Abstract
Condensation occurs in most of the heat transfer processes, ranging from cooling of electronics to heat rejection in power plants. Therefore, any improvement in condensation processes will be reflected in the minimization of global energy consumption, reduction in environmental burdens, and development of sustainable systems. The overall heat transfer coefficient of dropwise condensation (DWC) is higher by several times compared to filmwise condensation (FWC), which is the normal mode in industrial condensers. Thus, it is of utmost importance to obtain sustained DWC for better performance. Stability of DWC depends on surface hydrophobicity, surface free energy, condensate liquid surface tension, contact angle hysteresis, and droplet removal. The required properties for DWC may be achieved by micro–nanoscale surface modification. In this survey, micro–nanoscale coatings such as noble metals, ion implantation, rare earth oxides, lubricant-infused surfaces, polymers, nanostructured surfaces, carbon nanotubes, graphene, and porous coatings have been reviewed and discussed. The surface coating methods, applications, and enhancement potential have been compared with respect to the heat transfer ability, durability, and efficiency. Furthermore, limitations and prevailing challenges for condensation enhancement applications have been consolidated to provide future research guidelines.
Highlights
The phase change heat transfer (PCHT) participates in almost every energy conversion application, from small-scale processor cooling to large-scale power plants [1]
The results showed that thicknesses up to 20 nm have no clear achievement in enhancement of dropwise condensation (DWC), while a minimum thickness of 200 nm was recorded as being required for DWC
The results showed that lubricant-infused surfaces by coating lubricant over themby
Summary
The phase change heat transfer (PCHT) participates in almost every energy conversion application, from small-scale processor cooling to large-scale power plants [1]. Heat transfer enhancement requires physical improvements in the system, and with a wide range of PCHT applications, slight improvements may outcome in significant energy, economic, and environmental impacts [8,9,10,11]. In PCHT applications, boiling/evaporation and condensation phenomena dominate; these processes are similar to each other in terms of variable dependency [1]. Both are surface phenomena and depend upon variables such as the nature of the working fluid, solid surface, and the interaction surface between them.
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