Abstract
Frost is an undesirable problem in energy conversion and engineering applications because it negatively affects the operating system performance by reducing the heat transfer for energy conversion systems and the coefficient of performance (COP) for refrigeration and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment. Among the various frost prevention or removal techniques, electrohydrodynamics (EHD) is an active frost prevention and removal technique that has been studied since the 1970s. This review paper clarifies the fundamentals of EHD, while offering a comprehensive review of the works published in the literature regarding both the influence of EHD on frost growth control and its effectiveness on frost removal. It is observed that while individual research works have drawn conclusions on the specifics of EHD for frost control and removal, there is no consensus in the literature on the specific effects of some of the critical parameters associated with EHD phenomena, such as the influence of electric field intensity and the use of AC and DC voltage, which can both affect frost growth. In addition, no baseline for comparison has been established, making it difficult to compare the results of various investigators. Finally, prospects and conclusions are discussed.This article is part of the theme issue 'Heat and mass transfer in frost and ice'.