Review of the Non-Uniform Frosting/Defrosting Characteristics of Air-Cooled Refrigerator Evaporators

Non-uniform frost accumulation on evaporator coils is a significant feature in air-cooled refrigerators. It is also one of the important causative factors leading to evaporator performance degradation. This paper reviews related research in three distinct areas: non-uniform frost characteristics of air-cooled refrigerator evaporators, defrost optimization based on these characteristics, and frost detection optimization. A concise introduction is provided into the formation mechanism of non-uniform frost on air-cooled refrigerator evaporators, the influencing factors, and their impact on refrigerator performance. Frost-heat matching defrosting and frost suppression strategies for the evaporators of air-cooled refrigerators are systematically summarized. The complex challenges and solutions of direct and indirect frost detection techniques under non-uniform frost conditions are analyzed. The performance degradation of air-cooled refrigerator evaporators is summarized and discussed. Finally, this study identifies shortcomings in the research field of non-uniform frost on aircooled refrigerator evaporators and proposes potential future development directions. This study aims to provide a framework for the efficient operation and energy-saving optimization of air-cooled refrigerators.