Numerical Simulation of Jumping-Droplet Condensation

Jumping-droplet condensation has been shown to enhance the heat transfer performance (≈100%) when compared to dropwise condensation by reducing the time-averaged droplet size (≈ 10 μm) on the condensing surface. Here, we develop a rigorous, three dimensional numerical simulation of jumping-droplet condensation in order to compute the steady-state time-averaged droplet size distribution. In order to characterize the criteria for achieving steady-state, we use maximum radii (R_max) tracking on the surface, showing that R_max settles to an average in time once steady-state is reached. The effects of the minimum jumping radius (0.1µm – 10 µm), maximum jumping radius, apparent advancing contact angle (150° – 175°), and droplet growth rate were investigated. We provide a numerical fit for the jumping droplet condensation size distribution with an overall correlation coefficient greater than 0.995. The heat transfer performance was evaluated as a function of contact angle and hydrophobic coating thickness, showi...