ISSN 00406015, Thermal Engineering, 2012, Vol. 59, No. 1, pp. 75–80. © Pleiades Publishing, Inc., 2012.

Original Russian Text © S.A. Lednik, N.A. Voinov, O.P. Zhukova, A.N. Voinov, 2012, published in Teploenergetika.

Condensation of SteamAir Mixture in a FilmType Apparatus

S. A. Lednik, N. A. Voinov, O. P. Zhukova, and A. N. Voinov
Siberian State Technological University, pr. Mira 82, Krasnoyarsk, 660049 Russia

Abstract—The results from a study of heat transfer during condensation of steam and air–steam mixture in
a filmtype tubular apparatus with heat transfer enhancement by streamlined bodies are presented. Depen
dencies for calculating the heat transfer coefficient are proposed.
DOI: 10.1134/S0040601512010089

Many studies have been conducted in the field of 2

ω1 + ω1ω2 + ω2
2
airsteam condensation. Despite this fact, it is still ; ω1 and ω2 are the steam velocities at
impossible to develop a simple mathematical code that 3
the inlet to and the outlet from the blades, respectively,
would adequately describe the system as a whole. This
is due to complexity of the condensation process, m/s; and ν is the kinematic viscosity coefficient, m2/s.
which is accompanied by nonuniformity of the tem However, during downward concurrent flow of the
perature and mass fields, variable composition of the steam–water mixture and liquid film, three different
components in a mixture, and, accordingly, variable modes of interaction between the gas and the liquid
physical properties of steam and condensate. In view can take place, which have different heat transfer
of this, there is nothing to do but develop specific intensity [2]. The boundaries of these modes depend
dependencies for each type of heat transfer apparatus on the channel’s inner diameter and on the value of
for engineering calculations. Reynolds number of steam Res, as well. Therefore,
The intensity of steam condensation depends to a Eq. (1) can not be used in a wide range of condensing
great extent on the diffusion resistance at the steam steam flowrate.
liquid interface and thermal resistance of the conden In [3], the following formula was proposed for tur
sate film, which in many respects are determined by bulent flow of a liquid film and prevailing effect of
the velocities of liquid and gaseous phases. steam velocity:
For laminar and laminarwavy flows of condensate Nu ld
film, dependencies describing experimental data with
sufficient accuracy are known. ⎧⎡
0.43 ⎪ ⎛ ρl ⎞⎤
0.5
⎡ ⎛ρ ⎞⎤
0.5
⎪⎫ (2)
= C Re 0.8
s Prl ⎨⎢1 + x1 ⎜ − 1⎟⎥ + ⎢1 + x 2 ⎜ l − 1⎟⎥ ⎬,
With turbulent flow of condensate film and with ⎪⎩⎣ ⎝ ρ s ⎠⎦ ⎣ ⎝ ρ s ⎠⎦ ⎪⎭
conditionally stagnant steam, the equations for calcu
lating heat transfer exist mainly in criterion form, and where Nu ld ,ld is the mean Nusselt number, C is a con
they satisfactorily describe the process in a narrow stant; and х1 and х2 are the steam qualities at the inlet
range of coolant flowrates. to and the outlet from the tube, kg/kg.
In the case of moving steam, shear stresses at the According to (2), there is a considerable effect of
phase interface cause an increase in the condensate the steam–liquid mixture hydrodynamics on heat
film velocity and a decrease in its thickness. They also transfer (Re 0.8
s ), while the influence of shear stresses is
lead to formation of waves on the interface, which assessed through the steam quality, which is difficult to
enhance heat transfer to different degrees depending determine.
on the flow mode.
In [4], the following equation is proposed, which is
In [1], it is proposed to calculate the heat transfer recommended for using at Res > 25000:
coefficient under downward flow of the condensate
1
film with accounting for friction at the interface by the ⎡ d ρs ⎛ ν s ⎞ ⎤ 3 ,
2
0.6
following correlation: Nu = 0.28Re s ⎢K Prl ⎜ ⎟ ⎥ (3)
⎢⎣ l ρ l ⎝ ν l ⎠ ⎥⎦
⎛ ⎛ ρ ⎞ ω s, mean ⎞
α cond = α 0 ⎜1 + 0.13 ⎜ s ⎟ 1/3 ⎟
, (1) where Nu = αd/λl is the Nusselt number; Res = wd/νs
⎜ ⎝ ρ l ⎠ ( g ν ) ⎟⎠
⎝ is the Reynolds number for steam; K = r/c(tin – t) is a
where αcond is the heat transfer coefficient in the con dimensionless parameter; r is the specific heat of evapo
densate film, W/(m2 K); α0 is the heat transfer coeffi ration, J/kg; c is the condensate specific heat, J/(kg K);
cient in the stagnant steam, W/(m2 K); ρs is the steam α is the heat transfer coefficient for steam condensa
density, kg/m3; ρl is the liquid density, kg/m3; ωs,mean = tion, W/(m2 К); d is the tube diameter, m; λl is the heat

75
76
17
TE
16
P1
7
15
13
1 6
4
TE
TE
14 3
12
(a)
Fig. 1. Schemes of the experimental installation (a) and the turbulizing insert in the tube (b). (1) Copper tube; (2) steam genera
tor; (3) tank for a liquid; (4) centrifugal pump; (5) condensate receiver; (6) heat exchanger; (7) distributor of liquid; (8) and
(9) measurement flasks; (10)–(13) and (16) valves; (14) electric heater; (15) compressor; (17) diaphragm. TE, P1, and F1 are the
instruments for measuring temperature, pressure, and flowrate.
conductivity of the liquid, W/(m K); w is the steam
velocity, m/s; νs is the steam kinematic viscosity coef
ficient, m2/s; and tin and t are the initial and the final
temperatures, °С.
Dependence (3) correlates with the data from [2],
which were obtained during heating of water film in a
downward concurrent flow in the transition region. In
addition, the criterion K was introduced in this equa
tion that accounts for interphase transition. Howev
Recond, Eq. (3) does not contain the parameter Recond,
and thus it can be used only in a certain studied inter
val of steam and film flowrates.
During condensation of steam–air mixture, addi
tional resistance to steam transfer toward condensa
tion surface appears due to formation of a boundary
layer, which consists of noncondensable gas mole
cules. This leads to a considerable decrease of the heat
transfer coefficient [5–7]. In this case, the heat trans
fer coefficient depends on the intensity of interrelated
heat and mass transfer processes both in the steam–
gas mixture and in the condensate film, as well. By
now, many works on numerical description of such
systems on the basis of different approaches and
LEDNIK et al.
P1
10 d
2
14
ds
F1 s
9 11
h
5
(b)
8
assumptions have been carried out, including, in par
ticular, [8]. However, these models are still far from
being perfect and cannot be used in practice. The
authors of these investigations point out that the ther
mal resistance of the boundary gas–steam layer is high
at low values of Recond and decreases as Recond
increases. The overall heat transfer coefficient during
condensation decreases along the tube length. This
fact is explained by a decrease in the steam fraction
and an increase in the fraction of noncondensable
gases at the interface.
In [6], it is pointed out that any mixing of phases
leads to enhancement of the gas–steam mixture con
densation process. Different profiled tube surfaces, in
particular, those described in [9, 10], are used to
enhance heat transfer during condensation. This
makes it possible to reduce the thermal resistance of
the condensate film as a result of decreasing its thick
ness and mixing. However, the use of profiled surfaces
is not very efficient for reducing diffusion resistance
during condensation of a steam–air mixture, so, it is
necessary to search for new methods of heat transfer
enhancement. In our work, noncondensed gas is
removed by circulating vortices, which are formed
THERMAL ENGINEERING Vol. 59 No. 1 2012
 CONDENSATION OF STEAMAIR MIXTURE IN A FILMTYPE APPARATUS
αcond × 10–3, W/(m2 K)
20
4 –4
10
5 10
6
4 5
6 7
Weak Transition Disperse
2 inter mode annular flow
actions
1
5 7 10 20 30 40
Re ×10−3
Fig. 2. Dependence of heat transfer coefficient on Rey
nolds number during condensation of pure steam and air–
steam mixture at d = 20 mm, l = 2 m, and Δt = 50°C.
Experimental points (1–3): (1) Recond =3000; (2)
Recond =2000; (3) with turbulizing spiral at s/h = 6.6;
dsp = 11 mm; Δt = 60–75°C; E = 0.05; Recond =3500.
Lines: (4) and (5) calculations with the use of Eqs. (7) and
(8); (6) data for the system airwater under heating [2].
above the condensate film surface, when steam runs
against streamlined bodies, such as a turbulizing spiral
installed in the tube with a certain gap relative to the
heat transfer surface.
EXPERIMENTAL TECHNIQUE
The experimental installation for studying conden
sation in a film tubular apparatus is schematically
shown in Fig. 1.
Cold water from tank 3 is delivered by pump 4 to
liquid distributor 7. Then, the water falls down as a
film over the outer surface of copper tube 1. Saturated
steam enters from steam generator 2 into the tube’s
space. When this happens, steam condensation occurs
on the inner tube surface, and the falling liquid film
removes the liberated heat. At the outlet from the tube,
the condensate film drains down into condensate
receiver 5, while the noncondensed vapor enters into
heat exchanger 6, where it condenses completely. To
produce steam–air mixture, compressor 15 delivers air
into the space of tube 1. The air flowrate is measured
by orifice 17. To turbulize steamair mixture, a spiral
made of a wire with the diameter h = 1.5 mm is
installed with a certain gap in the tube space. The
roughness parameter s/h is 3.3–16.7 and the coil
diameter ds is 11–16 mm (see Fig. 1b). Copper tube 1
had hydraulically smooth surface with inner diameter
d = 20 mm. The tube wall thickness was 1.5 mm, and
its length, 2 m. The absolute pressure was varied from
0.005 to 0.3 MPa.
Water for the steam generator was preliminarily
degassed by boiling, and the residual concentration of
THERMAL ENGINEERING Vol. 59 No. 1
77
αcond × 10–3, W/(m2 K)
–1 –1
–2 20 –2
–3 –3
15
–5
–6
8
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 Recond
Fig. 3. Dependence of heat transfer coefficient on the Rey
nolds number during condensation of pure steam at d =
20 mm, l = 2 m, and q = 80–200 kW/m2. Experimental
points ((1)–(3) atmospheric pressure): (1) K = 8; (2) K =
12; (3) K = 20; (4) K = 20, vacuum 80%; (5) K = 12, vac
uum 60%; (6) K = 9, vacuum 20%. Calculated data: solid
lines, according to Eq. (7); (7) according to [12]; (8) Nus
selt’s formula.
oxygen in steam was 2 mg/dm3. The physical proper
ties of water and steam were calculated from the mean
value between the temperatures at the inlet to and out
let from the test section of the tube. The temperatures
were measured by TSM9418 thermoresistor, whose
readings were wired to Termodat 35TsO/GVS second
ary instruments and entered into the database using
the Termonet 1.01 computer code.
The heat transfer coefficient during condensation
was calculated by the following equation
α cond = 1 [(1 ke ) − (1 α f ) − ( δ0 λ 0 )] , (4)
where αf is the film heat transfer coefficient, W/(m2 · К);
δ0 is the wall thickness, m; and λ0 is the heat conduc
tivity coefficient of the wall, W/(m · K).
The experimental values of the overall heat transfer
coefficient were determined as follows:
ke = Q/(FΔt), (5)
where Q is the amount of heat calculated from the con
densate flowrate, W; F is the tube surface area, m2; and
Δt is the logarithmic mean temperature difference, K.
The heat transfer coefficient from the water film was
determined using the following correlation from [2]:
Nu* = 0.004Re0.39Pr0.78, (6)
where Nu* = αfθ/λ is the Nusselt number; Re is the
Reynolds number of film; Pr is the Prandtl number; θ
is the reduced film thickness, m; and λ is the film heat
conductivity coefficient, W/(m · K).
STUDY RESULTS
Condensation of pure steam. Three typical flow
modes can take place in the tube volume, while chang
ing steam flowrate, both for pure steam and for the
air–water system [2]. They are as follows: weak inter
actions, transition, and disperse–annular flow pat
terns (Fig. 2). For the channel diameter considered,
2012
78 LEDNIK et al.

αcond/αcal
αcond × 10–3, W/(m2 K)
–1
–1 1.0
–2
–2
0.8
4
0.6

2 0.4

0.2

0 0.05 0.10 0.15 E 0 0.05 0.10 0.15 E

(a) (b)
Fig. 4. Dependence of heat transfer coefficient during condensation of pure steam αcond and the ratio αcond/αcal on the fraction
of air in steam at d = 20 mm, q = 80–200 kW/m2, l = 2 m, Res ≤ 10000, Recond = 3000. Experimental points: (1) Δt = 50°C,
K =10; (2) Δt = 70°C, K =7.6. The dottedanddashed line is according to [10].

weak interaction occurs in the region of Res ≤ 10000. In
this mode, the heat transfer coefficient depends on the
steam velocity only slightly. Similar results were obtained
for the air–water system during its heating [2].
Figure 3 shows typical dependences of the heat
transfer coefficient on the condensate Reynolds num
ber in the region of weak interactions between the film
and steam. In contrast to the known data [11–13], we
see an increase in αcond values with a growth of the
condensate Reynolds number, which is in agreement
with the data of [14].
The criterion equation for calculating heat transfer
coefficient during steam condensation in the region of
weak interactions is obtained in the following form:
Nu* = 2.2 × 10 −7 Re1.16
cond Pr
0.78 1.8
K ,
where Nu* = αcondθ/λ is the Nusselt number, λ is the
condensate heat conductivity coefficient, W/(m К);
θ = (ν2/g)0.33 is the reduced film thickness, m; ν is the
condensate kinematic viscosity coefficient, m2/s;
αcond × 10–3, W/(m2 K)
Recond = 4W/(πdν) is the Reynolds number of the con
densate film; and W is the condensate flowrate, m3/s.
The heat transfer coefficient during condensation
depends to the greatest extent on the condensate flow
rate and temperature difference. Decreasing the abso
lute pressure (Fig. 3, points (4)–(6)) causes αcond to
decrease.
The following equation was obtained for calculat
ing heat transfer coefficient during condensation in
the transition mode:
−11
Nu* = 4 × 10
1.16
Re cond Re s
0.94
Pr
0.78
( K )1.8 , (8)
where Res = ud/νs is the Reynolds number for steam;
u is the flowrateaveraged steam velocity at the outlet
from the tube, m/s; and νs is the steam kinematic vis
(7) cosity coefficient, m2/s.
In (8), the effect of shear stresses on the intensity of
heat transfer is accounted for by the Reynolds number
of steam, which is calculated from the flowrateaver
aged steam velocity at the outlet from the contact tube
α cond ≈ Re 0.94
s . In this case, we see the coincidence of
the boundaries of flow modes during downward con
current flows in the steam–condensate and air–water

–1
6 –2 systems.
–3
–4 In the disperseannular flow we see a decrease in the
4 condensation heat transfer coefficient, as in the case of
4 heating liquid film [2] (see Fig. 2). This is due to droplet
2 entrainment from the condensate film surface and due to
3 the effect of droplets on the steam flow [15].
0
0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 l, m Condensation of steam–air mixture. According to
the experimental data (Fig. 4), the heat transfer coef
ficient during condensation decreases with increasing
Fig. 5. Dependence of heat transfer coefficient during the fraction of air in steam. This fact is in agreement
steam condensation on the tube length at d = 20 mm, with the commonly known data, which were obtained
Res ≤ 10000, Δt = 50°C, K = 9–10. Experimental points: mainly for a laminar flow mode. With turbulent flow of
(1) Recond = 2000; pure steam; (2) Recond = 2000, E = 0.1. the condensate film, the presence of air in steam leads
Data from [8]: (3) E = 0.1, Res = 9755; (4) E = 0.52, and to a decrease in the heat transfer coefficient value
Res = 45000. down to 60%, and with laminar flow of the condensate

THERMAL ENGINEERING Vol. 59 No. 1 2012

 CONDENSATION OF STEAMAIR MIXTURE IN A FILMTYPE APPARATUS 79

αcond × 10–3, W/(m2 K) αcond.s/αcal

–1
–2
15 2.5
–3
2.0
10
1.5

5
4 1.0

0 0.05 0.10 E 0 5 10 15 s/h

(а) (b)

Fig. 6. Dependence of heat transfer coefficient on the fraction of air in the steam E and of the ratio αcond/αcal on the roughness
parameter s/h at Recond = 2500, Res < 10000, Δt = 40–60°C; dsp = 11 mm. (a) Experimental points: (1) s/h = 16.7; (2) s/h = 3.3;
(3) s/h = 6.6; (4) pure steam in the tube without tubulizing insert; (5) dsp =16 mm and s/h = 3.3; (b) E = 0.05.

film, the effect of air is even more essential (see the
dashedanddotted line in Fig. 4b).
An analysis of the ratios of the experimental values
of heat transfer coefficient αe to the calculated values
αcal found using Eq. (7) as a function of the fraction of
air in steam E (see Fig. 4b) made it possible to obtain
the following expression:
αe/αcal = 0.97exp (–3.8E).
The dependences of αcond on the tube length during
condensation of steam and steam–air mixture (Fig. 5)
show that the presence of air in steam leads to a more
significant drop of heat transfer intensity along the
heat transfer surface length, which does not contradict
to the theoretical studies [16].
αcond × 10–3, W/(m2 K)
–1
–2
–3
10
4 enhances heat transfer not only during condensation
5 pure steam, as well, which is apparently due to a
1 change in the temperature profile.
400 1000 2000 Recond
Fig. 7. Dependence of heat transfer coefficient during con
densation of air–steam mixture on the condensate Reynolds
number at dsp = 11 mm; d = 20 mm; q = 80–200 kW/m2, l =
2 m, E = 0.05, Res ≤ 10000, s/h = 6.7. Experimental
points: (1) K = 20; (2) K = 12; (3) K = 8. The dotted line is
for the tube without a turbulizing spiral at K = 8.
Enhancement of condensation process. The presence
of a turbulizing spiral in the tube volume (see Fig. 1b)
contributes to a threefold enhancement of the con
densation process (Fig. 6). The spiral with the rough
ness parameter s/h = 3–7 makes it possible to achieve
the maximal heat transfer coefficient due to formation
of circulation vortices in the entire space between the
spiral coils, which remove noncondensing gas from
(9) the interface and stir the mixture thus leveling the tem
perature profile in the flow. When the roughness
parameter s/h ≤ 3, circulation vortices are not devel
oped, and this leads to a drop of heat transfer (Fig. 6b).
At s/h ≥ 7, the vortices do not fill the entire space
between spiral coils, which is also inefficient. Such a
description of the effect of the roughness parameter on
the heat transfer intensity is in agreement with the
general concepts [17] concerning enhancement of
heat and mass transfer processes in a film by circulat
ing vortices.
Increasing the spiral coil diameter from 11 to 16 mm
reduces the effect of heat transfer enhancement (curve 5
in Fig. 6) due to the damping of circulating vortices
against the condensate surface.
We should also note that the presence of a spiral
of steam–gas mixture, but during condensation of
The Reynolds number of the steam–gas mixture
axially running against the spiral coils, at which
enhancement of the process begins (the line composed
of points in Fig. 7), was Re ≥ uh/νs ≥ 103. When this
happened, the degree of the effect the condensate
flowrate had on the heat transfer intensity increased
(α cond ≈ Re1.58
cond ).

THERMAL ENGINEERING Vol. 59 No. 1 2012

80 LEDNIK et al.
As it was found out (see Fig. 2, points 3), the tran
sition from one mode to another during condensation
of steamair mixture in the tube with a spiral occurs at
the same values of Reynolds number as in the case of
pure steam condensation in the tube without a spiral.
−0.96
When this happens, α cond ≈ Re 0.92
s . This is in agree
ment with the experimental data obtained for pure
steam. Due to this fact we can say that, at Res > 10000,
the velocity of steam–air mixture affects heat transfer
mainly by changing shear stresses at the interface.
Thus, the placement of turbulizing spirals in the
tube with the roughness parameter s /h = 3–7 makes it
possible to enhance heat transfer during condensation
of steam–air mixture by 3 times due to the removal of
noncondensing gases from the interface and leveling
the temperature profile in the flow by circulating vor
tices.
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THERMAL ENGINEERING Vol. 59 No. 1 2012