Laminar Film Condensation on Plane and Axisymmetric Bodies in Nonuniform Gravity

Abstract

Expressions are developed for the condensate film thickness and the local Nusselt number on arbitrary axisymmetric bodies, including vertical plates and cylinders. The expressions are the same as the Rohsenow-Nusselt expressions except that they are based on an “effective gravity” that corrects both for variable gravity and for the form of the body. The limitations on the expressions are: that radii of curvature greatly exceed the film thickness, that Prandtl numbers are never much less than unity, and that the ratio of sensible to latent heats is not large. These criteria include almost all practical situations. Several applications are developed.