Simulation of Water Vapor Condensation in a Partly Closed Structure: The Influence of the External Conditions of Temperature and Humidity

Our aim is to determine the more significant parameters acting on the water vapor condensation in a partly closed structure, submitted to external constraints (temperature and humidity) which induce convective movements and thermal variations inside. These constraints locally lead to condensation of the water vapor, initially contained in the air of the volume and/or on the walls. The inside bottom wall is remained dry. Condensed water quantities depend on: (1) dimensions of the structure, (2) the air renewing and its hygrometry, and (3) the phase between thermal and hydrometric conditions. Peculiar conditions are needed to obtain a maximum of condensation. 1. Introduction A lot of experimental and fundamental works have shown the possibility to condense the water vapor contained in ambient air with a view to recover it. We can mention the work of Nikolayev et al. [1] who highlighted the importance to study the basic physical phenomena in the formation of dew and the possibility to improve its recovering. In the same way, Muselli et al. [2] studied a dew water collector for potable water in Ajaccio. In their investigations concerning the mechanism of soil water vapor adsorption in arid regions, Beysens et al. [3] concluded that “there are areas in which, during the dry season, the dominant process is vapor adsorption, and dew formation is a rare occurrence.” This study and several others on the same subject shows the importance to characterize the main parameters intervening in the formation of water vapor condensation, particularly in arid regions. All these scientific works demonstrate that successes concerning water recovering possibilities by the mean of water vapor contained in ambient air remain limited and the subject causes scientific debates. The numerical simulation, more and more current in engineering sciences, is not very useful to describe, understand, and explain this complex process in which heat and mass transfer and thermodynamic of the mixture occur in a strong interactive manner at the same time, Gandhidasan and Abualhamayel [4], Beysens et al. [5], Caltagirone and Breil [6]. The aim of this study is to determine the more significant parameters acting on the conditions of the water vapor condensation present in air, inside a closed or partly closed structure (Batina et al. [7], and Batina et al. [8]). An illustration of such phenomena can be found in the case of the Arles-sur-Tech (France) sarcophagus (nonwatertight) Beysens et al. [9], Perard and Leborgne [10], the marble walls dimensions of which result in an about 0.33？m3 internal