Experimental Study of Film Condensation From Steam-Air Mixtures Flowing Downward Over a Horizontal Tube

Abstract

Experiments have been performed to study the effects of air on filmwise condensation from steam-air mixtures undergoing forced flow over a 3/4 in. OD horizontal tube. Local condensation rates at the stagnation point are reported for saturation temperatures of 100–150 deg F, bulk to wall temperature differences of 3–30 deg F, bulk air mass fraction 0–7 percent and oncoming vapor velocity 1–6 ft/sec. For pure steam the average value of q/qNu, where qNu is the Nusselt result, was 0.98 ± 0.10, which compares favorably with the value of 1.04 predicted by a theory which accounts for vapor drag. For steam-air mixtures the reduction in heat transfer was found to be in excellent agreement with the theoretical analysis of Denny and South; the average discrepancy in q/qNu was −2.7 percent, while the maximum was 7.1 percent.