Review on the Application of Machine Vision in Defrosting and Decondensation on the Surface of Heat Exchanger

Abstract

Under low outdoor temperature and high humidity, frost easily forms on the Heat Exchanger (Exchanger) surface on the outdoor side. The formation and growth of this frost layer will seriously impact the Exchanger’s heat extraction process and the system’s energy efficiency, triggering malfunction in the compressor. To this end, this work first analyzes the formation and growth mechanism of Exchanger surface frosting and condensation. It then summarizes the current research status of Machine Vision (MV) technology in defrosting and decondensation. Further, it previews the follow-up research direction. The experimental findings show that MV technology can automatically observe frost and dew, guaranteeing a real-time understanding of the frost layer. Directly obtaining the frost and dew information from the image can significantly save human resources and improve efficiency.