Boiling and condensation
Boiling and condensation in OpenFOAM: interface phase change with latent heat
Model evaporation and condensation at a tracked interface, where mass crosses between phases and latent heat dominates the energy balance.
What it is
A VoF interface that also transfers mass: liquid becomes vapour and vapour becomes liquid according to the local temperature relative to saturation. Latent heat is the largest term in the energy equation, so getting it wrong makes the timing wrong however good the flow field is.
What the application sets up
- Saturation properties and latent heat for the fluid
- A phase-change model with its rate coefficients
- Thermal boundary conditions on the walls driving the change
- Transient controls, since phase change is never steady
- Interface position and temperature together, because neither explains it alone
Typical uses
- Condensers and evaporators in process plant
- Boiling in cooling passages
- Cryogenic tank self-pressurisation and boil-off
- Steam condensation on cooled surfaces
Industries
Sectors where this analysis is routinely asked for.
- HVAC & refrigeration
- Power generation
- Cryogenics
- Electronics two-phase cooling
What comes out
- Phase-change rates at surfaces
- Vapour and condensate distribution
- Heat flux through the interface
- Dryout and flooding indicators
OpenFOAM solvers
interCondensatingEvaporatingFoam
Selected and configured for you from the analysis type. You can still see every dictionary the application writes.
In every tier
This analysis type is in the free build. The free tier limits mesh size to 250,000 cells and solving to one core — not which physics you may use.
On accuracy, plainly.