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SMJ 4463: HEAT TRANSFER

INSTRUCTOR: PM DR MAZLAN ABDUL WAHID

http://www.fkm.utm.my/~mazlan

TEXT: Introduction to Heat Transfer

by Incropera, DeWitt, Bergman, Lavine
5th Edition, John Wiley and Sons

DR MAZLAN

Chapter 9
Natural Convection
Assoc Prof. Dr Mazlan Abdul Wahid
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
www.fkm.utm.my/~mazlan

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Objectives
When you finish studying this chapter, you should be able to:
• Understand the physical mechanism of natural convection,
• Derive the governing equations of natural convection, and obtain the
dimensionless Grashof number by nondimensionalizing them,
• Evaluate the Nusselt number for natural convection associated with
vertical, horizontal, and inclined plates as well as cylinders and
spheres,
• Examine natural convection from finned surfaces, and determine the
optimum fin spacing,
• Analyze natural convection inside enclosures such as double-pane
windows, and
• Consider combined natural and forced convection, and assess the
relative importance of each mode.
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• Buoyancy forces are responsible for the fluid motion

in natural convection.
• Viscous forces appose the fluid motion.
• Buoyancy forces are expressed in terms of fluid
temperature differences through the volume expansion
coefficient
1  ∂V  1  ∂ρ 
β=   =   (1 K ) (9-3)
V  ∂T  P ρ  ∂T  P

Viscous Buoyancy
Force Force

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volume expansion coefficient β

• The volume expansion coefficient can be
expressed approximately by replacing
differential quantities by differences as

1 ∆ρ 1 ρ∞ − ρ
β ≈− =− ( at constant P ) (9-4)
ρ ∆T ρ T∞ − T
or
ρ∞ − ρ = ρβ (T − T∞ ) ( at constant P ) (9-5)

• For ideal gas

1
βideal gas = (1/K ) (9-6)
T
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Equation of Motion and the Grashof

Number
• Consider a vertical hot flat plate g
immersed in a quiescent fluid body.
• Assumptions:
– steady,
– laminar,
– two-dimensional,
– Newtonian fluid, and
– constant properties, except the density
difference ρ-ρ∞ (Boussinesq
approximation).

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• Consider a differential volume element.

• Newton’s second law of motion
δ m ⋅ ax = Fx (9-7)
δ m = ρ ( dx ⋅ dy ⋅1)
g

• The acceleration in the x-direction is

obtained by taking the total
differential of u(x, y)
du ∂u dx ∂u dy
ax = = +
dt ∂x dt ∂y dt

∂u ∂u
ax =u +v
∂x ∂y
(9-8)
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• The net surface force acting in the x-direction

Net viscous force Net pressure force
64 47448 64 47448 Gravitational force
 ∂τ  64 4744 8
 ∂P 
Fx =  dy  ( dx ⋅1) −  dx  ( dy ⋅1) − ρ g ( dx ⋅ dy ⋅1)
 ∂y   ∂ x 
 ∂ 2u ∂P 
=µ 2 − − ρ g  ( dx ⋅ dy ⋅1) (9-9)
 ∂y ∂x 

• Substituting Eqs. 9–8 and 9–9 into Eq. 9–7 and

dividing by ρ·dx·dy·1 gives the conservation of
momentum in the x-direction
 ∂u ∂u  ∂ 2u ∂P
ρ u + v  = µ 2 − − ρg (9-10)
 ∂x ∂y  ∂y ∂x
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• The x-momentum equation in the quiescent fluid

outside the boundary layer (setting u=0)
∂P∞
= − ρ∞ g (9-11)
∂x
• Noting that
– v<<u in the boundary layer and thus ∂v/ ∂x≈ ∂v/∂y ≈0, and
– there are no body forces (including gravity) in the y-
direction,
the force balance in the y-direction is
∂P ∂P ∂P∞
=0 = = − ρ∞ g
∂y ∂x ∂x
Substituting into Eq. 9–10
 ∂u ∂u  ∂ 2u
ρ  u + v  = µ 2 + ( ρ∞ − ρ ) g (9-12)
 ∂x ∂y  ∂y
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• Substituting Eq. 9-5 it into Eq. 9-12 and dividing both

sides by ρ gives
∂u ∂u ∂ 2u
u +v = ν 2 + g β (T − T∞ ) (9-13)
∂x ∂y ∂y
• The momentum equation involves the temperature,
and thus the momentum and energy equations must
be solved simultaneously.
• The set of three partial differential equations (the
continuity, momentum, and the energy equations) that
govern natural convection flow over vertical
isothermal plates can be reduced to a set of two
ordinary nonlinear differential equations by the
introduction of a similarity variable.
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The Grashof Number

• The governing equations of natural convection
and the boundary conditions can be
nondimensionalized
x y u v T − T∞
x* = ; y* = ; u * = ; v* = ; T * =
Lc Lc V V Ts − T∞
• Substituting into the momentum equation and
simplifying give
∂u * * ∂u *  g β (Ts − T∞ ) Lc  T * 1 ∂ 2u * (9-14)
3

u*
+v =  2 +
∂x* ∂y*  ν2 Re L Re L ∂y*
2

144 42444 3 
GrL

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• The dimensionless parameter in the brackets represents

the natural convection effects, and is called the Grashof
number GrL
g β (Ts − T∞ ) L3c
GrL = (9-15)
2
ν Viscous
force
Buoyancy force
GrL=
Viscous force

• The flow regime in natural convection is Buoyancy

force
governed by the Grashof number
GrL>109 flow is turbulent

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Natural Convection over Surfaces

• Natural convection heat transfer on a surface depends on
– geometry,
– orientation,
– variation of temperature on the surface, and
– thermophysical properties of the fluid.
• The simple empirical correlations for the average
Nusselt number in natural convection are of the form
hL
Nu = c = C ⋅ ( GrL ⋅ Pr ) = C ⋅ RaLn (9-16)
n

k
• Where RaL is the Rayleigh number
g β (Ts − T∞ ) L3c
RaL = GrL ⋅ Pr = Pr (9-17)
2
ν
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• The values of the constants C and n depend on the

geometry of the surface and the flow regime (which
depend on the Rayleigh number).
• All fluid properties are to be evaluated at the film
temperature Tf=(Ts+T∞).
• The Nusselt number relations for the constant surface
temperature and constant surface heat flux cases are
nearly identical.
• The relations for uniform heat flux is valid when the
plate midpoint temperature TL/2 is used for Ts in the
evaluation of the film temperature.
• Thus for uniform heat flux:
hL q&s L
Nu = =
k (
k TL 2 − T∞ ) (9-27)
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(9-26)

(9-26)

Empirical
correlations (9-30)

for Nuavg (9-31)

(9-34)

(9-35)

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Natural Convection from Finned

Surfaces
• Natural convection flow through a channel formed by
two parallel plates is commonly encountered in
practice.
• Long Surface
– fully developed channel flow.
• Short surface or large spacing
– natural convection from two
independent plates in a quiescent
medium.

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• The recommended relation for the average Nusselt

number for vertical isothermal parallel plates is
−0.5
hS  576 2.873 
Nu = = +  (9-31)
k  ( Ras S L )2 ( Ras S L )0.5 
 
• Closely packed fins
– greater surface area
– smaller heat transfer coefficient.
• Widely spaced fins
– higher heat transfer coefficient
– smaller surface area.
• Optimum fin spacing for a vertical heat sink
0.25
 S 3L  L
Sopt = 2.714   = 2.714 (9-32)
 Ras  RaL0.25 DR MAZLAN

Natural Convection Inside Enclosures

• In a vertical enclosure, the fluid adjacent to the hotter
surface rises and the fluid adjacent to the
cooler one falls, setting off a rotationary
motion within the enclosure that enhances
heat transfer through the enclosure.
• Heat transfer through a horizontal enclosure
– hotter plate is at the top ─ no convection
currents (Nu=1).
– hotter plate is at the bottom
• Ra<1708 no convection currents (Nu=1).
• 3x105>Ra>1708 Bénard Cells.
• Ra>3x105 turbulent flow.

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Nusselt Number Correlations for

Enclosures
• Simple power-law type relations in the form of
Nu = C ⋅ RaLn
where C and n are constants, are sufficiently accurate,
but they are usually applicable to a narrow range of
Prandtl and Rayleigh numbers and aspect ratios.
• Numerous correlations are widely available for
– horizontal rectangular enclosures,
– inclined rectangular enclosures,
– vertical rectangular enclosures,
– concentric cylinders,
– concentric spheres.
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Combined Natural and Forced

Convection
• Heat transfer coefficients in forced convection are
typically much higher than in natural convection.
• The error involved in ignoring natural convection may
be considerable at low velocities.
• Nusselt Number:
– Forced convection (flat plate, laminar flow):
Nuforced convection ∝ Re1 2
– Natural convection (vertical plate, laminar flow):
Nunatural convection ∝ Gr1 4
• Therefore, the parameter Gr/Re2 represents the
importance of natural convection relative to forced
convection. DR MAZLAN

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• Gr/Re2<0.1
– natural convection is negligible.
• Gr/Re2>10
– forced convection is negligible.
• 0.1<Gr/Re2<10
hot isothermal vertical plate
– forced and natural convection are not negligible.
• Natural convection may help or hurt forced convection
heat transfer
depending on the
relative directions
of buoyancy-induced
and the forced
convection motions.
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Nusselt Number for Combined Natural

and Forced Convection
• A review of experimental data suggests a
Nusselt number correlation of the form

( )
1n
Nucombined = Nuforced
n
± Nunatural
n
(9-66)

• Nuforced and Nunatural are determined from the

correlations for pure forced and pure natural
convection, respectively.

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Chapter 9

NATURAL CONVECTION

Dr. Mazlan Abdul Wahid

Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
www.fkm.utm.my/~mazlan

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The free (natural) convection is originated a

thermal instability, i.e., when a body force acts
on a fluid in which there are density gradients.
The net effect is a buoyancy force, which
induces free convection currents.
The density gradient is mainly due to a
temperature gradient and the body force is due
to the gravity.
In free convection, the convection rate are
smaller compared those in the forced
convection.

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In many systems involving multimode heat

transfer effects, free convection provides
the largest resistance to heat transfer and
thus plays an important role in the design or
performance of the system.
When it is desirable to minimize heat
transfer rates or to minimize operating cost,
free convection is often preferred to forced
convection.

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