On the numerical computation of laminar boundary layers at a phase-changing, gas-liquid interface

The two-dimensional, laminar boundary-layer equations of heat, mass and momentum at a smooth, phase-changing, gas-liquid interface are solved numerically by the Keller Box method. The gas and liquid regimes are embedded in a single marching scheme which computes interfacial parameters implicitly. Results of both self-similar and nonsimilar boundary-layer computations are presented and effects of mild pressure gradient, a mean current in the liquid, and free-stream vapor concentration on the interfacial parameters are analyzed. In order to assess the accuracy of the method, several self-similar problems are solved by Runge-Kutta integration and results are compared to those obtained by the finite-difference scheme. Agreement is excellent in all cases.