Study of a new method for the instant preparation of ice particles in ice abrasive air jet

The ice abrasive air jet is a clean surface treatment technology, which currently has limitations such as high energy consumption, uncontrollable particle size and hardness. Realizing the instant preparation and utilization of ice particles are crucial for solving the energy consumption problem. This paper based on the icing principle of heterogeneous nucleation, proposed a new method of ice making, the heat transfer mechanism of low temperature droplets was studied, and the method was proved to be feasible. Using the FLUENT solidification and melting model combined with the VOF model to calculate the freezing process of droplets, the effects of droplet particle size, initial temperature, and wall temperature on the freezing time were analyzed, and the calculation equation of the freezing time was determined, which was corrected by the icing test results. The results showed that the outside of the droplet freezes first, the liquid–solid boundary is parabolic, and the parabolic concavity increases with time and droplet size. In the freezing process, the larger the droplet size, the longer the droplet phase transition time; the higher the droplet initial temperature, the longer it took to reach the phase transition; the higher the wall temperature, the longer the ice formation time.