Silver Surfaces for Dropwise Condensation of Steam

The condensation of atmospheric pressure steam on copper coated with electroplated and vapor deposited silver was studied. It was found that, with a thick enough coating, silver will promote dropwise condensation without the intentional introduction of an additional promotor. For electroplating, the critical silver thickness depended on the electroplating bath used and the method of surface preparation prior to plating. Six combinations of four plating baths and two surface preparation techniques were studied. The minimum thickness which was able to promote dropwise condensation was 500 (ANGSTROM). Vapor deposited silver over copper also promoted dropwise condensation. The minimum required vapor deposit thickness was not found, however, it is not more than 3,000 (ANGSTROM).

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Chemical Engineering

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2014

Author dc:creator

• O'neill, Gary Alan

• Engineering, Chemical

Identifier

(UMI)AAI8502257

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/72140