The transition to renewable energy for electrical power and heat supply is one of the most urgent tasks of our time. Air-water heat pumps will represent a dominant supply system in the future. High humidity combined with low outside air temperatures cause icing on the air/refrigerant heat exchanger. The layers of ice that form increase the pressure loss and thus reduce the efficiency of the heat pump, increasing the amount of electrical energy required to provide heat.

The aim of this work is therefore to develop ways of reducing icing, e.g. by delaying the ice formation or accelerating defrosting and water removal. The ice adhesion strength of bare, coated and structured Al lamellae was evaluated by using a customized quasistatic pusher test that provides information about the force and displacement behaviour of the adhered ice at the same time. The ice adhesion is significantly affected by the measuring temperature. Different detachment modes can be observed dependent on the surface characteristics.