Heat transfer in film condensation of slowly moving vapour

Abstract Based on considerable experimental evidence, the law (curve) is suggested for film condensation of vapour in the absence of an appreciable external friction on the gas-liquid interface. The curve clearly reveals the region of laminar-wave motion, an extensive region of quasi-selfsimilar heat transfer and the region of fully developed turbulent heat transfer. The law is shown to be qualitatively the same, and quantitatively very similar, for different geometries (a vertical wall, a packet of horizontal tubes).