Experimental and numerical analysis of the temperature transition of a suspended freezing water droplet

The objective of this study was to develop a simple experimental and numerical method to study the temperature transition of freezing droplets. One experimental approach and several numerical methods were explored. For the experimental method, a droplet was suspended in a cold air stream from the junction of a thermocouple. The droplet's temperature transition was able to be accurately measured and the freezing of the droplet observed. The numerical models developed were able to predict the temperature transition and the freezing time of the droplet. Of the numerical methods, a simple heat balance model was determined to be an accurate means of predicting the freezing time of the droplet. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.