Experimental investigation on the ice melting heat transfer with a steam jet impingement method

Abstract In winter, ice is the common adhesive along many outdoor facilities. It has severe impacts on human activities. In this study, jet impingement of high velocity steam on ice surface was investigated with an experimental approach. In the experiment, the temperature of steam was approximately 140 °C. Non-dimensional nozzle-to-ice spacing (initial nozzle-to-ice distance over the diameter of nozzle) ranged from 5 to 18. The steam was supplied at a steady state. The effects of non-dimensional nozzle-to-ice spacing, nozzle exit velocity, nozzle number, and nozzle diameter on heat and mass transfer were tested. From the experimental results, it is recommended that the dimensionless distance for nozzle to ice should be controlled within 12. The largest energy efficiency and the best ice melting rate appeared at nozzle exit steam velocity of 40 m/s, not the highest nozzle exit velocity in the measurement. For the nozzles with one single pipe and two pipes with same external diameter, at lower distance, one pipe nozzle has higher heat transfer performance. The effect of nozzle diameter on heat transfer was negligible for the four nozzle types in the experiment. The experiment data should have a guiding significance for the design of high-efficiency instruments for ice removal.