Convection Heat Transfer

Forced Convection (Flow Within Circular Tubes)

Forced Convection (Perpendicular Flow About
Circular Tubes)
Forced Convection (Flow Along Flat Wall/Plate)
Free / Natural Convection
Physical Mechanism of Convection
Conduction and convection are similar in that both
mechanisms require the presence of a material
medium.
But they are different in that convection requires
the presence of fluid motion.
Heat transfer through a liquid or gas can be by
conduction or convection, depending on the
presence of any bulk fluid motion.
The fluid motion enhances heat transfer, since it
brings warmer and cooler chunks of fluid into
contact, initiating higher rates of conduction at a
greater number of sites in a fluid.
Convection Heat Transfer
Convection is an important factor in heat
transfer when involving fluid either a liquid or
gas.
The amount of heat transferred depends on
the nature of the surface, its geometry, the
nature of the fluid, its velocity over the
surface, temperature differences.
Simplified by assuming that a stagnant film of
the fluid is in immediate contact with the
surface, and that heat transferred through this
film by conduction.
This assumption gives approximate results that
are satisfactory for many engineering purposes.


h = thermal conductivity of the film
thickness of the film
Heat transfer coefficient, h depends on fluid
viscosity , fluid density , the thermal
conductivity of the fluid K, the specific heat of
the fluid c
p
, the temperature difference
between the surface wall and the fluid (T
w
T

),
and the fluid velocity V
f
.
x
T
A Q
A
A
K = . .
) .( .

= T T A h Q
s
The Nusselt Number
It is common practice to nondimensionalize the heat transfer
coefficient h with the Nusselt number


Heat flux through the fluid layer by convection and by
conduction can be expressed as, respectively:


Taking their ratio gives


The Nusselt number represents the enhancement of heat
transfer through a fluid layer as a result of convection relative
to conduction across the same fluid layer.
Nu=1 pure conduction.
c
hL
Nu
k
=
conv
q h T = A
cond
T
q k
L
A
=
/
conv
cond
q h T hL
Nu
q k T L k
A
= = =
A
Prandtl Number
The relative thickness of the velocity and the
thermal boundary layers is best described by the
dimensionless parameter Prandtl number, defined
as


Heat diffuses very quickly in liquid metals (Pr1)
and very slowly in oils (Pr1) relative to momentum.
Consequently the thermal boundary layer is much
thicker for liquid metals and much thinner for oils
relative to the velocity boundary layer.
Molecular diffusivity of momentum
Pr
Molecular diffusivity of heat
p
c
k

v
o
= = =
Laminar and Turbulent Flows
Laminar flow the flow is characterized by
smooth streamlines and highly-ordered
motion.
Turbulent flow the flow is
characterized by velocity
fluctuations and
highly-disordered motion.
The transition from laminar
to turbulent flow does not
occur suddenly.
Reynolds Number
The transition from laminar to turbulent flow depends on the
surface geometry, surface roughness, flow velocity, surface
temperature, and type of fluid.
The flow regime depends mainly on the ratio of the inertia
forces to viscous forces in the fluid.
This ratio is called the Reynolds number, which is expressed for
external flow as


At large Reynolds numbers (turbulent flow) the inertia forces are
large relative to the viscous forces.
At small or moderate Reynolds numbers (laminar flow), the
viscous forces are large enough to suppress these fluctuations
and to keep the fluid inline.
Critical Reynolds number the Reynolds number at which the
flow becomes turbulent.
Inertia forces
Re
Viscous forces
c c
VL VL
v
= = =
Forced Convection (Flow Within
Circular Tubes)
Total heat transfer in terms of bulk-
temperature difference
2
) .( .
) .( .
/
e i
b
b w
f w
T T
T
T T A h Q
T T A h Q
+
=
=

=

Heat transfer in fully developed turbulent flow
in smooth tubes:

Where:
n = 0.4 for heating of the fluid,
n = 0.3 for cooling of the fluid.
n
Nu Pr Re 023 . 0
8 . 0
=
,
K
hD
Nu =
, Re
Re
v
D V
D V
f
f
=
=

K
c
p

= Pr
Heat transfer for laminar flow in tubes:
14 . 0
3 / 1
3 / 1
Pr) (Re 86 . 1
|
|
.
|

\
|
|
.
|

\
|
=
w
L
D
Nu

Example 4.1 (~Harimi 2008)

Hot ammonia at an average temperature of
100
o
C flows at 5 m/s through a 3-m long tube
with an inside diameter of 60 mm. Determine
the amount of heat transferred to the wall if
the temperature of the tube wall is kept at
20
o
C.
At T
b/ammonia
= 100
o
C:
= 0.559 kg/m
3
, = 12.886 x 10
-6
kg/m.s,
K = 0.0327 W/m.
o
C, Pr = 0.87
Forced Convection (Perpendicular
Flow About Circular Tubes)
In general, heat transfer coefficient will vary
locally around the circumference of the
cylinder.
However, the average heat transfer coefficient
over the entire cylinder surface can be
represented by:
f
n
K
hD
C Nu = =
3 / 1
Pr Re .
Where the constant C and n vary with
Reynolds number:

Re C n
0.4 4 0.989 0.330
4 40 0.911 0.385
40 4000 0.683 0.466
4000 40000 0.193 0.618
40000 - 400000 0.0266 0.805
Example 4.2 (Harimi 2008)
Determine the heat transfer coefficient for air
flowing across a single tube 20 mm in
diameter if the fluid temperature T
f
= 30
o
C
and the stream velocity V
f
= 5 m/s. If the wall
temperature is 60
o
C, what will be the heat
transfer per unit length of the tube?
At T
air
= 30
o
C:
K = 0.026 W/m.K, v = 1.60 x 10
-5
m
2
/s
Pr = 0.7
Forced Convection (Flow Along Flat
Wall / Plate)
Fluid flows parallel to the surface of the plate,
velocity is constant everywhere except in the
region near the surface of plate, where due to
frictional effects, the velocity rapidly decrease to
zero at the wall.
(no-slip).
Thickness of the boundary layer gradually
increases in the direction of flow.
Flow in the boundary layer may be laminar or
turbulent, except in the immediate vicinity of
the wall, where the flow is always laminar.
The convection heat transfer coefficient, in
general, varies along the flow direction.





For laminar boundary layer flow along flat
plate:



For turbulent boundary layer flow along flat
plate:
25 . 0
4 . 0 5 . 0
Pr
Pr
Pr Re 76 . 0
|
|
.
|

\
|
=
w
f
f f
Nu
25 . 0
4 . 0 8 . 0
Pr
Pr
Pr Re 036 . 0
|
|
.
|

\
|
=
w
f
f f
Nu
Example 4.5 (Harimi 2008)
Air flows along a smooth wall 1 m wide and 1.2
m long at a velocity of 9 m/s. Determine the
heat transfer coefficient and the total heat
quantity transferred if T
w
= 80
o
C and T
f
= 20
o
C.
At T
air
= 20
o
C: K
f
= 0.0251 W/m.K,
v
f
= 1.51x10
-5
m
2
/s, Pr
f
= 0.71
At T
air
= 80
o
C: Pr
w
= 0.71
Free / Natural Convection
A result of the motion of the fluid due to density
changes arising from the heating process.
When a heated object is brought to a room which
the air is at constant temperature, there will be an
exchange of heat between the object and the
room.
Air in contact with the object becomes less dense
The density difference results buoyancy forces
which causes the heated air to rise, replaced by
cold air => fluid movement.
If the object is colder, fluid movement =>
downward.
T
m
: mean temperature at which the physical
properties of fluid are evaluated.
n
m
CRa
K
hL
Nu = =
m m f w m
m
m
Gr T T L
v
g
Ra Pr Pr
3
2
=

=
|
( )
f w m
T T T + =
2
1
f w
m
m
m
T T L
v
g
Gr

=
3
2
|
Example 4.6 (Harimi 2008)
A 2.0 cm diameter horizontal tube heater is
maintained at a surface temperature of 38
o
C
and submerged in water at 27
o
C. Calculate the
free-convection heat loss per unit length of
the heater.
A square duct of 0.3m x 0.3m air-conditioning
duct carries air at a temperature such that the
outside temperature of the duct is maintained
at 16
o
C and is exposed to the room air
temperature at 28
o
C. Estimate:
The convection heat-transfer coefficient
The heat gained by the duct per meter of its
length.
Example 4.7 (Harimi 2008)
Ra C n
<0.001 0.50 0.00
0.01 500 1.18 1/8
500 2 x 10
7
0.54 1/4
2 x 10
7
- 10
13
0.135 1/3
Ra
C
n Upward
Facing
Downward
Facing
<0.001 0.65 0.35 0.00
0.01 500 1.53 0.83 1/8
500 2 x 10
7
0.70 0.38
2 x 10
7
- 10
13
0.176 0.095 1/3
T (K) Pr g.|/v
2
(m
-3
.K
-
1
)
K (W/m.K)
200 0.740 857 x 10
6
0.0181
250 0.724 302 x 10
6
0.0223
300 0.712 133 x 10
6
0.0261
350 0.706 66 x 10
6
0.0297
400 0.703 36.3 x 10
6
0.0331