Coupled Model of Heat and Mass Balance for Droplet Growth in Wet Steam Non-Equilibrium Homogeneous Condensation Flow

Because of the complexity of wet steam two-phase condensation flow, many problems remain to be solved. The important part of condensation theory—the calculation of the water droplet growth model in the transition zone—is not ideal; thus, it is necessary to develop a water droplet growth model with full-scale range. On the basis of the heat and mass transfer equilibrium in droplet growth, a coupled model of heat and mass balance for droplet growth is proposed. To verify the accuracy of this model, the differences and applicable ranges of various models were analysed using the experimental data of Peters and Meyer and two widely used models. In the free molecular flow region, the heat and mass balance model coincides with the Young low-pressure correction model. In the transition region, the heat and mass balance model agrees well with the experimental values of Peters and Meyer. In the continuous flow region, the heat and mass balance model coincides with the Gyarmathy model. Therefore, the heat and mass balance model can be used to accurately describe the growth process of water droplets in the arbitrary range of Knudsen numbers.