TY - JOUR

T1 - Fin Shape Design for Stable Film-Wise Vapor Condensation in Microgravity

AU - Barakhovskaia, Ella

AU - Marchuk, Igor

N1 - Funding Information: This work was carried out under state contract with IT SB RAS (121031200084-2) Publisher Copyright: © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.

PY - 2022/2

Y1 - 2022/2

N2 - Under microgravity conditions, the dynamics of a thin condensate film on a curved surface is determined by the capillary pressure gradient proportional to the mean surface curvature gradient. A one-parameter family of axisymmetric surfaces is found for which the gradient of mean curvature is constant. The dimensionless equation for rotation angle of the generatrix curve is found. There is a single generatrix curve for an axisymmetric surface for which the rotation angle at the inflexion point assumes a predetermined value. Due to the constant gradient of capillary pressure on such a surface, a stable condensate flow is ensured under microgravity conditions. A similar curve for the planar case, known as the clothoid or "Cornu spiral", is used to find the best transition curve to get the smoothest traffic on the roads. A numerical model for film-wise vapor condensation on such surface has been built. The film thickness distribution and mass flow rate of the HFE-7100 along the cooled curvilinear fin have been calculated. Calculations were done both for terrestrial gravity and microgravity. This work proposes a particular surface shape, found numerically, for conducting experiments on the pure vapor condensation under microgravity conditions in Parabolic Flight Campaigns and onboard the International Space Station.

AB - Under microgravity conditions, the dynamics of a thin condensate film on a curved surface is determined by the capillary pressure gradient proportional to the mean surface curvature gradient. A one-parameter family of axisymmetric surfaces is found for which the gradient of mean curvature is constant. The dimensionless equation for rotation angle of the generatrix curve is found. There is a single generatrix curve for an axisymmetric surface for which the rotation angle at the inflexion point assumes a predetermined value. Due to the constant gradient of capillary pressure on such a surface, a stable condensate flow is ensured under microgravity conditions. A similar curve for the planar case, known as the clothoid or "Cornu spiral", is used to find the best transition curve to get the smoothest traffic on the roads. A numerical model for film-wise vapor condensation on such surface has been built. The film thickness distribution and mass flow rate of the HFE-7100 along the cooled curvilinear fin have been calculated. Calculations were done both for terrestrial gravity and microgravity. This work proposes a particular surface shape, found numerically, for conducting experiments on the pure vapor condensation under microgravity conditions in Parabolic Flight Campaigns and onboard the International Space Station.

KW - Film-wise condensation

KW - Finning

KW - Mean curvature

KW - Microgravity

KW - Numerical modelling

KW - Surface tension

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85123495417&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/038a6d3c-aaa8-367d-9e09-c1c58d1f48c1/

U2 - 10.1007/s12217-021-09918-z

DO - 10.1007/s12217-021-09918-z

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85123495417

VL - 34

JO - Microgravity Science and Technology

JF - Microgravity Science and Technology

SN - 0938-0108

IS - 1

M1 - 8

ER -