An Integral Treatment of Two-Phase Boundary Layer in Film Condensation

Abstract

By using the integral method, the task of solving the complicated two-phase boundary-layer differential equations in laminar-film condensation has been reduced to the simple work of solving an algebraic equation. It was shown analytically that the parameter [(ρμ)L/(ρμ)v]1/2 can be removed from the film-condensation problem and hence only two parameters, cpΔT/hfg and Pr, are involved. The calculated results in heat transfer and condensate flow rates agree very well with the results from the exact solution of the boundary-layer equations. With [(ρμ)v/(ρμ)L]1/2 remaining as a parameter, it is believed that the present method can be used to solve the analogous two-phase boundary-layer problem in laminar film boiling.