Influence of Prandtl Number on Thin Film Condensation in Forced Convection in an Inclined Wall Covered with a Porous Material

The numerical study of thin film type condensation in forced convection of a saturated pure vapor in an inclined wall covered with a porous material is presented. The generalized Darcy-Brinkman-Forchheimer (DBF) model is used to describe the flow in the porous medium while the classical boundary layer equations have been exploited in the case of a pure liquid. The dimensionless equations are solved by an implicit finite difference method and the iterative Gauss-Seidel method. The objective of this study is to examine the influence of the Prandtl number on the hydrodynamic and thermal fields but also on the local Nusselt number and on the boundary layer thickness. For Pr ≤ 0.7 (low) the velocity and the longitudinal temperature increase with the Prandtl number. On the other hand, when Pr ≥ 2 (high) the Prandtl number no longer influences the velocity and the longitudinal temperature. The local Nusselt number increases as the Prandtl number increases and the thickness of the hydrodynamic boundary layer increases as the Prandtl number decreases.