Numerical investigation of inlet pressure effects on condensation flow regime in a supersonic nozzle

Abstract Non-equilibrium condensation (NEC) is a prevalent phenomenon in various industrial equipment, and it can substantially affect their operational efficiency and overall performance. Droplet nucleation and growth is one of the important aspects of NEC and needs to be investigated and studied, whatever affects these parameters. On the other hand, NEC has a considerable impact on the flow pattern and condensation shock causes a sudden change in flow parameters. This study has been conducted with the aim of investigating the impact of inlet pressure (IP) on the flow pattern and two-phase flow parameters. The values of 90 kPa, 95 kPa, 99.98 kPa, 105 kPa, and 110 kPa are considered as the nozzle IP for this investigation, and its impact on the parameters of pressure, temperature, speed, density, droplet radius, liquid mass fraction (LMF), nucleation rate, Number of drops and condensed mass rate. According to the results, as the IP increases, the condensation shock occurs earlier and the LMF in the nozzle increases. As the pressure increases from 90 kPa to 110 kPa, the amount of LMF increases by about 5.7 %, and more LMF is produced in the nozzle. This study provides a good understanding of the impact of IP on NEC.