Experimental Investigation of Dropwise Condensation Shedding by Shearing Airflow in Microgravity Using Different Surface Coatings

The shedding kinematics of water droplets in a condensation environment when exposed to aerodynamic forces in microgravity was studied. Understanding the shedding of droplets from a surface is a critical part of the dropwise condensation process for improving heat transfer. Because gravity as a droplet removal technique is not available in space, the use of airflow to shed droplets is considered for condensing heat exchangers in environmental control and life support systems. Surface coatings affect drop adhesion, and here, four different surfaces (PMMA, PS, PTFE, and SHS) and various droplet sizes (80, 60, and 40 μL) were used to understand the above phenomenon. It was found that the critical velocity to shed a droplet in microgravity was up to 8% lower than that in normal gravity. Also, the effect of the droplet size was investigated for both microgravity and normal gravity; the shedding velocity was lower for microgravity, and it decreased as droplet size increased. Increasing the hydrophobicity of the coating decreased the critical velocity for shedding. Finally, the droplet was found to detach from superhydrophobic surfaces in microgravity. The detachment of droplets from the substrate will hamper the condensation process that can produce a larger fresh area; also, detachment of droplets and entrainment in airflow counter the concept of removing moisture from the air in a dehumidification process.