ME5011 Thermofluids & Mechanical Systems 2

HEAT TRANSFER AND FLUID

MECHANICS –HTFM

HEAT TRANSFER
CONVECTION (1)
Lecture Notes 5
Dr. Siaka DEMBELE
Office: RVMB122
s.dembele@kingston.ac.uk
1
Fire, Explosion and Fluid Dynamics Research Group
Kingston University London
 GOALS OF THE TOPIC
▪ Understand convection heat transfer mechanism

▪ Understand the difference between forced

convection and natural convection

▪ Study methods to calculate the rate of heat

transfer by convection in steady flows over flat
plates and in pipes

▪ Understand methods to calculate the convection

heat transfer coefficients and their equations 2
 Modes of Heat Transfer
There are three modes of heat transfer: conduction, convection and radiation

Source: Incropera / DeWitt -

Introduction to Heat Transfer, Wiley.

Conduction: Heat transfer in a solid or a stationary fluid (gas or liquid) due to the
random motion of its constituent atoms, molecules and /or electrons.

Convection: Heat transfer due to the combined influence of bulk and random motion
for fluid flow over a surface.
Radiation: Energy that is emitted by matter due to changes in the electron
configurations of its atoms or molecules and is transported as electromagnetic
waves (or photons). 3
 What is CONVECTION?
❖Heat transfer due to the combined influence of bulk and random
motion for fluid flow over a surface.

❖Convection involves the transfer of heat by mixing one parcel

of fluid with another; this bulk or macroscopic motion then
transfers energy.

❖Heat transfer by convection is concerned with the calculation

of rates of heat exchange between fluids and solid boundaries.

❖Two (2) main types of convection: forced and natural (free)

convection
4
 Forced Convection
In forced convection, the motion of the fluid is produced by external
means (e.g. fans, pumps and atmospheric wind).

Source: Incropera / DeWitt - Introduction to Heat Transfer, Wiley.

Forced convection: a fan is used to cool the hot electrical

components of a printed circuit board. 5
 Natural or free Convection
In natural or free convection, the motion of the
fluid is the result of differences of density (i.e.
buoyancy) resulting from the temperature
difference.

Example of free or natural convection: heat

transfer from the hot components of a vertical 6

printed circuit board.

 Convection with phase change
Convection can also occur with a phase change
in the fluid, as in boiling.

7
 Rate of heat transfer by Convection
The rate of heat transfer by convection between a fluid at a
flow temperature Ts, and a wall at surface temperature Tw
is given by Newton’s Law of cooling:

Q = −h A (Ts − Tw ) or q = Q / A = −h (Ts − Tw )
Fluid velocity Us
(Tw > Ts)
Fluid Fluid temperature Ts

Q
Tw
Wall at surface temperature Tw

A [m2] area of heat exchange

Q [W] heat transferred per unit time
q [W/m2] rate of heat transferred per unit area or convection heat flux
h [W.m-2.K-1] convection heat transfer coefficient or film coefficient, function of
the parameters affecting the heat flow (e.g. viscosity, velocity). 8
h must be determined to find the heat transferred
by convection.
 hx : Local value of convection heat transfer coefficient at
distance x
hx : Average value of convection heat transfer coefficient
1 x
hx =
x  0
hx d x

hx
METHODS OF CALCULATING HEAT TRANSFERRED
BY CONVECTION
❖ (1) Hydrodynamic concept of a velocity boundary layer
and the analogous thermal concept of a temperature
boundary layer

❖ (2) Reynolds similarity between the mechanism of fluid

friction in the boundary layer and the transfer of
heat by convection. The rates of heat transfer can be
predicted by this similarity, from the measurement of the
shear stress between a fluid and a wall.

❖ (3) Principle of dynamic similarity and the method of

dimensional analysis for the correlation of empirical
data. 10
All methods are usually expressed in terms of the
heat transfer coefficient h. We will use Method 1.
 FORCED CONVECTION OVER FLATE PLATE
Analogy between velocity boundary layer and
temperature boundary layer.

Aim: use this analogy to find the

convection heat transfer coefficient
and heat transferred by forced
convection.

11
 Velocity boundary layer
Consider a fluid flow over a plate with free stream
velocity Us, at a position x. The fluid particles in contact
with the plate surface will have zero velocity (‘no slip’
condition). These particles act to retard the motion of
particles in the next layer, and so until at a distance
y=d from the surface.

Outer edge of the

boundary layer,
u=0.99Us

u=Us

u(x,y)
(boundary
layer thickness) 12
F
x=0
Leading edge
Rex,c
 Velocity boundary layer
The quantity d is the velocity boundary layer
thickness, and it is defined for the value of y for
which u=0.99Us

d = y ( u =0.99 U s)
Us=free stream velocity

Outer edge of the

boundary layer,
u=0.99Us

u=Us

u(x,y)
(boundary
layer thickness)
13
F
x=0
Leading edge
Rex,c
In the laminar boundary layer, starting at
the leading edge (x=0) the fluid motion is
highly ordered and the velocity could be
characterised by components in both x and
y directions.

14
Fluid motion in the turbulent
boundary layer is, in contrast, highly
irregular and characterised by velocity
fluctuations.

15
 IS THE FLOW LAMINAR OR TURBULENT ?
To determine whether the flow is laminar or
turbulent, the dimensionless Reynolds
rU x U x
number is defined: Re = m = n x
s s

 Rex Reynolds number based on the distance x from the plate edge
 r fluid density, kg/m3
 Us free stream velocity of the fluid outside the boundary layer, m/s
 m fluid dynamic viscosity, N.s/m2 or kg/(m.s)
 n fluid kinematic viscosity (n=m/r), m2/s.

Critical Reynolds number r Us x c

x ,c= = 5. 10 5
 Re
for flow over flat plates: m

The flow is assumed laminar if Re x  500,000 16

Otherwise TURBULENT
 Temperature (thermal) boundary layer
❖ Plate at uniform temperature Tw .
❖ Far away from plate surface, the fluid temperature is equal to
the free stream temperature Ts
❖ Adjacent to the wall, the fluid temperature is Tw.
❖ Fluid temperature field can be divided into two regions. The
region adjacent to the wall, in which the temperature varies
from Tw to nearly Ts, is called the temperature boundary
layer.
❖ The other region lies outside the boundary layer where the
temperature is assumed to be everywhere equal to Ts.
Us
Temperature boundary layer
Ts
thickness is dt, defined as
distance y where:
𝑇𝑤 − 𝑇(𝑦) 17
= 0.99
Tw 𝑇𝑤 − 𝑇𝑠
Tw>Ts
 Analogy between velocity boundary layer and temperature
boundary layer.

Profile of temperature boundary

3
 T −T w 3 y  1 y 
Layer described by: = =   −  
 s T s− T w 2  d t  2  d t 

3
Heat transferred by convection per unit q w = − k (Ts − Tw )
2dt 18
area at the wall, at section x is:
k is the thermal conductivity of the fluid.
Heat transferred by convection per unit area at the
wall, at section x is: q = − k
3
(T − T )
2dt
w s w

We define  = d t the ratio of the temperature boundary layer

d thickness to the velocity boundary layer thickness.
3
q w = − k (Ts − Tw )
2d
In previous topic “Boundary layers” we have found the equations for
the velocity boundary layer thickness d.

WE ONLY NEED TO FIND  TO DETERMINE

THE HEAT TRANSFERRED BY CONVECTION.

By applying the continuity and energy equations, we can show that

for laminar flow over a flat plate:  3/4

1/ 3
1 x   a  19
= 1/ 3 
1−  
cp m ( 1.075 * Pr )   x  
Prandtl number: Pr =
k
 1 1
For a plate heated all along its length, xa=0 = 1/ 3
 1/ 3
( 1.075 * Pr ) Pr
The Prandtl number (Pr) controls the relative thickness of the momentum
and thermal boundary layers thicknesses.
When Pr is small, it means that the heat diffuses very quickly compared to
the velocity (momentum). Pure conduction is then a more effective way to
transfer heat than convection for small Pr.

3
q w = − k (Ts − Tw ) Becomes: q w = −
3 * ( 1.075 * Pr ) 1 / 3 1 / 2
Re x k (Ts − Tw )
2d 2 * 4.64 x
k
q w = − 0.332 Pr 1/ 3
Re 1/ 2
x (Ts − Tw )
x
q w = −h (Ts − Tw ) Newton’s law of cooling

xhx
= 0.332 Pr 1/ 3 Re 1x/ 2
k
x hx
The Nusselt number is a dimensionless group defined as: Nu x =
(measure of the rate of heat transfer by convection) k 20

Nux = 0.332 Pr 1/ 3
Re 1x / 2 Laminar Flow over flat plate
 Laminar flow on a flat plate (forced convection)

Nux = 0.332 Pr 1/ 3
Re 1/ 2
x

x hx
Nu x = Local Nusselt number
k
hx is the local heat transfer coefficient at local
position x hx
1 x
Average (mean) heat transfer coefficient: hx =
x  0
hx d x

Nu x = 2 Nu x hx = 2 h x

The fluid properties are determined at mean bulk temperature:

(Tw+Ts)/2

21
Method to calculate convection heat

22
 Example 1

Air at Ts=15ºC and 1 atm flows with a velocity of Us=8

m/s past a flat plate which is maintained at a uniform
temperature of Tw=115ºC. Calculate the heat transfer
coefficient 0.6 m from the leading edge of the plate.
Hence calculate the rate of heat transfer from one side of
the plate to the air, per metre width of plate, over the
first 0.6 m.

Take air properties from the air table.

23
24
25
 Turbulent flow on a flat plate (forced convection)

Nu x = 0.0296 Pr 1/ 3
Re 4/5
x
x hx
Nu x = Local Nusselt number
k
hx is the local heat transfer coefficient at local
position x
1 x
Average (mean) heat transfer coefficient: h x =  0 h x d x
x

Nu x = 0.037 Re 4/5

x 
− 871 Pr 1/ 3

The fluid properties are determined at mean bulk temperature

(Tw+Ts)/2

26