Temperatures and the condensate heat resistance in dropwise condensation of multicomponent mixtures with inert gases

The temperature variations occurring in dropwise condensation at condenser plates of a compact, polymer heat exchanger are studied using instantaneous infrared temperature field recordings. An averaging procedure in time and an assessment of extreme values is proposed and carried out. With the results, the heat resistance of the condensate is quantified. It is found that mixing and convection in the condensate, caused by coalescence and drainage of drops, reduces the condensate heat resistance by a factor 4 as compared with purely conductive heat transfer. This reduction is comparable, both in nature and in magnitude, to the effect of enhanced mixing due to turbulence in the liquid film of filmwise condensation. A second condensable species has been added to the gas mixture in order to study the contribution of Marangoni convection due to concentration gradients to the condensate heat transfer resistance. No contribution is found.