PREFACE

The purpose of writing this monograph is to present the available analytical

solutions for laminar fluid flow and forced convection heat transfer in
circular and noncircular pipes. The subject has importance in a large variety
of traditional engineering disciplines, such as heating and cooling devices
used in electronics, biomechanics, aerospace, instrumentation, and pipelines
for oil, water and other fluids, and, in particular, for compact heat exchanger
and solar collector designs. Generally, one way to reduce heat exchanger
costs is to use more compact surfaces, as both the cost per unit area and heat
transfer flux per unit temperature difference are simultaneously improved.
With the advancement of science and technology, a variety of passage
geometries are utilized for internal flow forced convection heat transfer
applications. Analytical laminar flow solutions for many passage geometries
are available in the heat transfer literature. However, these solutions are
scattered throughout the world-wide technical journals, reports, and student
theses. These solutions, often generated by applied mathematicians, are not
always accessible to the practicing engineers and researchers who are gen­
erally faced with a limited availability of time. Also, these solutions may be
difficult to interpret by the engineer, as they may be presented with all the
details of analyses but without the final results which an engineer would like
to use. The aim of this monograph is to present all the analytical solutions
known to the authors for laminar internal flow, in a readily usable, coordi­
nated, and unified format. In the interest of brevity, derivations of formulas
and detailed explanations, such as are appropriate in a textbook, are omitted;
only the final results are presented in graphical and tabular forms. The
extensive bibliography will provide the detailed information needed by
scholars in this field of analysis.
This monograph is the result of the authors' need for a compendium of
solutions for investigating improved surface geometries. It is an outgrowth of
an initial compilation of laminar flow solutions prepared five years ago as
the dissertation of the senior author. Hopefully, it will also serve as a useful
reference to the engineers and researchers in the field.
Since it would take many volumes to do justice to all aspects of internal
laminar flows, the scope of this monograph is restricted to laminar flow and
forced convection for a Newtonian fluid with constant properties, passing
through stationary, straight, nonporous ducts of constant cross section.
xiii
XIV PREFACE

Except for the twisted-tape flows, all forms of body forces are omitted. Also,
magnetohydrodynamic flows, electrical conducting flows, heat radiating
flows, and the effects of natural convection, change of phase, mass transfer
and chemical reactions are all excluded. Although some of the geometries
described may not be visualized for the compact heat exchanger application,
they are included for the completeness of available solutions for the laminar
flow problem.
Emphasis is given to the summary of analytical solutions. Except for the
circular tube, whenever experimental results are available to support or
contradict the theory, they are also described in the text. For the circular tube,
a vast amount of analytical and experimental results are available for the
laminar flow forced convection. These experimental results generally support
the analytical results. However, no compilation is provided for these experi­
mental results because of space limitations.
We have not attempted a scientific or technological history. Although an
effort was made to compile laminar flow analytical solutions from all avail­
able sources, it is quite probable that several important sources may not have
come to the authors' attention.
The first four chapters describe the basic problems, solution techniques,
dimensionless groups and generalized solutions. Chapters V through XVI
describe the solutions for 39 duct geometries. Chapter XVII provides an
overview of these solutions. Table 136 provides a ready reference for locating
a particular solution. We recommend reading Chapters I and XVII first.
We are grateful to many researchers who have furnished the information
requested. Without their whole-hearted assistance, this monograph would
not be of great value. Their assistance is acknowledged as a personal com­
munication in the references. The authors are thankful to Prof. T. F. Irvine,
Jr., the editor, Prof. H. C. Perkins and Dr. M. R. Doshi who read the manu­
script and made many helpful suggestions. Prof. K. P. Johannsen reviewed
Chapter XV. Dr. D. B. Taulbee reviewed sections on the hydrodynamically
developing flow. The authors are grateful to these researchers for their con­
structive suggestions. The institutional support of Stanford University, the
Office of Naval Research, and the Harrison Radiator Division of General
Motors Corporation is gratefully acknowledged. Lastly, the first author
would like to express sincere appreciation to his wife Rekha for her pa­
tience, understanding and encouragement during the preparation of this
monograph.

R. K. SHAH
A. L. LONDON