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Nucleation and growth rates of homogeneously condensing water vapor in argon from shock tube experiments

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Abstract

A special shock tube process combining a reflected expansion wave with a weak shock wave is analyzed and calibrated. The process is employed to transfer water vapor carried in argon into a known supersaturated state for a short period of time (0.5 ms). During that period steady state homogeneous nucleation takes place followed by condensational growth. Nucleation and growth rates are measured by a 90° Mie-light scattering technique in the temperature range 200–260 K. The results are compared with existing theoretical models.

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Abbreviations

a :

speed of sound

d :

scattering distance

D :

diffusion coefficient

I :

scattered intensity

I 0 :

intensity of incident laser light

J :

nucleation rate

k :

Boltzmann constant

l :

mean free path

L :

latent heat

m :

molecular mass

n :

index of refraction

N :

number of scatterers

p :

pressure

r :

droplet radius

r * :

radius of nucleus of critical size

R w :

gas constant of water

S :

supersaturation, S = p w /p ∞ (T)

t :

time

T :

temperature

u :

velocity

v :

scattering volume

V m :

volume of a molecule

x :

distance from diaphragm

α :

sticking coefficient

β :

impingement rate

γ :

ratio of specific heats

λ :

laser wavelength

λ :

heat conductivity

ρ :

density

σ :

surface tension

1:

driven side of shock tube, initial state

3:

state at tail of centered expansion

4:

driver side of shock tube, initial state

d :

droplet

exp:

experimental

w :

wall; water

∞:

flat surface equilibrium

l :

liquid

s :

solid

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Universität Essen, Schützenbahn 70, D-4300, Essen, Germany

    F. Peters & B. Paikert

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  1. F. Peters
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Peters, F., Paikert, B. Nucleation and growth rates of homogeneously condensing water vapor in argon from shock tube experiments. Experiments in Fluids 7, 521–530 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00187403

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