The effect of a growing aerosol on the rate of homogeneous nucleation of a vapor

Abstract

Growing particles in a supersaturated vapor act as sources of latent heat and sinks for vapor, altering the vapor concentration and gas temperature near the particles, and, consequently, decreasing the homogeneous nucleation rate in the vicinity of the particles. Solutions for the vapor concentration and temperature profiles around a growing particle are obtained, and the solutions are used to predict the average nucleation rate per unit volume of fluid as a function of time. The average nucleation rate is shown to be proportional to the initially undisturbed rate and proportional to a term dependent largely on the total volume fraction of growing aerosol present. Under a wide range of conditions, the nucleation rate for dibutyl phthalate is calculated to quench gradually at the time when the fraction of available vapor condensed into aerosol approaches 5 to 9%.

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