The effect of substrate temperature on the dry zone generated by the vapor sink effect

Abstract

Anti-condensation is important in various fields, e.g., transportation, power transmission, internal drying of precision instruments. Vapor sink is an important manner to suppress the happening of water vapor condensation, and shows potentials in some special scenarios. However, the mechanism of anti-condensation by vapor sink is not well understood up until now. In this article, the effect of substrate temperature on the dry zone generated by vapor sink were systematically studied with experiments and theoretical analysis. First, the effect of hygroscopic solutions on the local humidity were measured. The results indicated that the local humidity level near the hygroscopic solutions was effectively suppressed, reducing the water vapor condensation. Second, the variation of the dry zone with the cooling substrate temperature was systematically studied. The results indicated that the dry zone exhibits a hyperbolic relationship with the substrate temperature. The dry zone changing under different humidity conditions and cooling time were also studied. The dry zone remained approximately unchanged over time in a short period. Finally, a simple yet effective model between the dry zone and substrate temperature was deduced. The theoretical results are in good agreement with the experimental data. Our study may deeper the understanding of condensation suppression via vapor sink and offer guidance to the design of anti-condensation or anti-icing surfaces.