Liquid droplet condensation on a solid surface: A phase-field study.*

Condensation of liquid from the atmosphere on a solid surface is commonly seen in nature.  Liquid condensation is with high potential to be utilized in thermal management, water generation, and desalination. To enhance drop condensation more efficiently, it is crucial to understand the generation dynamics and  process. Phase field modeling approach has been commonly used to study the formation of structure/substance by external fields at microscopic length scale. A detailed two-dimensional numerical investigation of spinodal decomposition model has been established in this study.  Initially, both liquid and vapor phase are randomly coexisted in the computational domain, and a lower temperature is given at the solid surface. It is found the small liquid droplet generated along the curved surface and gradually merged into a coalescence droplet. Using a phase-field model, a preliminary study of droplet condensation has been performed and qualitative agreement with experiment is generally achieved.