Effect of Nucleation Agents on the Freezing Probability of Supercooled Water inside Capsules

The effect of nucleation agents on the freezing probability of supercooled water inside cylindrical capsules during a cold storage process was investigated. Different types of nucleation agents (including silver iodide (AgI), lead iodide (PbI2), river sand, and mud powder were used to achieve)water nucleation under different coolant temperatures. The effect of the amount of nucleation agents on the freezing probability of cylindrical capsules was studied. The results indicate that the nucleation probability and nucleation temperature of supercooled water inside capsules adding nucleation agents are higher than those of capsules containing pure water only, which suggests that nucleation agents are effective in reducing supercooling of water. Of the nucleation agents used, silver iodide showed the best results in facilitating the nucleation. However, river sand is recommended as the nucleation agent because it is the most inexpensive and effective for the type of encapsulated storage tank used in a cold storage air-conditioning system.