1. General

1.1 Comparison of condensation of a pure vapor and a mixture of vapors

When the surface temperature of a wall is lower than the saturation temperature of the vapour surrounding it, the vapour can condense on the wall. It condenses either as droplets or as a liquid film, depending on the wettability of the surface. During condensation, the enthalpy supplied at the liquid-vapor interface is evacuated by convection and conduction towards the cold wall, and three thermal resistances placed in series must be overcome: the thermal resistance in the vapor phase, the thermal resistance at conversion from vapor to liquid phase, and the thermal resistance in the liquid phase. If we consider the temperature profile close to the wall of a condenser on which a liquid film has been formed by condensation,...