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DROP-WISE AND FILM-

WISE CONSENSATION
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Aim: To determine the overall heat transfer co-efficient in both
Drop-wise & Film-wise condensation.

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Apparatus:
1. Electric steam
generator
2. Transparent glass
cylinder
3. Copper condenser tube
4. Digital temperature
indicator
5. Rotameter
6. Thermocouples
7. Pressure gauge
8.A centrifugal mono
block pump
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Theory:
 Condensation is a process of change of state from vapour to liquid.
 Condensation occurs on a surface when the vapour saturation temperature is
higher than the temperature of surface.
 The temperature of the condensate so formed will be less than the saturation
temperature of vapour and becomes sub cooled.
 More vapour starts condensing on the exposed surface or on the previous
condensate since the temperature of the previous condensate is lower.
 The phenomenon of condensation heat transfer is more complex which involves
change of phase and additional characteristics or variables that control the
condensation process.
 There are two basic types of condensation.
 Film-wise condensation.
 Drop-wise condensation.

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1. Film-wise condensation:
 When the condensate tends to wet the surface, then it is called film-wise condensation.
 In this process, the liquid condensate distributes itself as a continuous thin film on the cooled
surface.
 This happens when the surface tension between the liquid and the solid material is sufficiently
small, for example condensation of steam on a clean metallic surface when the surface is
clean, grease or oil as In film-wise condensation, heat transfer from the vapour to the cooling
surface takes place through the condensate film formed on the surface.
 As the new condensate formed joins the film existing on the surface, the film thickness
increases.
 The heat is transferred from the vapour to the condensate by convection and further from
condensate to the surface by conduction.
 This combined mode of heat transfer by conduction and convection reduce the rate of heat
transfer in film-wise condensation process.
 Hence the rate of heat transfer is lower in film-wise condensation as compared to drop-wise
condensation.

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2. Drop-wise condensation:
 When the condensate does not wet the surface it forms the droplets on the
surface, it is known as ‘Drop-wise condensation’.
 When the surface tension is large, the condensate coalesces into a multitude
of droplets of different sizes with time, each droplet grows as more vapour
condenses on its exposed surface.
 The formation of each droplet is initiated at a point of surface in perfection
(pit, scratch etc.) and such sites are called nucleation sites at some time, the
tangential pull of gravity or shear force exerted by the vapour stream
dislodges the droplet and carries it downstream.
 The moving droplet devours the smaller droplets in its path there by
creating a clean trail ready for generation of new droplets of smaller sizes.
 This surface renewal process occurs periodically as the droplets accumulate
& grow in size since the condensation rate is highest in the absence of
condensate on surface, the periodic cleaning performed by the large drops
renews finite size regions of the surface for the restart of condensation.

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 This surface renewal process is the reason why drop-wise condensation is a
highly effective heat transfer mechanism. The heat transfer co-efficient is
roughly ten times greater than the corresponding condensation in the form of
thin film.
 In the design of condensers, whose function is to cool a vapour stream and to
convert into liquid, there is a great advantages to promote the breakup of
condensate into droplets. This can be achieved by
 Coating the solid surface with an organic substance like wax, oil, oleic acid etc.
 Injecting non wetting chemicals into vapour, which get deposited on the
surface of the condenser.
 Coating the surface with a polymer of low surface energy like Teflon, silicon etc
or with a noble metal like gold, silver etc.
 The mechanism of drop-wise condensation is complex because of its
intermittent time dependent character, effect of surface tension (due to drop
size & shape) and the uncertainty associated with the location of nucleation
sites and the time when the largest droplet will start its down-stream
movement. Hence an unifying theory of drop-wise condensation has not been
developed.

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Procedure:
1. First fill the water in the stainless steel tank and then
switch on the mains and console.
2. Switch on the supply pump starter.
3. Change the ball valve position for conducting film-wise
condensation experiment
4. Switch on the heater & maintain a steady water flow say
2LPM through the rotameter.
5. Wait for some time till steady steam is generated. Then the
steam is passed through a separator to supply only dry
steam to cylinder.

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6. The steam starts condensing on the outer surface of the condenser
tube & gets collected as a condensate at the bottom of the cylinder.
7. Note down the different temperature of inlet & outlet water supply,
steam pressure & flow rate of water.
8. Now change the ball valve position to drop-wise condensation &
conduct the experiment for the same flow rate.
9. Repeat the above procedure for different flow rate and different
steam pressures.
10. Using the tabulated temperatures and mass flow rate, the heat
transfer rate & overall heat transfer co-efficient can be found out
using appropriate formulae.

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• Result:
• Overall heat transfer coefficient in
• Drop-wise condensation ‘U’=_ _ _ _ _ _kW/m2℃
• Film-wise condensation ‘U’=_ _ _ _ _ _ kW/m2℃

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Observation:
Tabular column:
Sl.No. Water flow rate ‘m’ Steam Pressure Temp. of water Condensate Wall tube Mass of Condensate
Kgsec PsKgfcm2 Temperature Collected
℃ 'ms'
Inlet Temp. Outlet Kgsec
Twi℃ Temp.
Two℃

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Observation:
Tabular column:
Calculations:
Film-wise condensation:

Mass flow rate of water ‘m’ =__________________ Kg/sec

Mass of condensate collected 'm s' =______________Kg/sec

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Also Q=mshfg
Where
hfg=latent heat of vaporization
At 100℃ for steam hfg=2257 KJ/Kg

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• Result:
• Overall heat transfer coefficient in
• Drop-wise condensation ‘U’=_1.20 _kW/m2℃
• Film-wise condensation ‘U’=_ 0.8823_ kW/m2℃

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