Radiative cooling and frost formation on surfaces with different thermal emittance: theoretical analysis and practical experience

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Abstract
Radiative cooling power was computed as a function of the emittance ɛs of an exposed surface, air temperature, humidity, etc. from the lowtran 5 code. Meteorological data were then used to make semiquantitative estimates on how often frost will form on a surface with given ɛs. Practical tests, using SnO2-covered glass with ɛs ≈ 0.2, demonstrated that a low-emittance coating can prevent frost formation and maintain transparency of a window exposed to the clear sky.