Influence of relative humidity and ambient temperature on hydrothermal waves (HTWs) of organic solvent volatile drops

Abstract

In this work we investigate the effect of relative humidity and ambient temperature on the self-generated hydrothermal waves at the liquid-vapor interface of evaporating ethanol drops by means of infrared thermography and CCD camera. Absorption and/or condensation of water vapor onto the drop was found to have a strong impact on the thermal patterns retrieved at the drop interface. Furthermore, we make use of gas chromatography to quantify for the first time water absorbed and/or condensed onto the drop. To conclude, we highlight the importance to account for the heat of water absorption/condensation in order to characterize the complete heat and mass transfer problem during organic solvent drop evaporation.