Nonlinear Stability of Film Condensation

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Perturbation methods are used to investigate the nonlinear stability of a vertical condensate film adjacent to quiescent saturated vapor. The analysis presented leads to closed-form expressions for the wave amplification rate and the wave velocity. Application of the results to steam condensation show that supercritically unstable infinitesimal disturbances reach finite equilibrium amplitudes while subcritically stable finite-amplitude wave motion is not possible. The nondimensional parameters which affect the supercritically-stable finite-amplitude wave motion are identified and the effects on the stability of the condensate film are discussed.

This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: