Dr. Senthilmurugan S.

Department of Chemical Engineering IIT Guwahati - CL204 - Part 13

Condensation and Boiling Heat Transfer

Condensation Definition
A phase is a region of space (a thermodynamic system),
throughout which all physical properties of a material are
essentially uniform.
A phase transition is the transformation of a thermodynamic
system from one phase or state of matter to another one by
heat transfer.
Condensation is the change of the physical state of matter
from gas phase into liquid phase, and is the reverse of
vaporization

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Modes of Condensation
Vapour

Direct / Indirect / homogeneous condensation

Direct-contact condensation refers to condensation of
vapor (bubbles or a vapor stream) in a subcooled liquid
or condensation on liquid droplets entrained in the
vapor
Indirect / surface condensation: Heat transfer without
mixing the vapor and liquid phase
Homogeneous condensation: If vapor temperature
falls below its saturation temperature, condensation
can occur in the bulk vapor. This phenomenon is called
homogeneous condensation
Indirect / surface (Dropwise / filmwise) condensation
Dropwise condensation: liquid does not wet the
surface, droplets are formed.
Filmwise condensation: liquid wets the surface, smooth
film is formed. The surface is blanked by the film, which
grows in thickness as it moves down the plate.
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Direct
Homogeneous

Dropwise

Filmwise

Modes of Condensation

Homogeneous
Dropwise /

filmwise

Direct-contact

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Dropwise / Filmwise Condensation video

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Dropwise vs Filmwise Condensation

When vapour is exposed to plate below the saturation temperature of the vapor,
condensate will form on the surface and under the action of gravity will flow down the plate.
If the liquid wets the surface, a smooth film is formed, and the process is called film
condensation
the liquid does not wet the surface, droplets are formed that fall down the surface in
some random fashion. This process is called dropwise condensation.
The heat-transfer rates in dropwise condensation may be as much as 10 times higher than
in film condensation
due to film thermal resistance to heat transfer
but in dropwise condensation a large portion of the area of the plate is directly
exposed to the vapor
dropwise condensation would be preferred to film condensation,
However extremely difficult to maintain dropwise condensation since most surfaces
become wetted after exposure to a condensing vapor over an extended period of time
Special coatings can enable dropwise condensation for specific applications but not
in generic

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Filmwise Condensation
Most widely adopted in chemical process applications

Film condensation has Three distinct regions:

1. Laminar region, near the top, the film is
relatively thin (Ref < 30)

2. Wavy region, The film becomes thick enough

to show the signs of transition (30<Ref<1600)

3. Turbulent region, Ripples appear irregular in

both space and time (Ref > 1600)

Laminar Region complexities:

Flow of liquid interacts with layer of vapor
T
interface= Saturation temperature at local
Pressure
T < Saturation temperature < T
w
vapor

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Filmwise condensation
Laminar region- Heat flux calculation

Assumptions
Viscous shear of the vapor on the
film is negligible at y=.
A linear temperature distribution
exists in the condensate film
Non condensable gas not exist in
vapour
Force balance
The weight of the fluid element of
thickness dx between y and is
balanced by the viscous shear force
at y and the buoyancy force due to
the displaced vapor

Integrate with boundary conditions

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Filmwise condensation
Laminar region- Heat flux calculation

when unit depth is assumed.

Temperature profile in condensate film

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Filmwise condensation
Laminar region- Heat flux calculation
As the flow proceeds from x to x + dx, the film grows from to +d as a result of
the influx of additional condensate. The amount of condensate added between x
and x+dx is

Latent heat of incremental mass of condensate = heat removed by the wall

Integrate with the boundary condition =0 at x=0 to give

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Filmwise condensation
Laminar region- Heat flux calculation
The heat-transfer coefficient

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Filmwise condensation
Laminar region- Heat flux calculation
Average value of the heat-transfer coefficient

Applicable for vertical plates and cylinders and fluids with Pr >0.5 and cT/hfg 1.0.
All properties to be
evaluated at film
temperature
Take into account
a nonlinear temperature profile in the film
additional energy to cool the film below the saturation temperature

c is the specific heat of the liquid

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For Vertical, Inclined Surfaces and Horizontal tubes

Heat flux calculation
Laminar region, (Ref < 30), Wavy region, (30<Ref<1600),
Turbulent region, (Ref > 1600)
Ripples / wave will develop in the film for Reynolds numbers as low as 30 or 40.
When this occurs, the experimental values of h can be 20 percent higher than
predicted the resulting equation for vertical plates is
0.975*1.2=1.13

For laminar film condensation on horizontal tubes, Nusselt obtained the relation
d is the diameter of the tube
For laminar film condensation on Inclined Surfaces
g =g sin
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Use of dimensional number Ref & Co

For a vertical plate of unit depth, P =1

For a vertical tube, P =d.

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Use of dimensional number Ref & Co

Condensation Number

For a vertical plate A/PL=1.0

For a horizontal cylinder A/PL=

Turbulence is encountered in the film, an

empirical correlation by Kirkbride

Kirkbride, C.G. HeatTransfer by CondensingVapors onVerticalTubes, Trans. AIChE, vol. 30, p. 170, 1934.
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Film Condensation Inside Horizontal Tubes

Condensation of refrigerants at low vapor velocities inside horizontal tubes

where the modified enthalpy of vaporization is given by

Liquid properties are evaluated at the film temperature

hfg and v are evaluated at the saturation temperature Tg.
Applicable to vapor Reynolds numbers < 35000 at inlet conditions to the tube.

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