Study on formation of ice slurry by W/O emulsion (discussion for promoting propagation of supercooling dissolution due to AC voltage impression)

In an ice storage system, use of a water-in-oil (W/O) emulsion is an effective means of forming ice slurry. It is possible to form ice slurry by cooling the emulsion without the adhesion of ice to a cooling wall because water contained in the emulsion does not come in direct contact with the cooling wall. However, the start of propagation of supercooling dissolution barely occurs and the subsequent rate of propagation is much slower. In a previous study, it was clarified that DC voltage impression to the emulsion was effective in promoting the propagation of supercooling dissolution of the emulsion. In the present paper, the validity of applying an AC voltage to the emulsion in place of a DC voltage is discussed. Moreover, under a fixed composition ratio of water and oil in the emulsion, influences of varying the magnitudes of the applied AC voltage and frequency on the propagation process are clarified.