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Theoretical analysis on condensation heat transfer on microstructured hybrid hydrophobic-hydrophilic tube

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Abstract

Condensation is a phase-change process in which vapor condenses to liquid at constant pressure. Condensation occurs in the forms of dropwise and filmwise. Investigations on hybrid hydrophobic-hydrophilic surfaces show their potential to improve condensation heat transfer characteristics in particular situations, comparing to complete dropwise condensation. In the present study, condensation on the microstructured hybrid tube has been examined, considering every thermal resistance on the heat flux. Two droplet morphologies, i.e., The Cassie state and the Wenzel state, have been considered. The influence of different parameters, including tube inclination angle, saturation vapor pressure, and dropwise/filmwise area ratio, has also been investigated. According to the results, droplet interaction with the surface significantly influences the heat transfer characteristics so that in most cases, the Wenzel state has a more considerable hybrid heat flux than the Cassie state. It has also been witnessed that the vertical tube has a higher heat flux comparing to tubes in other angles. A smaller liquid film thickness and a higher saturation vapor temperature were observed to have a higher heat flux. Finally, the increase in the dropwise region width decreases the droplet transition time from dropwise region to filmwise region and finally increases the hybrid heat flux.

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Abbreviations

A 1 , A 2 , A 3 :

Parameters in model

A :

Surface area (m2)

B 1 , B 2 :

Parameters in model

d :

Pillar diameter (m)

g :

Gravitational acceleration (m s−2)

h :

Pillar height (m)

h fg :

Latent heat of evaporation (kJ kg−1)

h i :

Interfacial heat transfer coefficient (W m−2 k−1)

k :

Thermal conductivity (W m−1 K−1)

l :

Center to center distance of the pillars (m)

L :

Liquid layer thickness (m)

Ma :

Marangoni number

n :

Population density of small droplets (m−3)

N :

Population density of large droplets (m−3)

N s :

Nucleation site density on the surface (m−2)

P :

Vapor pressure (Mpa)

q :

Heat flux (W m−2)

Q d :

Dropwise heat transfer rate (kW)

r :

Droplet radius (m)

r e :

Critical droplet radius (m)

R :

Thermal resistance (k W–1)

R g :

Specific gas constant (J kg−1 K−1)

T :

Temperature (K)

T c :

Critical temperature (K

α:

Thermal diffusivity (m2 s−1)

αc :

Condensation coefficient

δ:

Layer thickness (m)

ΔT:

Temperature difference/drop (K)

Δθ:

Contact angle hysteresis (deg)

θ:

Contact angle (deg)

η:

Filmwise-dropwise area ratio

ρ:

Density (kg m−3)

σ:

Surface tension (N m−1)

τ:

Sweeping period (s)

ϕ:

Solid fraction

μ:

Condensate viscosity (N s m−2)

υ:

Water vapor specific volume (kg m−3)

φ:

Peripheral angle (deg)

γ:

Inclination angle (deg

a:

Advancing

c:

Droplet curvature

coat:

Hydrophobic coating

drop:

Droplet

DWC:

Dropwise condensation

FWC:

Filmwise condensation

h:

Hybrid hydrophobic-hydrophilic

int:

Interface

Ma:

Marangoni convection

max:

Maximum

min:

Minimum

n:

Small droplets

N:

Large droplets

p:

Pillar

r:

Receding

rough:

Roughness

s:

Solid surface

sat:

Saturation

v:

Vapor

w:

Water

l:

Liquid

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This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Mechanical Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST), Narmak, 16846-13114, Tehran, Iran

    Ehsan Aminian, Mohammad Kamali, Ehsan Vatanjoo & Hamid Saffari

Authors
  1. Ehsan Aminian
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  2. Mohammad Kamali
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  3. Ehsan Vatanjoo
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  4. Hamid Saffari
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Correspondence to Hamid Saffari.

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Highlights

• An increase in contact angle decreases the hybrid heat flux.

• An increase in contact angle hysteresis decreases the hybrid heat flux.

• Vertical tube showed better heat transfer performance than horizontal one.

• In equal condition, Wenzel model has better heat transfer characteristics.

• Smaller pillar heights have the best heat transfer performance.

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Aminian, E., Kamali, M., Vatanjoo, E. et al. Theoretical analysis on condensation heat transfer on microstructured hybrid hydrophobic-hydrophilic tube. Heat Mass Transfer 58, 1207–1221 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00231-021-03170-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00231-021-03170-2

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