Modelling the Evaporation of a Liquid Droplet

This report explores the development of a one-dimensional mathematical model for the evaporation of a pure liquid droplet suspended in its own vapour. In an attempt to account for all relevant transport mechanisms, a “first principles” approach is taken by developing the model from fundamental conservation equations. With the aid of a perturbation analysis, a reduced system of equations is achieved and solved numerically with MATLAB. Realistic responses to varying environmental conditions are demonstrated in several simulations. Finally, an imbalance in the heat flow across the liquid/vapour interface is established as the primary mechanism driving the evaporation process.