Theoretical study of the improvement of the condensation rate of a vertical condensing plate in a basin type desalination unit
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Abstract
This paper presents the theoretical work to enhance the performance of the condensing plates of the basin type desalination unit. An evaporating film was applied to the outside surface of the condensing plate, which was then compared to a dry outer surface to determine the effect of the evaporating film on the net rate of water produced by the still. Dropwise condensation was induced through a hydrophobic surface application and compared with filmwise condensation on the inside surface of the condensing plate. The hydrophobic applications effect on the performance of the plate was measured. The useable water production rate was calculated using empirical and theoretical heat transfer models, under both drop and filmwise condensation conditions to determine their effects on the amount of useable water produced by the system. The filmwise and dropwise models were verified through a results comparison with known working correlations. Furthermore, the models were compared with experimental data showing validity in the correlations.