Condensation of a Quiescent Vapor by a Stagnation-Point Liquid Flow

Abstract

We analyze the condensation of a quiescent vapor, that is in equilibrium with its liquid, induced by a stagnation point flow in the liquid. The liquid flow brings subcooled liquid from far away to the interface. The ensuing heat transfer causes the vapor to condense. A similarity formulation for the liquid and vapor flow fields and the liquid temperature field is pursued, and a perturbation solution is performed when the ratio of the product of viscosity and density of the vapor to that of the liquid is small. A two-term higher order asymptotic solution is shown to be in excellent agreement with numerical results. The reduction in the rate of condensation due to the presence of a noncondensable gas in the vapor that is insoluble in the liquid is also analyzed.