CONDENSATION AND

BOILING
BOILING CURVE FOR WATER AT 1 ATM PRESSURE
CONDENSATION ON A VERTICAL PLATE
The condensation problem was first analyzed by
“Nusselt” and he made the following
assumptions.
(1) The plate is maintained at a temperature (Ts)
which is less than saturation temp Tv of the vapor.
(2) The vapor does not exert any drag force on
the motion of the condensate.
(3) The downward motion of the condensate is
laminar.
(4) Fluid properties are constant.
(5) Heat transfer across the condensate layer is by
pure conduction.
O y

x
Ts
Vapor (T v)
x

δ
Consider the condensation of a vapor on a vertical plate
as shown in fig. Here x is the axial coordinate measured
downward along the plate and y is the coordinate
normal to the condensing surface.
Let δ be the thickness of condensate layer which varies
in x direction. Consider a volume element of length dx
width (δ-y) and unit depth in z-direction perpendicular
to paper. Equating the shear force acting upward to the
weight of volume element acting downward we can
write,
Where μ is the viscosity, ρ is the density and u is the velocity of
liquid.

Integrating we get ,

At the wall surface liquid velocity is zero. i.e. at y=0, u=0

The mass flow rate of condensate at any axial position x
per unit depth in z- direction of plate is given by
Differentiating (2) w.r.t. “δ”

Rate of heat released for rate of condensation is

Here hfg is the latent heat of condensation. The amount of
heat released dQ over the area (dx.1) must be transferred
across the condensate layer of thickness according to the
assumptions.

Where “k” is the thermal conductivity of liquid.

Substituting for dm in (4) from (3) .

 Equating (5) and (6) and rearranging we get.

Integrating (7) with the condition δ=0 for x=0, we get the
thickness of condensate layer as a function of position “x”
along the plate.
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The local heat transfer co-efficient h x for condensation is

determined from the definition
Substituting for δ(x) from (8) we get

We note that the local heat transfer coefficient hx varies

with x.
The average heat transfer coefficient hm over the length
x=0 to x=L is given by:
The physical properties such as μ, k, hfg should be

evaluated at the fluid temperature

If the condensation occurs on a vertical tube then the height
of the tube is the characteristic length “L”.

If the tube is horizontal then the characteristic length is

L=2.86*D, where D is the outside diameter of the tube.
Substituting this we get for condensation on a horizontal
tube,

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If the condensation occurs on a horizontal tube banks (i.e.
tubes arranged one above another)then condensate from
one tube falls on the tube below it. If there are n tubes each
of diameter D, then average heat transfer coefficient is,

Page 149

N= Number of rows of tubes.