Heat Transfer (ME 423)

Chapter 3

Analysis of Convection Heat Transfer

Instructor: Dr. Hassan Fagehi

Objectives

• The objective is to examine the convection process in detail

• Determine how calculate a heat transfer coefficient for forced
convection for different geometries.
• Classified convection as external and internal.
• We present the correlations to evaluate heat transfer coefficient by
natural convection for various geometries.

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Part 1: Forced Convection

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1. Physical mechanism of convection

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1. Physical mechanism of convection
The velocity decreases in the direction toward the surface as a result of viscous forces acting in
the fluid. Since the velocity of the fluid layer adjacent to the wall is zero, the heat transfer
between the surface and this fluid layer must be by conduction:

The heat transfer coefficient can be

expressed in the form:

Figure 3.1 Temperature and velocity distributions in laminar

forced convection flow over a heated flat plate at temperature
Ts. 5
Example
Air at 20°C is flowing over a flat plate whose surface temperature is 100°C. At a certain location, the
temperature is measured as a function of distance from the surface of the plate; the results are plotted in
Fig. 3.2. From these data, determine the convection heat transfer coefficient at this location.
kair =0.028 W/mK.

Figure 3.2: Experimental data on temperature distribution

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 2. Boundary Layer Fundamentals

Figure 3.4: Velocity profiles in laminar, transition, and turbulent boundary layers
in flow over a flat plate.

Surface Shear Stress

The fluid layer in contact with the surface will try to drag the plate along via friction,
exerting a friction force on it. Friction force per unit area is called shear stress

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 3. Evaluation of Convection Heat Transfer Coefficients
3.1. Dimensional Analysis
The convection heat transfer coefficient is a or characteristic length or Lc
function of six variables, with the aid of
dimensional analysis the seven original
variables have been combined into three
dimensionless groups.

Nusselt Number

Wilhelm Nusselt Ludwig Prandtl Osborne Reynolds

Reynolds Number

Kinematic viscosity : (m2/s)

Prandtl Number
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3.2. Parallel flow over flat plates

The transition from laminar to turbulent flow depends on the surface geometry,
surface roughness, upstream velocity, surface temperature, and the type of fluid,
Type of flow is characterized by the Reynolds number.
The Reynolds number at a distance x from the leading edge of a flat plate is
expressed as:

A generally accepted value for

the Critical Reynold number

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3.2. Parallel flow over flat plates

3.2.1. Isothermal Plate

Laminar flow over an Isothermal Plate

Turbulent flow over an Isothermal Plate

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3.2. Parallel flow over flat plates

3.2.2. Uniform Heat Flux

Laminar flow

Turbulent flow

When heat flux is prescribed, the rate of heat transfer to or from the
plate and the surface temperature at a distance x are determined from

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Problem 1
Air at a temperature of 300 ᵒC flows with a velocity of 10 m/s over a flat plate 0.5 m long. The
temperature of the plate surface is maintained at 27 ᵒC.
The kinematic viscosity of air is v = 5.21 10-4 m2/s. Thermal conductivity is k = 36.4 10-3 W/mK.
The Prandtl Number is Pr = 0.687.
(a) What is the type of the flow over the entire plate.
(b) Determine the appropriate convection correlation for computing h.
(c) Calculate the average convection coefficient h.
(d) Calculate the cooling rate per unit width of plate q” (W/m).
Solution
(a) The type of the flow over the entire plate

(b) The appropriate convection correlation is:

(c) The average convection coefficient h.

(d) The cooling rate per unit width of plate q” (W/m) is .

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3.3. The circular cylinder in cross flow

The average Nusselt number for flow across cylinders can be expressed as:

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3.4. Empirical correlations for the average Nusselt number for forced
convection over circular and noncircular cylinders in cross flow

The average Nusselt number:

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Problem 2
A long 10 cm diameter steam pipe whose external surface temperature is 110°C passes
through the winds. The air is at 1 atm pressure and 10°C and the wind is blowing across
the pipe at a velocity of 8 m/s.
The properties of air at the average film temperature of Tf =(Ts + T∞)/2 = (110 + 10)/2 = 60°C
and 1 atm pressure are: k=0.02808 W/m·°C, Pr =0.7202 and ν = 1.896 10-5 m2/s
1) Determine the Reynolds number and the Nusselt number
2) Determine the convection heat transfer coefficient
3) Determine the rate of heat transfer from the pipe per unit of its length
Solution
1) The Reynolds number and the Nusselt number

2) The convection heat transfer coefficient

3) The rate of heat transfer from the pipe per unit of its length

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3.5. Flow Across Banks of Tubes
Cross-flow over tube banks is commonly
encountered in practice in heat transfer
equipment: heat exchangers.

Figure 3.5: Tube arrangements in a bank.

(a) Aligned. (b) Staggered
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3.5. Flow Across Banks of Tubes

(a) Aligned

(b) Staggered

The average Nusselt number for NL>16:

The average Nusselt number for NL<16:

where F is a correction factor 17

 3.5. Flow Across Banks of Tubes
Table 3.1

Table 3.2

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Problem 3
In an industrial facility, air is to be preheated before entering a furnace by geothermal water at 120ºC
flowing through the tubes of a tube bank located in a duct. Air enters the duct at 20ºC and 1 atm with a
mean velocity of 4.5 m/s, and flows over the tubes in normal direction. The outer diameter of the tubes is
1.5 cm, and the tubes are arranged in-line with longitudinal and transverse pitches of SL ST 5 cm. There
are 6 rows in the flow direction with 10 tubes in each row, as shown in Figure.
1) Determine the maximum velocity and the Reynolds number based on the maximum velocity
2) Determine the average Nusselt number and the correction factor
3) Determine the convection heat transfer coefficient

Given:

Solution
1) The maximum velocity and the Reynolds number

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Solution

2) The average Nusselt number is determined using the proper relation from Table 3.1

the corresponding correction factor from Table 3.2 is: F =

3) The convection heat transfer coefficient:

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4. Internal Forced Convection
Flow in Tubes
Under most practical conditions, the flow in a tube is:

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4. Internal forced convection

where Ac is the cross sectional area of the

tube and p is its perimeter

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Part 2: Natural Convection

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5. Natural convection over surfaces
The dimensionless parameter in the brackets represents the natural convection
effects, and is called the Grashof number GrL ,

Where RaL is the Rayleigh number

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5. Natural convection over surfaces 1/2
Table 3.3

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5. Natural convection over surfaces 2/2

Table 3.3

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Problem 4
A 6 m long section of an 8 cm diameter horizontal hot water pipe shown in Figure passes through a large
room whose temperature is 20°C. If the outer surface temperature of the pipe is 70°C.

1) Determine the Rayleigh number

2) Determine the natural convection Nusselt number in this case
3) Determine the convection heat transfer coefficient
4) Determine the rate of heat loss from the pipe by natural convection.

Given: The properties of air at the film temperature of Tf = (Ts -T∞)/2

Solution

1) The Rayleigh number is:

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Solution

2) The natural convection Nusselt number in this case can be determined from Table 3.3

3) The convection heat transfer coefficient:

4) The rate of heat loss from the pipe by natural convection.

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