Heat and Mass Transfer in Evaporative Systems

Evaporative systems rely on the coupled processes of heat and mass transfer to convert liquid into vapour under controlled conditions. Heat is supplied to a liquid interface, raising the temperature to saturation and breaking intermolecular bonds, while mass diffusion carries vapour away into a surrounding gas phase. The rate of evaporation depends on the temperature gradient at the interface, the flow characteristics of the liquid and gas, and the transport properties of both phases. Systems range from falling-film evaporators in desalination and chemical processing to micro-scale cooling devices and environmental control technologies. Key dimensionless parameters such as the Nusselt, Sherwood and Reynolds numbers govern convective enhancement of heat and mass fluxes, and modern research explores surface structuring, nanofluid additives and flow modulation to boost performance. Advances in numerical modelling, including direct simulation of film thickness variation and interface stability, support the design of more efficient evaporators with reduced energy consumption and improved separation capacity. The global significance of this field spans water purification, power generation, food processing and electronic cooling, where precise control of interface temperature and vapour removal underpins sustainable engineering solutions.

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Heat and Mass Transfer in Evaporative Systems publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in heat and mass transfer in evaporative systems across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Evaporation: Phase change from liquid to vapour at an interface driven by heat input and mass diffusion.

Falling film: A continuous liquid layer flowing under gravity along a heated surface, widely used in efficient evaporators.

Nanofluid: A suspension of nanoparticles in a base fluid designed to alter thermal and transport properties.

Nusselt number (Nu): Dimensionless ratio quantifying convective to conductive heat transfer at a surface.

Sherwood number (Sh): Dimensionless ratio quantifying convective to diffusive mass transfer at an interface.

Reynolds number (Re): Dimensionless parameter describing the relative influence of inertial to viscous forces in a flow.

References

1. Numerical simulation of non-linear film variation and heat transfer characteristics in falling film evaporation around in-line horizontal tubes. Journal of Thermal Engineering (2024).
2. Liquid Nanofilms’ Evaporation Inside a Heat Exchanger by Mixed Convection. Coatings (2022).