Chapter 9:

Natural Convection
Yoav Peles
Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Nuclear Engineering
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Copyright The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Permission required for reproduction or display.

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.

 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
=
(1 K ) (9-3)
=

V T P T P
Viscous
Force

Buoyancy
Force

volume expansion coefficient ()

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

1
1

= (
)
T
T T

or

= (T T )

( at constant P )

( at constant P )

(9-4)

(9-5)

For ideal gas (Pv = RT)

ideal gas

1
=
T

(1/K )

(9-6)

Equation of Motion and the Grashof Number

Consider a vertical hot flat plate
immersed in a quiescent fluid body.
Assumptions:

steady,
laminar,
two-dimensional,
Newtonian fluid, and
constant properties, except the density
difference - (Boussinesq
approximation).

 Consider a differential volume element.

Newtons second law of motion
m ax = Fx
(9-7)

m = ( dx dy 1)

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)

in
m
Zoo

 The net surface force acting in the x-direction

Net pressure force
Net viscous force

 
 Gravitational force





P
Fx = dy ( dx 1)
dx ( dy 1) g ( dx dy 1)
x
y

2u P

= 2
g ( dx dy 1) (9-9)
x
y

Substituting Eqs. 98 and 99 into Eq. 97 and

dividing by dxdy1 gives the conservation of
momentum in the x-direction

u
u
2u P
u + v = 2
g
y
y
x
x

(9-10)

 The x-momentum equation in the quiescent fluid

outside the boundary layer (setting u = 0)
P
(9-11)
= g ()
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 ydirection,

the force balance in the y-direction is

P
P P
=0
=
= g
y
x
x
Substituting into Eq. 910

u
u
2u
u + v = 2 + ( ) g
y
y
x

(9-12)

 Substituting Eq. 9-5 it into Eq. 9-12 and dividing both

sides by gives

u
u
2u
u
+v
= 2 + g (T T )
x
y
y

(9-13)

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.

The Grashof Number

The governing equations of natural convection
and the boundary conditions can be
nondimensionalized
T T
x
y
u
v
*
*
*
*
; y =
; u = ; v = ; T =
x =
Lc
Lc
V
V
Ts T
*

Substituting into the momentum equation and

simplifying give
3
*
*
*
2 *

T
T
L
(
)

u
u
T
u (9-14)
1
s

c
*
*
+v
=
u
2 +
*
*
2
*2
x
y

Re L Re L y


GrL

 The dimensionless parameter in the brackets represents the

natural convection effects, and is called the Grashof
number GrL

GrL =

GrL=

g (Ts T ) L3c

(9-15)
Viscous
force

Buoyancy force
Viscous force

The flow regime in natural convection is

governed by the Grashof number
GrL > 109 flow is turbulent

Buoyancy
force

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
hLc
n
(9-16)
Nu
= C ( GrL Pr ) = C RaLn
k
Where RaL is the Rayleigh number
g (Ts T ) L3c
Pr
RaL = GrL Pr =
2

(9-17)

 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:
qs L
hL L qs
Nu =
= (
)=
k
k T
k TL 2 T

(9-27)

Empirical
correlations
for Nuavg

1010

Ts = 1000C, T = 300C, g = 9.8 m/s2, Pr = 0.7

Lc = 0.3 m, = 1.93 x 10-5 m2/s
1 / Tavg = 1 / [(373.15+303.15) / 2] = 0.00296 K-1,
k = 0.026 W/m-K

RaL = GrL Pr =

g (Ts T ) L3c

Pr

= 1.03 x 108
GrL = 1.47 x 108

(laminar flow)

Nu = havgLc/k = 0.59 (RaL)1/4

Lc=0.3 m

= 80.3
Hence,

havg = 7 (W/m2-K)

Q = havg A (Ts T) = havg (Lc w) (Ts T)

Q/w = 147 (Watts)

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.

 The recommended relation for the average Nusselt number

for vertical isothermal parallel plates is
hS
576
2.873
Nu =
=
+

2
0.5
k ( Ras S L ) ( Ras S L )

0.5

(9-31)

Closely packed fins

greater surface area
smaller heat transfer coefficient.

Widely spaced fins

higher heat transfer coefficient
smaller surface area.
Ras

g (Ts T ) S 3

Pr

RaL

g (Ts T ) L3

L3
Pr = Ra s 3
S

 WL (Ts =constant) :
S L
= 2.714

Ra
s
3

Sopt

S opt = 2.714[

S = S opt

S4

0.25

S
Ras ( )
L

0.25

= 2.714

L
RaL0.25

(9-32)

S
= 2.714
S
[ Ras ( )]0.25
L

S
Ra s ( ) = 54.255
L

(9-31)
Nu = h Sopt / k = 1.307

n =

(9-33)

= Q = h (2nLH) (Ts T)

(9-34)

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 Bnard Cells.
Ra>3x105 turbulent flow.

Nusselt Number Correlations for Enclosures

Simple power-law type relations in the form of

Nu = C Ra
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.
n
L

Numerous correlations are widely available for

horizontal rectangular enclosures,

inclined rectangular enclosures,
vertical rectangular enclosures,
concentric cylinders,
concentric spheres.

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.

 Gr/Re2 < 0.1 : natural convection is negligible.

Gr/Re2 > 10 : forced convection is negligible.
0.1 < Gr/Re2 <10 : forced and natural convection are
not negligible.

hot isothermal vertical

plate

 Natural convection may help or hurt forced convection

heat transfer depending on the relative directions
of buoyancy-induced and the forced convection
motions.

Nusselt Number for Combined Natural and

Forced Convection (Mixed Convection)
A review of experimental data suggests a
Nusselt number correlation of the form

Nucombined = Nu

n
forced

Nu

n
natural

1n

(9-66)

Nuforced and Nunatural are determined from the

correlations for pure forced and pure natural
convection, respectively.