LECTURE 6: Fundamentals Convection

Syllabus : Convection Heat Transfer Coefficient, Nusselt Number, Prandtl Number, Energy
Conservation Equation, Solutions for a Flat Plate, Reynolds Analogy

- h
Convection heat transfer involves fluid motion as well as heat conduction. Convection heat transfer is
expressed by Newtons law as
( )

= T T A h Q
s s conv

(1)
where h is the convection heat transfer coefficient, Wm
-2
K
-1
.
Saying appearance is deceptive is well applicable to the h case because in fact the convection heat
transfer coefficient h depends on the several variables, and is difficult to determine.
A thin layer adjacent to a surface has the same velocity as the surface (no-slip condition). An implication
of the no-slip condition is that heat transfer from the solid surface to the fluid layer adjacent to the surface
is by pure conduction, and can be written as

0 =
c
c
= =
y
fluid cond conv
y
T
k q q (2)
Therefore, from (1) and (2) we can obtain

c
c

=
T T
y
T
k
h
s
y
fluid
0
(3)
[although Eqn.(3) is useless in order to find the value of h in practice because of difficulty of getting
accurate value of the temperature gradient at the wall].
The convection heat transfer coefficient h, in general, varies along the flow (or x-) direction. The
average or mean convection heat transfer coefficient for a surface in such cases is determined by
properly averaging the local convection heat transfer coefficients over the entire surface area A
s
or
length L as

}
=
s
A
s local
s
dA h
A
h
1

}
=
L
x
dx h
L
h
0
1
(4)

- The Nusselt number, which is the dimensionless heat transfer coefficient, is defined as


k
L h
Nu
c
= (5)
where k is the thermal conductivity of the fluid and L
c
is the characteristic length. Interpretation: the
Nusselt number represents the enhancement of heat transfer through a fluid layer as a result of convection
relative to conduction across the same fluid layer:

L T k
T h
q
q
cond
conv
A
A
=

(6)
Analogously to the velocity boundary layer developing over the solid surfaces, a thermal boundary
layer develops near the wall:
The thickness of the thermal boundary layer
t
is defined as the
distance from the surface at which the temperature difference
S
T T equals ) ( 99 . 0
s
T T

.

- Prandtl number
The relative thickness of the velocity and the thermal boundary
layers is best described by the dimensionless parameter Prandtl
number
k
c

p
= = =
heat of y diffusivit Molecular
momentum of y diffusivit Molecular
Pr (7)
The Prandtl numbers of gases are about 1, which indicates that both
momentum and heat dissipate through the fluid at about the same rate.
Heat diffuses very quickly in liquid metals (Pr << 1) and very slowly in
oils (Pr >> 1) relative to momentum.
Consequently the thermal boundary layer is much thicker for liquid
metals and much thinner for oils relative to the velocity boundary layer.

- Energy Conservation Equation
The energy balance for a steady-flow control volume can be written as
( ) ( ) ( ) 0 = +
flow mass by out in work by out in heat by out in
E E E E E E

(8)
in x-direction:
( ) ( ) ( )
( )
( ) | |
dxdy
x
u
T
x
T
u c dx
x
T c dy u
dx
x
e m
e m e m E E
p
p
x stream
x stream x stream x mass by out in
|
.
|

\
|
c
c
+
c
c
=
c
c
=
=
(

c
c
+ =

1
,

(9)
in y-direction:
( )
( ) ( ) | |
dxdy
y
v
T
y
T
v c dx
y
T c dx v
dy
y
e m
E E
p
p y stream
y mass by out in
|
|
.
|

\
|
c
c
+
c
c
=
c
c
=
(

c
c
+ =
1
0 0
,

(10)
The net ( ) dxdy
y
T
v
x
T
u c E E
p flow mass by out in
|
|
.
|

\
|
c
c
+
c
c
=

since 0 =
c
c
+
c
c
y
v
x
u
(11)
The net rates of heat conduction:
in x-direction (12)
in y-direction ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
2
2
,
1
y
T
k dy
y
T
dx k
y
dx
x
Q
Q Q E E
x
y y y heat by out in
c
c
=
(

c
c

c
c
=
(

c
c
+ =


(13)
Sum of Eqns. (12) and (13) yields the net rate of heat conduction to the volume element
( ) dxdy
y
T
x
T
k E E
heat by out in
|
|
.
|

\
|
c
c
+
c
c
=
2
2
2
2

(14)
For common chemical engineering applications associated with low or moderate velocities the
contribution of the viscous shear stresses terms with subscript by work, Eqn.(8)] is negligible, hence
the energy equation for the steady 2-D flow is obtained by substituting Eqns.(11) and (14) into (8):

|
|
.
|

\
|
c
c
+
c
c
=
|
|
.
|

\
|
c
c
+
c
c
2
2
2
2
y
T
x
T
k
y
T
v
x
T
u c
p
(15)
Generally analysis of heat transfer by convection implies the information on the flow velocity field to be
known, hence momentum equation should be incorporated into the list. Thus, the continuity, momentum,
and energy equations for steady two-dimensional incompressible flow with constant properties are as
follows
Continuity: 0 =
c
c
+
c
c
y
v
x
u
(16)
x-momentum:
x
P
y
u
y
u
v
x
u
u
c
c

c
c
=
|
|
.
|

\
|
c
c
+
c
c
2
2
(17)
Energy: u +
|
|
.
|

\
|
c
c
+
c
c
=
|
|
.
|

\
|
c
c
+
c
c

2
2
2
2
y
T
x
T
k
y
T
v
x
T
u c
p
(18)
Where the viscous dissipation function u is

2 2
2
2
|
|
.
|

\
|
c
c
+
c
c
+
(
(

|
|
.
|

\
|
c
c
+
|
.
|

\
|
c
c
= u
x
v
y
u
y
v
x
u
(19)
- Solutions for a Flat Plate
Using the boundary layer approximations and a similarity variable,
these equations can be solved for parallel steady flow over a flat plate
(textbook, pp.395-399), with the following results:
Velocity boundary layer thickness:
x
x
x V Re
91 . 4 91 . 4
= =
u
o (20)
Local friction coefficient:
5 . 0
2
,
Re 664 . 0
2

= =
x
w
x f
V
C

t
(21)
Local Nusselt number:
2
1
3
1
Re Pr 332 . 0 = =
k
x h
Nu
x
x
(22)
Thermal boundary layer thickness:
x
t
x
Re Pr
91 . 4
Pr
3
1
3
1
= =
o
o (23)
The Nusselt number can be expressed in functional form as

n m
L
C Nu Pr Re = (24)
where m and n are constant, and the value of C is determined by geometry and flow configuration.
- Reynolds Analogy
It is workable provided (Pr 1, i.e.
t
o o ~ ), and is expressed as

x x
L
x f
Sh Nu C = =
2
Re
,
or
x
x f
St
C
=
2
,
where
Pr Re
Nu
L p
V c
h
St = =

(25)
The analogy is extended to other Prandtl numbers by Chilton-Colburn analogy expressed as

H x
x f
j St
C
= =
3
2
,
Pr
2
for 0.6 < Pr < 60, where
H
j is called the Colburn j-factor.
Eqns. (21), (22) refer to laminar flow, however the above presented analogies are also applicable
approximately for turbulent flow over a surface.
References:

1. Y. A. engel, A. J. Ghajar . Heat and Mass Transfer. Fundamentals and Applications. 4
th
Ed.,
McGraw-Hill.