CONVECTION

HEAT TRANSFER

CONVECTION
Heat transfer by CONVECTION occurs as a result of the
movement of fluid on a macroscopic scale in the form of
eddies or circulating currents.

If currents arise from the heat transfer itself, NATURAL

CONVECTION occurs.

In FORCED CONVECTION the circulating currents are produced

by an external agency (e.g. an agitator in a reaction vessel or
as a result of turbulent flow in pipe).

CONVECTION: heat transfer between a solid

and a fluid

Newtons Law of Cooling:

Q = h A (Ts-T)

CONVECTION BOUNDARY
LAYERS
The Velocity Boundary Layer

free stream
(x)
velocity BL

y
x

- velocity boundary layer thickness

- the value of y for which u = 0.99u

Velocity Boundary Layer

Develops whenever there is fluid flow over a

surface
Of fundamental importance to problems
involving convection transport
In fluid mechanics
For external flow, it provides the basis for
determining the local friction coefficient

2 s
Cf
u 2

The Thermal Boundary Layer

free stream
t (x)
thermal BL

t
Ts

t - thermal boundary layer thickness

- the value of y for which (Ts T) = 0.99 (Ts - T)

y
x

Thermal Boundary Layer

Must develop if the fluid free stream and surface

temperatures differ
At the surface, there is no fluid motion and energy
transfer occurs only by conduction
Conduction
Qs
T
k f
A
y

kf

y 0

Convection
Qs
h Ts T
A

T
y

y 0

Ts T

Significance of Boundary Layers

For the engineer, the principal

manifestation of the boundary layers are
as follows:
SURFACE FRICTION
Key BL parameter: friction coefficient, Cf

CONVECTIVE HEAT TRANSFER

Key BL parameter: convective heat transfer
coefficient, h

Boundary Layer Parameters

Key BL parameters are evaluated from BL

equations

BL approximations
Velocity BL

Thermal BL

ux uy
ux
ux uy uy

,
,
y
x y x

T
T

y
x

Boundary Layer Parameters

BL similarity parameters
Parameter
Reynolds
number
Prandtl
number

Nusselt
number

Definition

Re

Pr

Significance

Lu

Ratio of inertia and viscous forces

Cp
k

hL
Nu
k

Ratio of momentum and thermal

diffusivities

Dimensionless temperature
gradient at the surface

 PRANDTL NUMBER (Pr): a measure of the relative

effectiveness of momentum and energy transport by
diffusion in the velocity and thermal boundary layers,
respectively.
For laminar flow
n is a positive number
For gas: t (n =1)

For liquid metal: t >> (n < 1)

For oil: t << (n > 1)

n
Pr
t

Momentum and Heat Transfer

REYNOLDS ANALOGY

Stanton
Number

Cf
h
Nu
St

2
uCp RePr

for Pr = 1
Relates key parameters of the
velocity and thermal BL

Re
Cf
Nu
2

Momentum and Heat Transfer

CHILTON-COLBURN ANALOGY
If Pr 1

(0.60 < Pr < 60)

Cf
St Pr 2/3 jH
2

FORCED CONVECTION

Dimensional Analysis in Heat Transfer

(Buckingham Method)
For FORCED CONVECTION

h h ( L, , , C p , k , u )
1 La k b cu d
2 L k u Cp
e

3 L k u h
i

Final form of the correlation for convective heat

transfer coefficient (forced convection):
Lu Cp
hL

f
,

Nu f Re, Pr

FORCED COVECTION INSIDE PIPES

1. LAMINAR FLOW INSIDE A PIPE / TUBE (Re < 2100)
SIEDER-TATE EQUATION [(Re Pr D/L) > 100]

1/ 3

hD
D

Nu
1.86 Re Pr
k
L

Equation 4.5-4 Geankoplis 4ed

b

w

0.14

2. TURBULENT FLOW INSIDE A PIPE / TUBE

2.1 FULLY-DEVELOPED (hydrodynamically and thermally)
turbulent flow in a smooth circular tube

Cf
NuD
f
2/3
StPr

Pr2/3
2
8
Re DPr
COLBURN EQUATION

NuD 0.023Re D4/5Pr1/3

DITTUS-BOELTER EQUATION

NuD 0.023Re D4/5Prn

n = 0.40 for heating (Ts > Tm)
n = 0.30 for cooling (Ts < Tm)
0.70 Pr 160
ReD 10,000
L/D 10

SIEDER-TATE EQUATION

hLD
4/5
1/3 b

Nu
0.027Re D Pr
k
w
0.70 Pr 16000
Re > 6,000
L/D 60

Equation 4.5-8 Geankoplis 4ed

0.14

3. TRANSITION FLOW INSIDE A PIPE / TUBE

2100 < Re < 6000

Use Figure 4.5-2 Geankoplis 4ed

4. ENTRANCE-REGION EFFECT ON h
h
D
1
hL
L

0.7

h
D
1 6
hL
L

2 < L/D < 20

4.5-12

20 < L/D < 60

4.5-13

5. LIQUID-METALS HEAT-TRANSFER COEFFICIENT

Fully developed turbulent flow in

tubes with uniform heat flux
L/D > 60
100 < Pe < 104

Fully developed turbulent flow in

tubes with constant wall
temperatures

L/D > 60
Pe > 100

hLD
Nu
0.625Pe0.40
k
Eq. 4.5-14

hLD
Nu
5.0 0.025Pe0.8
k
Eq. 4.5-15

Correlations from Perrys ChE handbook

FORCED COVECTION OUTSIDE

VARIOUS GEOMETRIES
Heat-transfer coefficient on immersed
bodies is given by

1/3

Nu cRe Pr

Eq. 4.6-1

NOTE: FLUID PROPERTIES ARE EVALUATED AT THE

FILM TEMPERATURE:

1
Tf Tw Tb
2

FLOW PARALLEL TO FLAT PLATE

Re < 3 x 105 (laminar)

Nu = 0.664 Re0.50 Pr1/3

Eq. 4.6-2

Re < 3 x 105 (turbulent)

Nu = 0.0366 Re0.80 Pr1/3

Eq. 4.6-3

CYLINDER WITH AXIS PERPENDICULAR TO FLOW

1/3

Nu cRe Pr

Eq. 4.6-1

TABLE 4.6-1

Re

1-4

0.330

0.989

4 - 40

0.385

0.911

40 to 4 x 103

0.466

0.683

4 x 103 to

0.618

0.193

0.805

0.0266

4 x 104
4 x 104 to
2.5 x 105

FLOW PAST SINGLE SPHERE

Nu 2.0 0.60Re
1 < Re < 70,000
0.60 < Pr < 400

0.50

1/3

Pr

Eq. 4.6-4

Correlations from Perrys ChE handbook

FREE CONVECTION
or NATURAL CONVECTION

Free or Natural Convection

Very common
Either external or internal flows

Main source of momentum: hydrostatic

force (buoyancy)
Tends to result in low Nusselt number

No imposed flow = No Reynolds number

Since there is no free-stream velocity to quantify
the forces of momentum in free convection flows,
a new dimensionless group for inertial and
viscous forces is needed.
Since buoyancy is the source of movement:

v ~ TgL
g

gravitational acceleration

coefficient of thermal expansion

Natural Convection from Vertical Planes

and Cylinder

Nu aGrPr

aRa

a and m are constants (see Table 4.7-1

Geankoplis)
Properties are evaluated at film temperature

Table 4.7-2 (Geankoplis) gives simplified

correlations for natural convection from
various surfaces

Natural Convection from Horizontal

Cylinder
Same as the case of vertical planes and
cylinders
Replace L with D

Nu aGrPr

aRa

Natural Convection from Horizontal

Plates
Same as the case of vertical planes and
cylinder
L
Side of a square
Linear mean of 2 dimensions of a rectangle
0.90 times the diameter of circular disc
In general: L = area / perimeter

Natural convection in enclosed surfaces

Refer to equations 4.7-5 to 4.7-15

TUBE BUNDLES /
BANK OF TUBES
Typical industrial application as in heat
exchangers
Bundles of tube improve heat transfer by
increasing the surface area
Bundles of tube are generally either
arranged in ALIGNED or STAGGERED
configuration.

Sn

In general, the STAGGERED configuration is best

for heat transfer.
Note: ST = SN (in lecture notes)
SL = SP (in lecture notes)

SD = SP

For more than 10 transverse rows and 2000 < Re <

40,000:

Nu = Cr Rem Pr1/3
Values of Cr and m:
Table 4.6-2

Geankoplis

Table 6.3

Griskey

For less than rows:

Table 4.6-3

Geankoplis

Table 6-4

Griskey

Discussion from Perrys ChE handbook

Fig. 5.6a: aligned tube-bank configuration

PL = SL/D

Fig. 5.6b: staggered tube bank

configuration