Coatings for enhancing performance of materials surfaces, methods of producing the coating and coated substrates, and coated condensers are disclosed herein. More particularly, exemplary embodiments provide chemical coating materials useful for coating condenser components.

Coatings for enhancing performance of materials surfaces, methods of producing the coating and coated substrates, and coated condensers are disclosed herein. More particularly, exemplary embodiments provide chemical coating materials useful for coating condenser components.

A heat and mass transfer component comprises a lubricant-impregnated surface including hydrophobic surface features, which comprise nanostructured surface protrusions having a hydrophobic species attached thereto. The hydrophobic surface features are impregnated with a fluorinated lubricant having a viscosity in a range from about 400 mPa.Math.s to about 6000 mPa.Math.s. A method of fabricating a lubricant-impregnated surface on a heat and mass transfer component comprises: cleaning a thermally conductive substrate to form a cleaned substrate; exposing the cleaned substrate to a hot water or hot alkaline solution to form a thermally conductive substrate having nanostructured surface protrusions; depositing a hydrophobic species on the nanostructured surface protrusions to form hydrophobic surface features; and coating the hydrophobic surface features with a fluorinated lubricant having a viscosity in a range from 400 mPa.Math.s to 6000 mPa.Math.s. The heat and mass transfer component may exhibit a substantial increase in heat transfer coefficient during hydrocarbon condensation.

A heat and mass transfer component comprises a lubricant-impregnated surface including hydrophobic surface features, which comprise nanostructured surface protrusions having a hydrophobic species attached thereto. The hydrophobic surface features are impregnated with a fluorinated lubricant having a viscosity in a range from about 400 mPa.Math.s to about 6000 mPa.Math.s. A method of fabricating a lubricant-impregnated surface on a heat and mass transfer component comprises: cleaning a thermally conductive substrate to form a cleaned substrate; exposing the cleaned substrate to a hot water or hot alkaline solution to form a thermally conductive substrate having nanostructured surface protrusions; depositing a hydrophobic species on the nanostructured surface protrusions to form hydrophobic surface features; and coating the hydrophobic surface features with a fluorinated lubricant having a viscosity in a range from 400 mPa.Math.s to 6000 mPa.Math.s. The heat and mass transfer component may exhibit a substantial increase in heat transfer coefficient during hydrocarbon condensation.

A method of operating a heat exchanger is disclosed in which an electric field is applied to a hydrophobic surface having condensed water droplets thereon to reduce a contact angle between the individual droplet surfaces and the hydrophobic surface, and to increase droplet surface energy to a second surface energy level. The electric field is removed to increase the contact angle between the individual droplet surfaces and the hydrophobic surface, and to reduce droplet surface energy to a third surface energy level. The third surface energy level is greater than the first surface energy level and greater than a surface energy level for a free droplet. A portion of the droplet surface energy is converted to kinetic energy to detach droplets from the hydrophobic surface. The detached droplets are removed from the heat rejection side fluid flow path.

A method of operating a heat exchanger is disclosed in which an electric field is applied to a hydrophobic surface having condensed water droplets thereon to reduce a contact angle between the individual droplet surfaces and the hydrophobic surface, and to increase droplet surface energy to a second surface energy level. The electric field is removed to increase the contact angle between the individual droplet surfaces and the hydrophobic surface, and to reduce droplet surface energy to a third surface energy level. The third surface energy level is greater than the first surface energy level and greater than a surface energy level for a free droplet. A portion of the droplet surface energy is converted to kinetic energy to detach droplets from the hydrophobic surface. The detached droplets are removed from the heat rejection side fluid flow path.

A metal base plate material includes trip-shaped first regions each having a plurality of first ridges arranged substantially parallel to each other and at substantially equal intervals such that an angle of intersection with a longitudinal direction is greater than or equal to 10 and less than or equal to 25. Strip-shaped second regions each have a plurality of second ridges arranged substantially parallel to each other and at substantially equal intervals and angled to face the plurality of the first ridges in a crosswise direction. The first regions and second regions are separated by a gap regions therebetween, at substantially equal intervals. First ends on a downstream side of the plurality of the first ridges and second ends on a downstream side of the plurality of the second ridges are positioned differently from each other in the longitudinal directions.

A metal base plate material includes trip-shaped first regions each having a plurality of first ridges arranged substantially parallel to each other and at substantially equal intervals such that an angle of intersection with a longitudinal direction is greater than or equal to 10 and less than or equal to 25. Strip-shaped second regions each have a plurality of second ridges arranged substantially parallel to each other and at substantially equal intervals and angled to face the plurality of the first ridges in a crosswise direction. The first regions and second regions are separated by a gap regions therebetween, at substantially equal intervals. First ends on a downstream side of the plurality of the first ridges and second ends on a downstream side of the plurality of the second ridges are positioned differently from each other in the longitudinal directions.

A method to condense and liquefy vapor by introducing the vapor into a heat exchanger and bringing same into contact with a cooling body in the heat exchanger, wherein a droplet condensation promoting agent is directly added to the vapor introduced into the heat exchanger or to the heat exchanger. A droplet condensation promoting effect due to the droplet condensation promoting agent can be sufficiently manifested and condensation efficiency by droplet condensation can be improved by way of directly adding the droplet condensation promoting agent such as a film forming amine or the like to the vapor introduced into the heat exchanger or to the heat exchanger.

The invention relates generally to liquid-repellent coatings, and in particular, to porous liquid-repellent coatings, a method of preparing the porous liquid-repellent coatings, and a method of characterizing a porous surface for the liquid-repellent coatings. The invention further relates to a porous liquid-repellent coating comprising a porous layer of a transition metal oxide and/or hydroxide and a layer of a liquid-repellent compound deposited onto the porous layer of the transition metal oxide and/or hydroxide, wherein the porous layer of the transition metal oxide and/or hydroxide is comprised of a plurality of surface pores of varying angles with an average angle that is re-entrant.