An approximate predictive technique for freezing of thin condensate films on vertical plates

A technique suitable for engineering application has been developed for predicting the solid-phase history in freezing of a condensate film on a vertical plate. Utilizing the results of Beaubouef as well as Sparrow and Gregg a model was constructed approximating the flow features and freezing phenomena. The present model was also suitable for application to freezing, of noncondensing free-convective flow, for which good agreement was obtained with predictions of the "exact" analysis of Lapadula and Mueller. In addition, the effect of turbulence in the liquid layer on the deposited solid was studied. It was found that the thickness of the deposited solid layer may decrease in the direction of the flow, which is just opposite to the situation when the liquid layer is laminar.