Convective Film Condensation in an Inclined Channel with Porous Layer
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Date
2013
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Abstract
Abstract: The present work is a numerical study of laminar film condensation
from vapor-gas mixtures in an inclined channel with an insulated upper wall and
an isothermal lower wall coated with a thin porous material. A two-dimensional
model is developed using a set of complete boundary layer equations for the liquid
film and the steam-air mixture while the Darcy-Brinkman-Forchheimer approach
is used for the porous material. The governing equations are discretized with an
implicit finite difference scheme. The resulting systems of algebraic equations are
numerically solved using Gauss and Thomas algorithms. The numerical results
enable to determine the velocity, temperature and vapor concentration profiles in
the steam-air mixture, the liquid film and the porous substrate. The axial evolution
of the condensate flow rate and the wall heat flux are also presented and analyzed
for different operating conditions. It is found that the inclination angle, the inlet
values of relative humidity and the Reynolds number exert an influence on the
condensation process much more significant than that coming from a change in the
porous layer properties.