A kinetic theory approach to computation of supersonic nozzle flow with water vapor condensation

A method is presented to calculate the static pressure and temperature distribution for a supersonic nozzle flow when water vapor is mixed with air. The method combines numerically integrable differential equations governing flows with condensation and the kinetic theory of Buckle and Pouring. This theory for the formation of clusters in a condensing vapor is based on molecular rather than thermodynamic considerations. The theory was numerically modeled by Pouring into two computer codes: equilibrium conditions and nonequilibrium conditions. The equilibrium code establishes the initial values of the kinetic theory's parameters, while the nonequilibrium code calculates the growth and decay rates of clusters of every size from the theory's unimolecular and bimolecular reaction probabilities. The computer method was applied to four experimental cases taken from the condensation investigation work of Pouring. The results of calculations indicate that the method can yield excellent results if the relationship describing the internal energy redistribution frequency is correctly chosen.