Condensation Heat Transfer
Condensation Heat Transfer
With these considerations, the rate of heat transfer can be expressed as:
𝑄ሶ conden= hAs(Tsat – Ts) = 𝑚ℎ ∗
ሶ 𝑓𝑔 (10-10)
As is surface area on which condensation occurs
Lecture by Asst. Prof. NAEEM 6
Film Condensation
Modified Latent Heat of Vaporization:
Consider:
𝐷ℎ𝜌𝑙𝑉𝑙 4𝐴𝑐𝜌𝑙𝑉𝑙 4𝜌𝑙𝑉𝑙𝛿 4𝐴𝑐𝜌𝑙𝑉𝑙 4𝑚ሶ (10-8)
Re = = = = =
𝜇𝑙 𝑝𝜇𝑙 𝜇𝑙 𝑝𝜇𝑙 𝑝𝜇𝑙
Rearranging: (10-16)
(10-17)
Fig. 10-24
(10-18)
(10-21)
(10-21)
Note that:
1. The liquid properties are evaluated at the film temperature Tf = (Tsat + Ts)/2.
2. The vapor density and latent heat of vaporization hfg are evaluated at Tsat.
(10-23)
Observation:
The results obtained from the theoretical relations above are in
excellent agreement with the experimental results.
Lecture by Asst. Prof. NAEEM 19
Wavy Laminar Flow on Vertical Plates
Wavy Laminar Flow:
• At Reynolds > 30, waves form at the liquid-
vapor interface although the flow in liquid
film remains laminar.
• The waves at the liquid-vapor interface tend
to increase heat transfer.
• But the analysis becomes complicated and
analytical solutions are difficult to obtain.
• Thus we have to rely on experimental studies.
• The increase in heat transfer due to the wave effect is about 20%,
but it can exceed 50%.
• The exact amount of enhancement depends on the Reynolds
number.
(10-25)
(10-27)
(10-28)
(10-29)
Fig. 10-27
• Equation 10–30 is developed for
laminar flow of condensate, but it can
also be used for wavy laminar flows as
an approximation.
(10-22)
The same equation can also be used to calculate the average heat
transfer coefficient for laminar film condensation on the outer
surfaces of vertical tubes.
Condition for validity:
The tube diameter should be larger relative to the thickness of the
liquid film.
• For smooth drain of the condensate from top to bottom, the average
film condensation heat transfer coefficient for all tubes in a vertical tier
are expressed as:
(10-33)
This relation does not account for increase in heat transfer due to the ripple
formation and turbulence caused during drainage, and thus generally yields
conservative results.
Lecture by Asst. Prof. NAEEM 29
Heat Transfer Correlations for
Film Condensation
Effect of Vapor Velocity
• So far we neglected the vapor drag exerted on the liquid film for small
vapor velocity.
• However, for high vapor velocity, the vapor will “pull” the liquid at the
interface along since the vapor velocity at the interface must drop to the
value of the liquid velocity.
• If the vapor flows downward along with liquid, this additional force will:
• increase the average velocity of the liquid
• decrease the film thickness
• This, in turn, will decrease the thermal resistance of the liquid film and
thus increase heat transfer.
On the contrary, upward vapor flow:
• exerts a force on the liquid in the opposite direction to flow
• thickens the liquid film, and
• Thus decreases heat transfer
Lecture by Asst. Prof. NAEEM 30
Heat Transfer Correlations for
Film Condensation
Presence of Non-condensable Gases in Condensers Fig. 10-29
Experimental studies show that the presence of non-
condensable gases in the vapor cause significant drops
in heat transfer coefficient during condensation.
Reason:
When the vapor mixed with a non-condensable gas
condenses, only the non-condensable gas remains in
the vicinity of the surface (see Fig).
This gas layer acts as a barrier between the vapor and
the surface, and makes it difficult for the vapor to
reach the surface.
The vapor now must diffuse through the non-condensable gas first
before reaching the surface, this reduces the effectiveness of the
condensation process.
Lecture by Asst. Prof. NAEEM 31
Heat Transfer Correlations for
Film Condensation
Presence of Non-condensable Gases in Condensers
Amount of Loss:
It is shown experimentally that the presence of less than 1% (by mass)
of air in steam can reduce the condensation heat transfer coefficient by
more than half.
Remedy:
• To ensure proper operation the non-condensable gases are
periodically vented out.
• Note that heat transfer in the presence of a non-condensable gas
strongly depends on the nature of the vapor flow and the flow
velocity.
• Thus, a high flow velocity is more likely to remove the stagnant non-
condensable gas from the vicinity of the surface, and thus improve
heat transfer.
Lecture by Asst. Prof. NAEEM 32
Film Condensation
Inside Horizontal Tubes Fig. 10-34
and
Note that Reynolds number of the vapor is to be evaluated at the tube inlet
conditions using the internal tube diameter as the characteristic length.
Lecture by Asst. Prof. NAEEM 33
Dropwise Condensation
In Dropwise condensation the vapor condenses Fig. 10-35