Lattice Boltzmann simulation of steady laminar film condensation on a vertical hydrophilic subcooled flat plate

Based on the newly developed phase-change Lattice Boltzmann method (LBM), the problem of steady laminar film condensation on a hydrophilic vertical flat plate at a subcooled temperature is simulated in this paper. The effects of inertia force, interface shear stress and convection terms are fully taken into consideration in the LBM simulation. The condensate film thickness, velocity and temperature distributions, and heat transfer characteristics at steady state conditions are obtained numerically. The simulation results are found in good agreement with the classical analytical solutions. The deviations between the classical solutions and those of LBM simulation become somewhat larger at high Jakob numbers and low Prandtl numbers. The contact angle of the fluid with the surface is found to have very little effects on film condensation. It is shown that the LBM can be applied to condensation problems successfully and accurately for the first time.