf x o

<

for melting the frost layer ( x o h sf ) . This equality is directly comparable to the derived expression above for tm.

COMMENTS: (1) The energy balance could be formulated intuitively by recognizing that the total heat in by convection during the time interval t m ( q conv t m ) must be equal to the total latent energy

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