Effect of Solid Properties and Contact Angle in Dropwise Condensation and Evaporation

Abstract

For droplets condensing on or evaporating from a solid surface, the effects of the solid material properties and the droplet contact angle are analyzed by solving the steady heat-conduction equation for a geometry consisting of a spherical segment droplet on a semi-infinite solid. In obtaining the solution it is assumed that heat is transported to or from the solid only through the droplet and that there is perfect thermal contact at the solid-liquid interface. With suitable boundary conditions at the liquid-vapor interface some exact and approximate solutions are found and then used to obtain the overall heat flow through the droplet.