Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 21, 2026
06:29
Simulation of Early Earth Hydrothermal Chimneys in a Thermal Gradient Environment
Published on: February 27, 2021
4.0K
Simulating Heat Transfer During Transient Dropwise Condensation on a Low-Thermal-Conductivity Substrate
Ashley M Macner1, Susan Daniel1, Paul H Steen1
1Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering , Cornell University , 120 Olin Hall , Ithaca , New York 14853 , United States.
Langmuir : the ACS Journal of Surfaces and Colloids
|August 6, 2019
Summary
Simulating transient dropwise condensation with measured drop growth rates accurately predicts surface performance. This approach improves condenser design by accounting for maximum heat transfer during the transient state, unlike traditional methods.
Area of Science:
- Heat Transfer
- Fluid Dynamics
- Surface Science
Background:
- Surface heat-transfer performance depends on drop characteristics.
- Accurate simulation of transient states is crucial for condenser design, as peak heat rejection occurs during this phase.
- Traditional simulations focus on steady-state, which has lower heat transfer than the transient phase.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a simulation method for transient dropwise condensation using population-averaged drop growth rates.
- To improve the design of surfaces with higher heat-rejection capabilities.
- To investigate the impact of substrate thermal properties on condensation progression.
Main Methods:
- Simulated transient dropwise condensation using measured population-averaged drop growth rates.
- Modified single-drop heat-transfer models to include substrate conduction and thermal boundary layers.
- Compared simulation results with experimental data for pendant mode dropwise condensation.
Main Results:
- The simulation accurately predicted the time evolution of drop density, fractional coverage, condensate volume, and median drop radius.
- Assuming a constant temperature difference significantly underpredicts heat transfer.
- Substrate thermal properties influence condensation progression and removal performance.
Conclusions:
- The developed simulation method provides a reasonable prediction of transient dropwise condensation.
- Accounting for substrate conduction and thermal boundary layers is essential for accurate heat transfer prediction.
- Condensation may transition from site-specific nucleation to random nucleation during the process.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:14Mechanisms of Heat Transfer I
6.0K
Just as interesting as the effects of heat transfer on a system are the methods by which the heat transfer occur. Whenever there is a temperature difference, heat transfer occurs. It may occur rapidly, such as through a cooking pan, or slowly, such as through the walls of a picnic ice box. So many processes involve heat transfer that it is hard to imagine a situation where no heat transfer occurs. Yet, every heat transfer takes place by only three methods: conduction, convection, and radiation.
6.0K
01:20Mechanisms of Heat Transfer II
4.2K
In convection, thermal energy is carried by the large-scale flow of matter. Ocean currents and large-scale atmospheric circulation, which result from the buoyancy of warm air and water, transfer hot air from the tropics toward the poles and cold air from the poles toward the tropics. The Earth’s rotation interacts with those flows, causing the observed eastward flow of air in the temperate zones. Convection dominates heat transfer by air, and the amount of available space for the airflow...
4.2K
01:19Mechanism of heat transfer
1.9K
Understanding heat transfer mechanisms is essential for understanding how our bodies maintain balance in different environmental conditions. When the environment is thermoneutral, the body is in a state of balance, neither using nor releasing energy to maintain its core temperature. However, when the environment is not thermoneutral, the body employs four heat transfer mechanisms to maintain homeostasis: conduction, convection, evaporation, and radiation. These mechanisms facilitate heat...
1.9K
01:14Mechanisms of Heat Transfer
1.6K
Heat transfer between the human body and its environment occurs through four main mechanisms: conduction, convection, radiation, and evaporation.
Conduction, accounting for approximately 3% of body heat loss at rest, is the process of exchanging heat between molecules of two materials in direct contact. This can result in both heat loss and gain. For instance, when the body is submerged in water, which conducts heat 20 times more effectively than air, it can either lose or gain significant...
Conduction, accounting for approximately 3% of body heat loss at rest, is the process of exchanging heat between molecules of two materials in direct contact. This can result in both heat loss and gain. For instance, when the body is submerged in water, which conducts heat 20 times more effectively than air, it can either lose or gain significant...
1.6K
02:39Phase Transitions: Vaporization and Condensation
20.7K
The physical form of a substance changes on changing its temperature. For example, raising the temperature of a liquid causes the liquid to vaporize (convert into vapor). The process is called vaporization—a surface phenomenon. Vaporization occurs when the thermal motion of the molecules overcome the intermolecular forces, and the molecules (at the surface) escape into the gaseous state. When a liquid vaporizes in a closed container, gas molecules cannot escape. As these gas phase molecules...
20.7K
02:46Quantifying Heat
61.8K
Thermal Energy Microscopically, thermal energy is the kinetic energy associated with the random motion of atoms and molecules. Temperature is a quantitative measure of “hot” or “cold”, which depends on the amount of thermal energy. When the atoms and molecules in an object are moving or vibrating quickly, they have a higher average kinetic energy (KE) (or higher thermal energy), and the object is perceived as “hot”, or it is described as being at a higher temperature. When the...
61.8K