A theoretical model for film condensation of a vapor including a relatively lighter noncondensable gas on a horizontal tube has been formulated on the basis of the conservation laws and other fundamental physical principles. The model is applied to th...
A theoretical model for film condensation of a vapor including a relatively lighter noncondensable gas on a horizontal tube has been formulated on the basis of the conservation laws and other fundamental physical principles. The model is applied to the prediction of the condensation heat transfer characteristics for the Freon vapor in the presence of air on a horizontal tube. Calculated results for the mean heat transfer coefficient, which is shown to depend strongly on the bulk concentration of air, are in good agreement with the available experimental results for a range of operating conditions. The distributions of physical quantities along the surface of tube are also calculated, such as the boundary layer thickness and local heat transfer coefficient. The present model is readily reduced to the Nusselt model as the bulk concentration of air decreases to zero. Therefore, the transition from the condensation of pure vapor to that of vapor-air mixture occurs continuously not abruptly.