Characterization of the Automobile Defrosting System Through a Full-Scale Model Available to Purchase

Adequate visibility through the automobile windshield is of paramount practical significance, most perpetually at very low temperatures when ice tends to form on the windshield screen. The numerical solution was done by a finite volume CFD code and experimental investigations were performed to validate the numerical results. It was found that the airflow produced by the defrost nozzle does not cover the whole windshield area. The maximum temperature was observed over a value of 28°C at the vicinity of the defroster nozzle on the dashboard in the lower part of the windshield. The average windshield temperature range was −15 ∼ 12 °C, over a period of 30 min; which caused the frost to melt on the windshield. The melting period satisfies the NHTSA standard. The numerical predictions and the experimental results are in good agreement.