Molecular gas dynamics approaches to interfacial phenomena accompanied with condensation

Abstract

This paper deals with the condensation coefficient of methanol, which is evaluated from a condensation rate at the vapor–liquid interface. Film condensation is induced on the endwall of a vapor-filled shock tube, when a shock wave is reflected at the endwall and the vapor becomes supersaturated there. The liquid film grows with the lapse of time. The evolution in time of the liquid film thickness is measured by an optical interferometer with a high accuracy, and thereby the net condensation mass flux at the interface is obtained. The mass flux is incorporated into the kinetic boundary condition (KBC) at the interface for the Gaussian–BGK Boltzmann equation. Such a treatment of the boundary condition makes it possible to formally eliminate the evaporation and condensation coefficients in KBC and to obtain the unique numerical solution of the vapor–liquid system. In this way, the instantaneous condensation coefficient is accurately evaluated from the conformity with experiment and numerical solution. It is found that the values of condensation coefficient are, near vapor–liquid equilibrium states, close to those evaluated by molecular dynamics simulations.