An integral treatment of laminar and turbulent film condensation on bodies of arbitrary geometrical configuration

A general solution procedure has been developed for laminar and turbulent film condensation problems. The procedure is designed to deal with both plane and axisymmetric isothermal bodies of arbitrary geometrical configuration. Inertia effects are fully considered by introducing a new parameter associated with the flow acceleration. A closed-form expression for the local Nusselt number is obtained for both laminar and turbulent flows. Calculations are carried out for laminar and turbulent condensate layers developed on flat plates, horizontal circular cylinders, and spheres. The results are compared with available predictions and measurements.