Frost layer thickness measurement and calculation: A short review

As a common physical phenomenon, frost deposition is inevitable and always has significant negative effects in many industry fields, such as aerospace, aviation, and HVAC&R, etc. To accurately predict and control a frosting-defrosting cycle, the frost layer thickness should be firstly obtained, which is the most fundamental and important parameter. During the last several decades, frost layer thickness measurement methods and different correlations were widely reported, basing on experimental, semi-empirical, theoretical, and numerical approaches. To provide an overview of the analytical tools for scholars, researchers, product developers, and policy designers, a review and comparative analysis of frost layer thickness studies were conducted. The existing gaps in the frost research are identified and recommendations are made as authors' outlooks in final conclusions.