Heat and mass transfer modelling of sub-micrometer droplets under atmospheric pressure conditions

The mathematical modeling of heat and mass transfers of submicrometer droplets vaporizing in gaseous surroundings at atmospheric pressure is investigated, including the effect of equilibrium/nonequilibrium assumption at the liquid/gas interface and of surface curvature on the droplet evaporation behavior. The numerical limitations of some of the most frequently used models for academic and industrial research activities on sprays have been enlightened. Emphasis is given to the verification of the validity of the assumptions imposed when they are extrapolated outside the range of operating conditions within which they have been derived, for instance, when they are used to predict the heat and mass transport phenomena occurring in submicrometer aerosol particles.