On the effect of pressure and carrier gas on homogeneous water nucleation

0444388 - ÚT 2016 RIV US eng J - Journal Article
Fransen, M. A. L. J. - Hrubý, Jan - Smeulders, D. M. J. - Dongen, M. E. H.
On the effect of pressure and carrier gas on homogeneous water nucleation.
Journal of Chemical Physics. Roč. 142, č. 16 (2015), 164307_1-164307_7. ISSN 0021-9606. E-ISSN 1089-7690
R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GAP101/11/1593
Institutional support: RVO:61388998
Keywords : homogeneous nucleation * water * pressure effect
Subject RIV: BJ - Thermodynamics
Impact factor: 2.894, year: 2015
http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4919249

Homogeneous nucleation rates of water droplets were measured in a Pulse-Expansion Wave Tube (PEWT). Results are given for water nucleation in helium at 100 kPa and at 1000 kPa and in nitrogen at 1000 kPa. Two trends were observed: (i) the values of the nucleation rate of water in helium at 1000 kPa are slightly but significantly higher (factor 3) than its values at 100 kPa and (ii) nucleation rates of water in nitrogen at 1000 kPa are clearly higher (factor 10) than in helium at the same pressure. For case (i), the likely reason is the insufficient thermalization of the growing water clusters. For case (ii), the probable reason is the pressure dependency of the surface tension. However, a full quantitative agreement has not yet been achieved.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0247062