Dimensionless Numbers

Adam Powell Spring, 2004

Note: I am not using the dierent names of the mass transfer dimensionless numbers, just calling them, e.g., mass transfer Prandtl number. Those names are given here because some people use them, and youll probably hear them at some point in your career. Heat Transfer Mass Transfer Biot Number M.T. Biot Number Ratio of conductive to convective H.T. resistance Ratio of diusive to reactive or conv MT resistance Determines uniformity of temperature in solid Determines uniformity of concentration in solid Bi = hL/ksolid Bi = kL/Dsolid or hD L/Dsolid Fourier Number Ratio of current time to time to reach steady-state Dimensionless time in temperature curves, used in explicit nite dierence stability criterion Fo = t/L2 Fo = Dt/L2 Knudsen Number: Ratio of gas molecule mean free path to process lengthscale Indicates validity of line-of-sight (> 1) or continuum (< 0.01) gas models kT Kn = L = 22 P L Reynolds Number: Ratio of convective to viscous momentum transport Determines transition to turbulence, dynamic pressure vs. viscous drag Re = U L/ = U L/ Prandtl Number M.T. Prandtl (Schmidt) Number Ratio of momentum to thermal diusivity Ratio of momentum to species diusivity Determines ratio of uid/HT BL thickness Determines ratio of uid/MT BL thickness Pr = / = cp /k Pr = /D = /D Nusselt Number M.T. Nusselt (Sherwood) Number Ratio of lengthscale to thermal BL thickness Ratio of lengthscale to diusion BL thickness Used to calculate heat transfer coecient h Used to calculate mass transfer coecient hD Nu = hL/kf luid Nu = hD L/Df luid Grashof Number Ratio of natural convection buoyancy force to viscous force Controls the ratio of lengthscale to natural convection boundary layer thickness Gr = gT L3 / 2 Gr = gC CL3 / 2 Peclet Number Ratio of convective to diusive heat/mass transport in a uid Used to determine plug ow/perfect mixing (CSTR) continuous ow model validity Pe = RePr = U L/ Pe = RePr = U L/D Rayleigh Number Ratio of natural convective to diusive heat/mass transport Determines the transition to turbulence Ra = GrPr = gT L3 / Ra = GrPr = gC CL3 /D 1