Article

Heat and Mass Transfer and Physical Gasdynamics
2012. V. 50. № 2. P. 255–264
Shevkunov S.V.
Nucleation of water vapors at temperatures above the boiling point in the presence of ion admixtures
Annotation
The dependences of the Gibbs energy, entropy, and work of formation on the sizes of the centers of nucleation of a condensed phase with the size of up to $533$ molecules formed on singly charged sodium cations and chlorine anions in water vapor at the temperature of $400$ K have been calculated on the molecular level by the Monte Carlo method. It has been shown that, when the detailed interaction model is used, the effect of pulling the ion from microdroplets is kept at relatively high temperatures, accelerating the loss of the thermodynamic stability of the center of nucleation and the formation of the typical nucleation barrier, the same as in homogeneous microdroplets. When ion admixtures are present, the free energy barrier to the growth of centers of nucleation in strongly supersaturated vapors is considerably lowered. The nucleation velocity and minimum relative contents of the ion admixtures, able to accelerate nucleation, have been estimated in the region of strong supersaturation.
Article reference:
Shevkunov S.V. Nucleation of water vapors at temperatures above the boiling point in the presence of ion admixtures, High Temp., 2012. V. 50. № 2. P. 255