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Effects of heat flux on dropwise condensation on a superhydrophobic surface

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Abstract

The condensation heat transfer efficiencies of superhydrophobic surfaces that have ∼160° contact angle under atmospheric conditions were investigated experimentally. The departing diameter and the contact angle hysteresis of droplets were measured by capturing front and tilted side views of condensation phenomena with a high speed camera and an endoscope, respectively. Condensation behaviors on the surface were observed at the micro-scale using an Environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM). Apparently-spherical droplets formed at very low heat flux q″ ∼20 kW/m2 but hemispherical droplets formed at high q″ ∼440 kW/m2. At high q″, heat transfer coefficients were lower on the superhydrophobic surface than on a hydrophobic surface although the superhydrophobic surface is water repellent so droplets roll off. The results of contact angle hysteresis and ESEM image revealed that the reduced heat transfer of the surface can be attributed to the large size of departing droplets caused by adhesive condensed droplets at nucleation sites. The results suggest that the effect of q″ or degree of sub-cooling of a condensation wall determine the droplet shape, which is closely related to removal rates of condensates and finally to the heat transfer coefficient.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, POSTECH, Pohang, 790-784, Korea

    Kyung Won Hwang

  2. Research Reactor Core Design Division, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Deajeon, 305-353, Korea

    DongHyun Kim

  3. Engineering Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA

    HangJin Jo

  4. Division of Advanced Nuclear Engineering, POSTECH, Pohang, 790-784, Korea

    Hyun Sun Park & Kiyofumi Moriyama

  5. Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety, Deajeon, 305-338, Korea

    Moo Hwan Kim

Authors
  1. Kyung Won Hwang
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  2. DongHyun Kim
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  3. HangJin Jo
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  4. Hyun Sun Park
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  5. Kiyofumi Moriyama
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  6. Moo Hwan Kim
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hyun Sun Park.

Additional information

Recommended by Associate Editor Dong Geun Lee

Hyun Sun Park has received his Ph.D. in 1995 from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, USA. He is a nuclear engineer with research interests centered primarily in thermal hydraulics, and multiphase flow. He especially emphasized the areas of reactor operation, reactor safety and risk assessment for nuclear safety and accident analysis as well as fundamental and industrial applications of multiphase phenomena. He is currently a Research Professor in POSTECH, Korea.

Kyung Won Hwang has received his master of environmental science and engineering at POSTECH, Korea in 2012. He is a Ph.D. candidate of mechanical engineering at POSTECH and has research interests with phase change heat transfer, especially for flow boiling in a tube, filmwise condensation in a tube and dropwise condensation heat transfer.

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Hwang, K.W., Kim, D., Jo, H. et al. Effects of heat flux on dropwise condensation on a superhydrophobic surface. J Mech Sci Technol 30, 2141–2149 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-016-0421-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-016-0421-1

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