Simultaneous Heat and Mass Transfer From a Two-Dimensional, Partially Liquid-Covered Surface

Simultaneous heat and mass transfer from partially liquid-covered surfaces is examined experimentally using a surface made of cylinders with the voids filled with liquid. The steady-state evaporation rate, surface temperature of the liquid and exposed solid, and location of meniscus are measured for various ambient air velocities and temperatures. Using these, we examine the effect of the extent to which the liquid covers the surface on the evaporation mass transfer rate resulting from the convective heat transfer from the ambient gas to this surface. The results show strong Bond and Reynolds number effects. For small Bond and Reynolds numbers, the presence of dry (exposed solid) surface does not influence the mass transfer rate. As the Bond or Reynolds number increases, a critical liquid coverage is found below which the mass transfer begins to decrease. Heat transfer from the exposed solid to the liquid is also examined using the measured surface temperature, a conduction model, and an estimate of the liquid and solid surface areas (using a static formation for the liquid meniscus). The results show that at the liquid surface an analogy between heat and mass transfer does not exist.