Condensation of methanol vapor onto its liquid film on a solid wall behind a reflected shock wave

On the basis of the polyatomic gas version of the Gaussian-BGK model of the Boltzmann equation, we shall numerically analyze the condensation of methanol vapor onto its liquid film on an endwall of the shock tube induced by the pressure elevation due to a reflected shock wave. By comparing the numerical results with experimental ones, we can determine the value of condensation coefficient in various nonequilibrium conditions. It is shown that at around room temperature, the condensation coefficient of methanol vapor is almost unity when the condensation is sufficiently weak. In this case, the asymptotic analysis for the steady problem gives an appropriate estimation for the rate of the growth of the liquid film thickness.