Research on marangoni condensation modes for water-ethanol mixture vapors

In this paper the condensation experiments for water-ethanol vapors were carried out at different vapor pressures over a wide range of ethanol concentration. The condensation modes were observed and quantitatively analyzed in order to clarify the condensation phenomenon and dropwise condensation mechanisms. The cycle time of dropwise condensation, affected by vapor-to-surface temperature difference, ethanol concentration and vapor pressure, was approximate 0.2 s to 2 s. The quantity proportion of drops with the diameter less than 1 mm was more than 70% in all drops for all mixture vapors. The peak values of the maximum departing diameters increased with the ethanol vapor concentration, and were weakly affected by the vapor pressure, and the values were about 1.5 mm to 5 mm. The rivulet condensation mode was usually observed as a transition state appeared when the drop mode changed to film mode. The maximum distance between rivulets was sensitive to the ethanol vapor concentrations and little dependent on the vapor-to-surface temperature difference.