14 Free Convection of Air Over An Isothermal Cylinder

Free Convection of Air Over an Isothermal Cylinder
ME433 COMSOL INSTRUCTTIONS
FREE CONVECTION OF AIR OVER AN ISOTHERMAL CYLINDER

Problem Statement
A solid horizontal cylinder 4 cm in diameter held at constant temperature Ts is brought to
a room temperature air environment. Surrounding air temperature T is lower than plate
surface temperature Ts. Due to temperature difference between air and the cylinder, the
density of air near the cylinder starts to decrease. Due to the presence of earths
gravitational acceleration field, air begins to rise near the surface of the cylinder forming
convection currents. Of general interest is to learn how to use COMSOL to generate plots
of velocity and temperature in free convection over a horizontal cylinder.
Known quantities:
Free Convection over a Horizontal Cylinder Setup
Geometry: horizontal cylinder

Fluid: Air
Ts = 100 C
T = 20 C
D = 4 cm
Observations
This is a free convection, external flow problem. Considered geometry is a

horizontal cylinder. The cylinder is held at constant temperature Ts.
Velocity and temperature fields are coupled in free convection. Therefore, a

multiphysics model involving steady state Navier Stokes and general heat
transfer modes must be setup and coupled in COMSOL. Boussinesq
approximation will be used to model air density changes induced by temperature
field.
Subject to validation conditions, correlation equations from chapter 8 are

applicable. For isothermal horizontal cylinders, local and average Nusselt
numbers are the quantities sought.
The problem is symmetric about a vertical line that goes through the center of the
cylinder. This fact will be utilized by solving the problem for half of the
geometry.
-1-
Assignment
1. Verify applicability of equation 8.35a for this problem. Calculate average heat
transfer coefficient using this correlation.
2. Use COMSOL to determine and show 2D colormaps of velocity and temperature
fields. Use arrows to represent velocity vector field.
3. Use COMSOL to plot 2D colormap of the density field.
4. Use COMSOL to plot vertical velocity u(xo, y) and temperature T(xo, y) on
0.055 y 0.16 at xo = 0 .
5. Use COMSOL to plot and extract numerical data for cylinder surface heat flux
qs ro , on 90 90 . Use Newtons law of cooling and extracted
temperature data to determine COMSOL local surface heat transfer coefficient
h(ro, ). [Note: In this instruction set, part of this assignment question will be
done with MATLAB, but you are free to use any software of your choice]
6. Use COMSOL to compute average heat transfer coefficient for the cylinder.
Compare this value with analytical results from question 1.
7. [Extra Credit]: XXYY??
-2-
Modeling with COMSOL Multiphysics
This model analyzes free convection process outside a horizontal cylinder. The cylinder
is held at a constant temperature Ts, which is higher than the surrounding temperature T.
As the hot cylinder heats air near its surface, air starts rising due to changes in its density.
This is called a free convection or natural convection process. When modeling this
process, consider a rectangular subdomain that consists of air. The 4 cm diameter
cylinder is located on the left vertical wall. This wall is a symmetry line. See the diagram
in Problem Statement for this modeling geometry.
The lift force responsible for natural convection process can be expressed in terms of
local density change of air as fy = ( )g. The term is the density far away from hot
cylinder where the cylinder has no influence on the air, g is gravitational acceleration
constant and represents variable density.
Boussinesq approximation can be used satisfactorily in this model to represent variable
density field. We will compute according to: = [1 (T T)/T]
With these assumptions and approximations, we are now ready to begin the modeling
procedure.
MODEL NAVIGATOR
To start working on this problem, we first need to enable two application modes in the
model navigator to create a Multiphysics model. The correct application modes are: (1)
General Heat Transfer, and (2) Weakly Compressible Navier Stokes. These modes will
be responsible for setting up and calculating temperature and velocity distribution fields,
respectively.
For this setup:
1. Start COMSOL Multiphysics.
2. From the list of application modes, select Heat Transfer Module General Heat
Transfer Steady state analysis.
3. Click the Multiphysics button.
4. Click the Add button.
5. From the list of application modes, select Heat Transfer Module Weakly
Compressible Navier Stokes Steady state analysis.
6. Click the Add button.
7. Click OK.
-3-
OPTIONS AND SETTINGS: DEFINING CONSTANTS
Continue by creating a small database of constants the model will use.

1. From the Options menu select Constants.
2. Define the following names and expressions:
NAME
EXPRESSION
VALUE
DESCRIPTION
Tinf
273.15+20[K]
293.15[K]
Temperature Far Away
dT
10[K]
10[K]
rho0
1.2042[kg/m^3]
1.2042[kg/m ]
Air Density (20C)
mu_air
18.17e-6[kg/(s*m)]
(1.817e-5)[kg/(ms)]
Air Dynamic Viscosity (20C)
k_air
0.02564[W/(m*degC)]
0.02564[W/(mK)]
Air Conductivity (20C)
Cp_air
1006.1[J/(kg*degC)]
1006.1[J/(kgK)]
Air Heat Capacity (20C)
9.81[m/s^2]
9.81[m/s ]
Temperature Step
3
Acc. Due to Gravity
3. Click OK.
COMSOL automatically determines correct units under the Value column. If it does
not, you are most likely entering wrong expressions. Carefully check the expression you
typed and make corrections, if necessary. The description column is optional and can be
left blank. It is presented here to give a short description of the constants.
-4-
GEOMETRY MODELING
In this step, we will create a 2 dimensional geometry that will be used as a model in our
problem. According to problem statement, we will need to create a rectangle with a semi
circular cut on the left wall. The cut will represent half of the horizontal cylinder. The
entire geometry must be positioned so that the origin coincides with the center of the cut.
This composite geometry is made as follows,
1. In the Draw menu, select Specify Objects Rectangle
2. Enter following rectangle dimensions for R1.
R1
WIDTH
0.1
HEIGHT
0.215
BASE
Corner
-0.055
3. Click OK to close Rectangle definition window.

4. Click on Zoom Extents button
geometry.
in the main toolbar to zoom into the
5. In the Draw menu, select Specify Objects Circle

6. In circle setup window, enter the radius of 0.02 and click OK.
7. Select Draw Create Composite Object option.
8. In the Set formula field, type R1C1 (w/o quotation marks) and click OK.
You should see your finished modeling geometry now in the

main program window. The left wall should have a semi
circular cut. The composite geometry should also be
positioned so that the origin coincides with the center of the
cut, as shown here.
-5-
PHYSICS SETTINGS
Physics settings in COMSOL consist of two parts: (1) Subdomain settings and (2)
boundary conditions. The subdomain settings let us specify material properties, initial
conditions, modes of heat transfer (i.e. conduction and/or convection). The boundary
conditions settings are used to specify what is happening at the boundaries of the
geometry. In this model, we will have to specify and couple physics settings for the flow
of air and heat transfer. Let us begin by specifying Boussinesq approximation to model
air density temperature dependence.
We use Boussinesq approximation to achieve this as follows:
1. In Options menu, select Expressions Subdomain Expressions.
2. Select subdomain 1 in the Subdomain selection section.
3. Type rho in the Name field and rho0*(1-(T-Tinf)/Tinf) in the expression
field.
NAME
EXPRESSION
UNIT
rho
rho0*(1-(T-Tinf)/Tinf)
[kg/m ]
4. Click OK to close Subdomain Expressions setup window.

COMSOL automatically determines correct units under the Unit column. If it does not,
you are most likely entering wrong expression. Carefully check the expression you typed
and make corrections, if necessary.
Let us now proceed with setup of subdomain and boundary settings for flow field and
heat transfer.
Weakly Compressible Navier Stokes Subdomain Settings
1. From the Physics menu select Subdomain Settings (equivalently, press F8).
2. Select subdomain 1 in the Subdomain selection section.
3. Type rho and mu_air in the fields for density and dynamic viscosity .
4. Type g*(rho0-rho) in the Fy field.
5. Click OK.
-6-
Notice that the buoyant force Fy is set up in accordance with the condition described
on page 3. This force setup (and density field variation) is responsible for driving the
warm air up and making free convection possible. If the plate was in an environment
where g 0, (such as inside the International Space Station), the air would not rise.
Incidentally, this might be part of the reason why astronauts and cosmonauts do not
have conventional cookware in space.
Weakly Compressible Navier Stokes Boundary Settings
1. From the Physics menu open the Boundary Settings (F7) dialog box.
2. Apply the following boundary conditions:
BOUNDARIES
BOUNDARY TYPE
BOUNDARY CONDITION
1, 6, 7
Wall
No Slip
2, 4, 5
Open boundary
Normal Stress
Symmetry boundary
COMMENTS
Verify that field f0 is set to 0
3. Click OK to close the boundary settings window.

The no slip condition applied to boundaries 1, 6, and 7 assumes that velocity is zero
at the wall of the cylinder. The short vertical boundary below the cylinder is set to no
slip condition for the reasons of successful convergence. Symmetry boundary signifies
that an identical process takes place to the left outside the model space. The remaining
boundaries have the open boundary condition, meaning that no forces act on the fluid.
The open boundary condition defines the assumption that computational domain
extends to infinity.
-7-
General Heat Transfer Subdomain Settings
1. From Mulptiphysics menu, select 1 General Heat Transfer (htgh) mode.

2. From the Physics menu, select Subdomain Settings (F8).
3. Select Subdomain 1 in the subdomain selection section.
4. Enter k_air, rho and Cp_air in the k, , and Cp fields, respectively.
5. Switch to Convection tab and check Enable convective heat transfer option.
6. Type u and v in the u and v fields, respectively.

7. Click OK to close the Subdomain Settings window.
-8-
General Heat Transfer Boundary Conditions:
1. From the Physics menu open the Boundary Settings (F7) dialog box.
2. Apply the following boundary conditions:
BOUNDARY
BOUNDARY CONDITION
COMMENTS
1, 3
Insulation/Symmetry
2, 5
Temperature
Enter Tinf in T0 field
6, 7
Temperature
Enter Tinf+dT in T0 field
Convective flux
3. Click OK to close Boundary Settings window.

The model keeps hot cylinder (boundaries 6, 7) at a constant temperature Ts (we will
slowly raise temperature step dT with parametric solver to 80C so that solver is able to
converge system of nonlinear equations. Note that when dT = 80C, temperature at the
cylinder is 100C, as given in the problem statement). The short boundaries below and
above the vertical plate (1 and 3) are thermally insulated so that no conduction or
convection occurs normal to the boundaries. On the bottom and the right boundaries (2
and 5), the model sets temperature equal to room temperature T. Air rises upwards
through the upper horizontal boundary (5). Application of Convective Flux boundary
condition assumes that convection dominates the transport of heat at this boundary.
MESH GENERATION
The following steps describe how to generate a mesh that properly resolves the velocity
field near the cylinder and symmetry boundaries without using an overly dense mesh in
the far field.
1. In the Mesh menu, select Free Mesh Parameters (F9).
2. Switch to Boundary tab
3. Select boundaries 1, 3, 6, and 7 in the boundary selection section while holding
the Control (ctrl) key on your keyboard.
4. Enter 1e-3 in the Maximum element size edit field.
5. Switch to the Point tab.
-9-
6. Select point 2.
7. Enter 2e-5 in the Maximum element size edit field.
8. Click Remesh.
9. Click OK to close Free Mesh Parameters window.
You should get the following triangular mesh:

We are now ready to compute our solution.
- 10 -
COMPUTING AND SAVING THE SOLUTION
In this step we define the type of analysis to be performed. We are interested in stationary
analysis here, which we previously selected in the Model Navigator. However, the
problem is highly non linear. Several solver settings must be changed for successful
convergence.
To easily find an initial guess for the solution, start by solving the problem for a higher
viscosity than the true value for air. Then decrease the viscosity until you reach the true
value for air. Make the transition from the start value to the true value using the
parametric solver in the following way:
1. In Solve menu, select Solver Parameters (F11).
2. Switch to Parametric solver.
3. Enter mu_air in the field for Name of parameter.
4. Enter 1e-4
1.817e-5
in the List of parameter values edit field.
5. Switch to Stationary tab and enable Highly nonlinear problem check box.
6. Switch to Advanced tab and select None from the Type of scaling list.
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7. Click OK to close Solver Parameters window.

8. From the Solve menu select Solve Problem. (Allow few minutes for solution)
This solution serves as the initial value for solving the model with higher plate
temperatures, which you perform with these steps:
9. From the Solve menu select the Solver Manager.
10. Click Store Solution button
on the bottom of the window.
11. Select 1.817e-5 as the Parameter value for solution to store.

12. Click OK.
13. In the Initial value section click the Stored solution radio button.
14. Click OK to close the Solver Manager.

15. From the Solve menu choose Solver Parameters (F11).
16. Enter dT in the field for Name of parameter.
17. Enter 10:10:80 in the List of parameter values edit field.
18. Switch to Stationary tab.

19. Disable Highly nonlinear problem check box.
20. Click OK to close Solver parameters window.
- 12 -
Now we can use the initial value solution to find solutions to higher surface temperatures.
21. From the Solve menu select the Solver Manager. (Allow few minutes for
solution)
22. Save your work on desktop by choosing File Save. Name the file according
to the naming convention given in the Introduction to COMSOL Multiphysics
document.
The result that you obtain should resemble the following surface color maps. By default,
temperature field is shown for the case when cylinder surface temperature is 100C, as
asked in problem statement.
By default, your immediate result will be given in Kelvin instead of degrees Celsius for
temperature field. Furthermore, it will be colored using a jet colormap and the velocity
field (represented by arrows in the above) will not be shown. We will use distinct
colormap options to represent air velocity and temperature fields. The next section
(Postprocessing and Visualization) will help you in determining and plotting quantities
asked for in the assignment questions. We will then use MATALB to compute and plot
local heat transfer coefficient h(ro, ) from COMSOL surface heat flux data.
- 13 -
POSTPROCESSING AND VISUALIZATION
After solving the problem, we would like to be able to look at the solution. COMSOL
offers us a number of different ways to look at our temperature (and other) fields. In this
problem we will deal with 2D color maps, velocity (and other) vector fields, and plotting
and extracting numerical data for surface heat flux qs ro , . We will also use COMSOL
to compute the average heat transfer coefficient for the cylinder. You will then use
MATLAB and COMSOL data to determine and plot local surface heat transfer
coefficient h(ro, ).
Displaying T(x, y) and Vector Field V(x, y)
Let us first change the unit of temperature to degrees Celsius:

1. From the Postprocessing menu, open Plot Parameters dialog box (F12).
2. Under the Surface tab, change the unit of temperature to degrees Celsius from
the drop down menu in the Unit field.
3. Change the Colormap type from jet to hot.
4. Click Apply to refresh main view and keep the Plot Parameters window open.
- 14 -
The 2D temperature distribution will be displayed using the hot colormap type with
degrees Celsius as the unit of temperature. Lets now add the velocity vector field V(x,y).
5. Switch to the Arrow tab and enable the Arrow plot check box.
6. Choose Velocity field from Predefined quantities.
7. Enter 20 in the Number of points for both x and y fields.
8. Press the Color button and select a color you want the arrows to be displayed in.
(Note: choose a color that produces good contrast. Green is a good choice here.)
At this point, you will see a similar plot as shown on page 13. It is a good idea to save
this colormap for future use. Before you do save it, however, experiment with the
Number of points field in Plot Parameters window and adjust the velocity vector
field to what seems the best view to you. Put 40 for the x field and update your view
by pressing Apply button. Notice the difference in velocity vector field representation.
Try other values.
- 15 -
You may also want to see other quantities as vector fields. Available quantities are: (1)
Temperature gradient, (2) Conductive heat flux, (3) Convective heat flux, and (4) Total
heat flux. To see these quantities represented by a vector field:
10. Choose the quantity you wish to plot from Predefined quantities.
11. Click Apply.
12. Click OK when you are done displaying these quantities to close the Plot
Parameters window.
Saving Color Maps
After you have selected a view that shows the results clearly, you may want to save it as
an image for future discussion. This may be done as follows:
1. Go to the File menu and select Export Image. This will bring up an
Export Image window.
For a 4 by 6 image, acceptable image quality settings are given in the figure below. If
you need higher image quality, increase the DPI value.
2. Change your Export Image value settings to the ones in the above figure.
3. Click the Export button.
4. Name and save the image.
- 16 -
Displaying Velocity as a Colormap
1. From the Postprocessing menu, open Plot Parameters dialog box (F12).
2. Under the Arrow tab, disable the Arrow plot checkbox.
3. Switch to Surface tab.
4. From Predefined quantities, select Velocity field.

5. Change the Colormap type from hot to jet.
The 2D Velocity distribution will be displayed using the jet colormap.
Displaying Air Density Field Colormap
With the Plot Parameters window open, ensure that you are under the Surface tab,
7. Type rho in Expression field (without quotation marks).
8. Click Apply. (Note: The unit will change automatically)

These steps produce a colormap that displays variations in airs density . Note the values
on the color scale and compare them with Appendix C of your textbook.
- 17 -
Plotting u(xo, y) and T(xo, y) on 0.055 y 0.16 at xo = 0
Let us plot vertical temperature T(xo, y) development first,

1. From Postprocessing menu select Cross Section Plot Parameters option.
2. Under General tab, select 80 as the only Solution to use option.
3. Switch to the Line/Extrusion tab.

4. Change the Unit of temperature to degrees Celsius.
5. Change the x axis data from Arc length to y.
6. Enter the following coordinates in the Cross section line data: x0 = x1 =0; y0
= 0.055, and y1 = 0.16.
7. Click Apply.
- 18 -
These steps produce a plot of T(y) at xo = 0, from y = 0.055 m (ambient air below the
cylinder) to y = 0.16 m (upper edge of modeling space, developing convection current).
Temperature T is plotted on the y axis and y coordinates are plotted on the x axis.
To save this plot,
8. Click the save button in your figure with results. This will bring up an
Export Image window.
9. Follow steps 2 4 as instructed on page 16 to finish with exporting the image.
Alternatively, you may save this data to a text file if you wish to re plot this figure with
other software (such as MATLAB). Data from this plot can be saved as follows.
Exporting COMSOL Data to a Data File
1. Click on Export Current Plot button
previous steps.
in the Temperature plot created in the
2. Click Browse and navigate to your saving folder (say Desktop).

3. Name the file t0.txt. (Note: do not forget to type the .txt extension in the
name of the file).
4. Click OK to save the file.
To plot vertical velocity u(xo, y) development,
5. Type U_chns in the Expression field.
6. Click OK to plot velocity and close the Cross Section Plot Parameters
window.
These steps produce a plot of u(y) at xo = 0, from y = 0.055 m to y = 0.16 m. Velocity is
plotted on the y axis and y coordinates are plotted on the x axis. Save the plot as an
image and/or export the velocity data to a text file for MATLAB re plot. If you choose
to save the data, name the file u0.txt.
- 19 -
Plotting Local Surface Heat Flux qs ro , On 90 90

To plot qs ro , for 90 90 using COMSOL,
1. Select Domain Plot Parameters option from Postprocessing menu.
2. Under General tab, select 80 as the only Solution to use option.
3. Switch to the Line/Extrusion tab.
4. From Predefined quantities, select Normal total heat flux.
5. Change the x axis data from Arc length to y.
6. Select boundaries 6 and 7 in the boundary selection section while holding the
Control (ctrl) key on your keyboard.
7. Click OK.
As a result of these steps, a new plot will be shown that graphs qs ro , for
90 90 . Notice that the x axis plots y coordinates for semicircle (not the
values of , as desired). We will use MATBAL to convert from y coordinates to
degrees. Do not close this plot just yet. Export the data to a text file as instructed on page
19. Be sure to name this file flux.txt.
- 20 -
Computing Average Surface Heat Transfer Coefficient

To compute the average heat transfer coefficient with COMSOL,
1. From the Postprocessing menu, open Boundary Integration option.
2. Select boundaries 6 and 7 in the boundary selection section while holding the
Control (ctrl) key on your keyboard.
3. Type -ntflux_htgh/((T-Tinf)*pi*0.02[m]), in the Expression field.
4. Click OK. The value of the integral (solution) is displayed at programs prompt
on the bottom. Average surface heat transfer coefficient determined in this way
should be about 7.1 W/m2C.
This completes COMSOL modeling procedures for this problem.
- 21 -
Modeling with MATLAB

This part of modeling procedures describes how to create graphs of local surface heat
transfer coefficient h(ro, ) using MATLAB. Obtain MATLAB script file named
isothermal_hcyl.m from Blackboard prior to following these procedures. Save this file
in the same directory as the data file(s) ("t0.txt", "u0.txt", and "flux.txt") from
COMSOL. (Note: isothermal_hcyl.m file is attached to the electronic version of this
document as well. To access the file directly from this document, select View
Navigation Panels Attachements and then save isothermal_hcyl.m in a proper
directory)
Computing and Plotting COMSOL Local Surface Heat Transfer Coefficient
MATLAB script (isothermal_hcyl.m) is programmed to use exported COMSOL data for
heat flux qs ro , and Newtons Law of cooling to determine the local heat transfer
coefficient h ro , along the surface of the cylinder. The script is also programmed to
calculate experimental average heat transfer coefficient h according to correlation 8.35a.
Follow the steps below to complete this problem:
1. Open MATLAB by double clicking its icon on the Desktop.
2. Load isothermal_hcyl.m file by selecting File Open Desktop
isothermal_hcyl.m. The script responsible for COMSOL data import and data
computation will appear in a new window.
3. Press F5 key to run the script. MATLAB editor will display a warning message.
Click Change Directory to run the script.
COMSOL h ro , will be plotted in Figure 1. Average h will be displayed in
MATLABs main window. If you chose to unsuppress the bottom portion of the script,
you will get 2 additional figures plotting vertical velocity and temperature development.
These results are shown below.
Results plotted with MATLAB:
- 22 -
Notice that y coordinate of the modeling space is plotted on abscissa in the above
graphs. The cylinder is centered at y = 0. This is the reason why there is no data in the
region 0.02 y 0.02 (we know the results in this region a priori). Velocity
development graph shows that velocity is zero everywhere below the cylinder. This is the
result of no slip condition we applied for convergence reasons. Do you think that
below the hot cylinder, velocity should be zero everywhere, as shown in the above plot?
The figure below shows the plot of COMSOL local surface heat transfer coefficient
h ro , on 90 90 .
Armed with these results, you are in a position to answer most of the assigned questions.
- 23 -
APPENDIX
MATLAB script
If you could not obtain this script from the Blackboard or the PDF file, you may copy it
here, then paste it into notepad and save it in the same directory where you saved
COMSOL data file(s). You will most likely get hard to spot syntax errors if you copy
the script this way. It is therefore highly advised that you use the other 2 methods on
obtaining this script instead of the copying method.
% #########################################################################
% ME 433 - Heat Transfer
% Sample MATLAB Script For:
% (X) Free Convection of Air over an Isothermal Horizontal Cylinder
% IMPORTANT: Save this file in the same directory with
%
"flux.txt" file.
% #########################################################################
%
%% Preliminaries
clear
% Clears variables from memory
clc
% Clears the UI prompt
%% Constant Quantities
r0 = 0.04/2; % Cylinder radius, [m]
Tinf = 20; % Ambient temperature, [degC]
Ts = 100; % Clyinder surface temperature, [degC]
Tf = 0.5*(Ts - Tinf); % Film temperature, [degC]
g = 9.81; % acc. due to gravity, [m/s^2]
Cp = 1008.0; % at Tf
rho = 1.0596; %% at Tf
mu = 20.03e-6; % at Tf
eta = 18.90e-6; % at Tf
k = 0.02852; % at Tf
Pr = 0.708; % at Tf
alpha = eta/Pr; % at Tf
beta = 1/(Tf + 273.15); % in Kelvin^(-1)
%% Heat Flux Data Import from COMSOL Multiphysics:
load flux.txt;
% Loads q"(0,y) as a 2 column vector
y = flux(:,1);
% y - coords vector, [m]
q = (-1)*flux(:,2);
% flux, [W/m^2]
h = q./(Ts - Tinf);
%
theta1 = asin(y./r0)*180/pi; % [y - coords]-->[degrees, theta]
%% Correlation Equation For Average Nusselt Number
RaD = beta*g*(Ts - Tinf)*(2*r0)^3/(eta*alpha);
NuD = (0.6 + 0.387*RaD^(1/6)/(1 + (0.559/Pr)^(9/16))^(8/27))^2;
h_ave = NuD*k/(2*r0);
disp('Average h [W/m2-C] according to eq. 8.35a = '); disp(h_ave)
%% Plotter 1
figure1 = figure('InvertHardcopy','off',...
%\
'Colormap',[1 1 1 ],...
% | -> Setting up the figure
'Color',[1 1 1]);
%/
plot(theta1,h,'MarkerSize',2,'Marker','*','LineStyle','none','Color',[0 0 0]);% Plotting
grid on
box off
%xlim([-90 90]);
title('\fontname{Times New Roman} \fontsize{16} \bf Surface Heat Transfer Coefficient')
xlabel('\fontname{Times New Roman} \fontsize{14} \it \bf \theta, [ \circ ]')
ylabel('\fontname{Times New Roman} \fontsize{14} \it \bf h (r_o ,\theta ) , [W/m^2\circC]')
%% COMSOL u(x,y0) and T(x,y0) Re-plots
% #########################################################################
- 24 -
%
%
%
%
%
%
Unsuppress this portion only if you wich to re-plot COMSOL u(x0,y) and
T(x0,y). Prior to reploting, make sure to extract numerical data for
velocity and temperature to text files. You must name the files as:
"u0.txt" and "t0.txt" for velocity and temperature fields,
respectively and place then in the same directory as this script.
#########################################################################
% load u0.txt;
% Loads u(x0,y) as a 2 column vector
% load t0.txt;
% Loads T(x0,y) as a 2 column vector
% y1 = u0(:,1);
% y - coords, [m]
% u1 = u0(:,2);
% u(y), [m/s]
% t1 = t0(:,2);
% T(y), [degC]
% %
% clear flux u0 t0 % Variable clean up
%
% %% Plotter 2
% figure2 = figure('InvertHardcopy','off',...
%\
%
'Colormap',[1 1 1 ],...
%
'Color',[1 1 1]);
%/
% plot(y1,u1,'k.');
% Plotting
% grid on
% box off
% xlim([-0.055 0.16])
% title('\fontname{Times New Roman} \fontsize{16} \bf Velocity Development')
% xlabel('\fontname{Times New Roman} \fontsize{14} \it \bf y - coordinate, [m]')
% ylabel('\fontname{Times New Roman} \fontsize{14} \it \bf u (x_o, y) at x_o = 0 ,
[m/s]')
%
% figure3 = figure('InvertHardcopy','off',...
%\
%
'Colormap',[1 1 1 ],...
%
'Color',[1 1 1]);
%/
% plot(y1,t1,'k.');
% Plotting
% grid on
% box off
% xlim([-0.055 0.16])
% title('\fontname{Times New Roman} \fontsize{16} \bf Temperature Development')
% xlabel('\fontname{Times New Roman} \fontsize{14} \it \bf y - coordinate, [m]')
% ylabel('\fontname{Times New Roman} \fontsize{14} \it \bf T (x_o, y) at x_o = 0,
[\circC]')
%
This completes MATLAB modeling procedures for this problem.
- 25 -

14 Free Convection of Air Over An Isothermal Cylinder

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Free Convection of Air Over an Isothermal Cylinder

ME433 COMSOL INSTRUCTTIONS

FREE CONVECTION OF AIR OVER AN ISOTHERMAL CYLINDER

Free Convection over a Horizontal Cylinder Setup

Geometry: horizontal cylinder

This is a free convection, external flow problem. Considered geometry is a

Velocity and temperature fields are coupled in free convection. Therefore, a

Subject to validation conditions, correlation equations from chapter 8 are

Free Convection of Air Over an Isothermal Cylinder

ME433 COMSOL INSTRUCTTIONS

Free Convection of Air Over an Isothermal Cylinder

ME433 COMSOL INSTRUCTTIONS

Modeling with COMSOL Multiphysics

Free Convection of Air Over an Isothermal Cylinder

ME433 COMSOL INSTRUCTTIONS

OPTIONS AND SETTINGS: DEFINING CONSTANTS

Continue by creating a small database of constants the model will use.

Temperature Far Away

Air Density (20C)

Air Dynamic Viscosity (20C)

Air Conductivity (20C)

Air Heat Capacity (20C)

Acc. Due to Gravity

Free Convection of Air Over an Isothermal Cylinder

ME433 COMSOL INSTRUCTTIONS

3. Click OK to close Rectangle definition window.

in the main toolbar to zoom into the

5. In the Draw menu, select Specify Objects Circle

You should see your finished modeling geometry now in the

Free Convection of Air Over an Isothermal Cylinder

ME433 COMSOL INSTRUCTTIONS

4. Click OK to close Subdomain Expressions setup window.

Free Convection of Air Over an Isothermal Cylinder

ME433 COMSOL INSTRUCTTIONS

Verify that field f0 is set to 0

3. Click OK to close the boundary settings window.

Free Convection of Air Over an Isothermal Cylinder

ME433 COMSOL INSTRUCTTIONS

General Heat Transfer Subdomain Settings

1. From Mulptiphysics menu, select 1 General Heat Transfer (htgh) mode.

6. Type u and v in the u and v fields, respectively.

Free Convection of Air Over an Isothermal Cylinder

ME433 COMSOL INSTRUCTTIONS

General Heat Transfer Boundary Conditions:

Enter Tinf in T0 field

Enter Tinf+dT in T0 field

3. Click OK to close Boundary Settings window.

Free Convection of Air Over an Isothermal Cylinder

ME433 COMSOL INSTRUCTTIONS

You should get the following triangular mesh:

Free Convection of Air Over an Isothermal Cylinder

ME433 COMSOL INSTRUCTTIONS

COMPUTING AND SAVING THE SOLUTION

in the List of parameter values edit field.

Free Convection of Air Over an Isothermal Cylinder

ME433 COMSOL INSTRUCTTIONS

7. Click OK to close Solver Parameters window.

on the bottom of the window.

11. Select 1.817e-5 as the Parameter value for solution to store.

14. Click OK to close the Solver Manager.

18. Switch to Stationary tab.

Free Convection of Air Over an Isothermal Cylinder

ME433 COMSOL INSTRUCTTIONS