Analytical Modeling of Mist Condensation by Natural Convection Over Inclined Flat Surfaces

Dew formation on a transparent surface creates a pattern that can cause blurred view over it. This fogging phenomenon should be avoided in many applications. Mist condensation of water on a cold surface exposed to humid air is studied in this work. In order to analyze the misting process, the fluid flow and heat transfer of humid air as well as the heat transfer across the solid surface are considered. A dew formation model is used to predict the shape and size of the droplets. Analytical models have been proposed to solve the heat and mass transfer for the simple arrangement of a vertical flat surface. The analytical model is then combined with the dew formation model to introduce an analytical model for mist condensation over vertical and inclined surfaces. Due to the proposed method, complex numerical calculations can be avoided for solving the heat and mass transfer equations.