External Flow Correlations (Average, Isothermal Surface)

Flat Plate Correlations

Flow
Conditions

Average Nusselt Number

Restrictions

Pr 0.6

Nu L 0.664 Re1L/ 2 Pr1/ 3

Laminar

NuL 0.037 Re 4L/ 5 A Pr1/ 3

Turbulent
where

Note: All fluid

properties are
evaluated at film
temperature for flat
plate correlations.

0.6 Pr 60
Re x,c Re L 108

A 0.037 Re 4x,/c5 0.664 Re1x/,c2

Cylinders in Cross Flow

Cylinder
Cross
Section
V

Reynolds
Number
Range

Average Nusselt Number

Restrictions

0.4-4

Nu D 0.989 Re0D.330 Pr1/ 3

Pr 0.7

4-40

Nu D 0.911 Re0D.385 Pr1/ 3

Pr 0.7

40-4,000

Nu D 0.683 Re0D.466 Pr1/ 3

Pr 0.7

4,00040,000

Nu D 0.193 Re0D.618 Pr1/ 3

Pr 0.7

40,000400,000

Nu D 0.027 Re0D.805 Pr1/ 3

Pr 0.7

6,00060,000

Nu L 0.304 Re0D.59 Pr1/ 3

gas flow

5,00060,000

Nu D 0.158 Re0D.66 Pr1/ 3

gas flow

Average Nusselt Number

5,20020,400

Nu D 0.164 Re0D.638 Pr1/ 3

gas flow

Nu D 2 0.6 Re1D/ 2 Pr1/ 3

20,400105,000

Nu D 0.039 Re0D.78 Pr1/ 3

gas flow

Note: All fluid properties are evaluated

at T for the falling drop correlation.

4,50090,700

Nu D 0.150 Re0D.638 Pr1/ 3

gas flow

Note: All fluid properties

are evaluated at film
temperature for cylinder
in cross flow correlations.

Alternative Correlations for Circular

Cylinders in Cross Flow:
The Zukauskas correlation (7.53) and
the Churchill and Bernstein correlation
(7.54) may also be used

Freely Falling Liquid Drops

Flow Around a Sphere

Average Nusselt Number

Restrictions

1/ 4

Nu D 2 0.4 Re1D/ 2 0.06 Re 2D/ 3 Pr 0.4

s

0.71 Pr 380

3.5 Re D 7.6 104

1.0 / s 3.2

Note: For flow around a

sphere, all fluid properties,
except s, are evaluated at T.
s is evaluated at TS.

Internal Flow Correlations (Local, Fully Developed Flow)

Note: For all local correlations, fluid properties are evaluated at T m.
For average correlations, fluid properties are evaluated at the average of inlet and outlet T m.
If the tube is much longer than the thermal entry length, average correlation local correlation.

Laminar Flow in Circular and Noncircular Tubes

NuD
Cross Section

b
a

Uniform Heat Flux

hDh
k
Uniform Surface
Temperature

f Re Dh

Turbulent Flow in Circular Tubes

Local Nusselt Number

Nu D 0.023 Re 4D/ 5 Pr n
n 0.40 for Ts Tm
n 0.30 for Ts Tm

Restrictions

0.6 Pr 160

Re D 10,000

L / D 10

Liquid Metals, Turbulent Flow, Constant Ts

Local Nusselt Number

Restrictions

Turbulent Flow in Noncircular Tubes

NuD 5.0 0.025PeD0.8

PeD 100

For turbulent flow in noncircular tubes, D in the

table above may be replaced by Dh=4Ac / P

PeD Re D Pr

Alternative Correlations for Turbulent

Flow in Circular Tubes:
The Sieder and Tate Correlation (8.61) is
recommended for flows with large property
variations
Another alternate correlation that is more
complex but more accurate is provided by
Gnielinski (8.62).

Note: Only use the correlation in the box directly

above for liquid metals. The other correlations on
this page are not applicable to liquid metals.

Combined Internal/External Flow Correlations (Average)

Tube banks and packed beds have characteristics of both internal and external flow. The flow is internal in that the fluid
flows inside the tube bank/packed bed, exhibits exponential temperature profiles of the mean temperature, and has heat
transfer governed by a log mean temperature difference. The flow is external in that it flows over tubes/packed bed
particles and that the characteristic dimension in the Reynolds number is based on tube/particle diameter.

Tube Bank Correlation

Average Nusselt Number

Restrictions
1/ 4

Nu D C Re

m
D , max

Pr

0.36

Pr

Prs

N L 20
0.7 Pr 500

10 Re D,max 2 106

Packed Bed Correlation

Average Nusselt Number

Restrictions

jH jM 2.06 Re D0.575

Pr (or Sc) 0.7

where

jH

h
Pr 2 / 3
Vc p

jM

hm 2 / 3
Sc
V

90 Re D 4,000

Note: For tube banks with fewer than 20 rows,

multiply the average Nusselt number from the table
at left by the correction factor C2 in Table 7.6.
This correction is valid if ReD,max is > 1,000.

External Free Convection Correlations (Average, Isothermal)

Evaluate all fluid properties at the film temperature Tf = (T + Ts ) / 2 .

Vertical Plate, Vertical Cylinder, Top Side of Inclined Cold Plate, Bottom Side of Inclined Hot Plate
Average Nusselt Number

Restrictions
Vertical plate: no restrictions

0.387 Ra

Nu L 0.825
9 / 16

1 0.492 / Pr

1/ 6
L

8 / 27

Vertical cylinder:

D
35
1/ 4
L GrL

Top Surface of Inclined Cold Plate /

Bottom Surface of Inclined Hot Plate:

Alternative Correlation
for Vertical Plate:
Equation (9.27) is
slightly more accurate for
laminar flow.

Replace g with g cos q in RaL

Valid for 0 q 60

Horizontal Plate
Orientation

Average Nusselt Number

Upper surface of hot plate or

lower surface of cold plate

Lower surface of hot plate or

upper surface of cold plate

Restrictions

Nu L 0.54Ra1L/ 4

104 Ra L 107 , Pr 0.7

Nu L 0.15Ra

10 Ra L 10 , all Pr
7

1/ 3
L

11

As
P

104 Ra L 109 , Pr 0.7

Nu L 0.52Ra1L/ 5

Curved Shapes

Shape

Long
Horizontal
Cylinder

Sphere

Average Nusselt Number

0.387 Ra1D/ 6

Nu D 0.60
9 / 16

1 0.559 / Pr

Nu D 2

Restrictions

8 / 27

0.589 Ra1D/ 4

1 0.469 / Pr

9 / 16 4 / 9

Ra D 1012

Alternative Correlation
for Long Horizontal
Cylinder:
The Morgan correlation
(9.33) may also be used.

Pr 0.7

Ra D 1011

Internal Free Convection Correlations

Vertical Parallel Plate Channels (Developing and Fully Developed)
Boundary
Condition
isothermal
(Ts known
on one or
both plates)

isoflux
(qs known
on one or
both plates)

Nusselt Number

Temperature to
evaluate fluid
properties in Ra

Getting q and qs
from Nu

Rayleigh Number

Average Nu over whole plate

C1
C2
Nu S

2
1/ 2
Ra S S / L Ra S S / L

1 / 2

Ra S

g Ts T S 3

q/ A S

Nu S
Ts T k

gqs" S 4
k

qs" S

Nu S , L

Ts , L T k

Local Nu at x = L

Nu S , L

C
C2
* 1

*
Ra S S / L Ra S S / L

2/5

1/ 2

Ra S*

Ts T
2
Ts , L T
2

S = plate spacing; T=inlet temperature (same as ambient); Ts,L=surface temperature at x=L

C1 and C2 are given for four different sets of surface

boundary conditions. Use the isothermal equation for
conditions 1 and 3; isoflux equation for conditions 2 and 4.

1)
2)
3)

Ts1 Ts2= Ts1

1)

4)

Ts1 qs2=0

qs1 qs2=qs1

3)

2)

qs1 qs2=0

4)

Vertical Rectangular Cavity

H

Average Nusselt Number

Restrictions

1 H L 2
Pr

Nu L 0.18
Ra L
Pr 0.2

Pr

Nu L 0.22
Ra L
Pr

0
.
2

0.28

0.29

H

L

H
Nu L 0.42 Ra1L/ 4 Pr 0.012
L

0.3

103 Pr 105
Ra L Pr
103
0.2 Pr
1/ 4

Alternative Correlation for Vertical

Rectangular Cavity:
Eq. (9.53) covers a wide range of aspect
ratios but is more restrictive on Ra and Pr

2 H L 10
Pr 105

Horizontal Cavity Heated From Below

103 Ra L 1010

Average Nusselt Number

Restrictions

NuL 0.069 Ra1L/ 3 Pr 0.074 3 105 Ra L 7 109

10 H L 40

1 Pr 2 104

104 Ra L 107

For cavity correlations, evaluate all fluid properties

at the average surface temperature T= (T1 + T2 ) / 2 .
L is the distance between hot and cold walls.

Correlations for Inclined/Tilted Geometries:

Correlations for Curved Geometries:

Inclined parallel plate channels: (9.47)

Tilted rectangular cavities: (9.54)-(9.57)

Space between concentric horizontal cylinders: (9.58)

Space between concentric spheres: (9.61)

Boiling and Condensation

Nucleate Pool Boiling

g ( l v )
qs" l h fg

1/ 2

c p ,l Te

C h Pr n
s , f fg l

For all condensation correlations below:

Evaluate liquid properties at Tf = (Tsat + Ts ) / 2 .
Evaluate v and hfg at Tsat .

Laminar Film Condensation, Vertical Flat Plate

l g ( l v )hfg kl3
hL 0.943

l (Tsat Ts ) L

Evaluate liquid and vapor properties at Tsat .

1/ 4

hfg h fg 0.68c p,l (Tsat Ts )

Laminar, Transition, and
Turbulent Film Condensation,
Vertical Flat Plate (for l >> v):

Film Condensation,
Vertical Tube:
Vertical flat plate
expressions can be
used if d(L) << D/2.
Evaluate d(L) using
(10.26).

Calculate the parameter P using

(10.42), then solve for hL using the
appropriate correlation from
(10.43)-(10.45)

Laminar Film Condensation, Sphere and Tube

l g ( l v )hfg kl3
hD C

l (Tsat Ts ) D

Critical Heat Flux

g ( l v )
"
qmax
Ch fg v

v2

1/ 4

1/ 4

C =0.826 for spheres.

C=0.729 for horizontal
tubes.

hfg h fg 0.68c p,l (Tsat Ts )

Evaluate liquid and vapor properties at Tsat .

C =0.149 for large horizontal plates.
C=0.131 for large horizontal cylinders, spheres,
and many large finite heated surfaces.

Average heat transfer coefficient of each tube: Eq. (10.49).

Inner Surface of Horizontal Tube

Film Boiling

g ( l v )hfg D 3
hconvD
Nu D
C

kv
v kv (Ts Tsat )

Laminar Film Condensation, Vertical Tier of N Tubes:

1/ 4

hfg h fg 0.80c p,v (Ts Tsat )

Average Nusselt Number

l g ( l v )hfg kl3
hD 0.555

l (Tsat Ts ) D
hfg h fg 0.375c p,l (Tsat Ts )

Evaluate vapor properties at Tf = (Tsat + Ts ) / 2 .

Evaluate l and hfg at Tsat .
C =0.67 for spheres. C=0.62 for horizontal cylinders.

Eq. (10.51)

Radiation should be considered for Ts > 300C

See Eqs. (10.9)-(10.11)

Restrictions
1/ 4

v u m ,v D

35,000
v i
v u m ,v D

35,000
v i

Dropwise Condensation
Correlations for Flow Boiling:
External forced convection boiling: (10.12)-(10.14)
Two-phase flow: (10.15)-(10.16)

Average Nusselt Number

Restrictions

hdc 51,104 2044Tsat C

22C Tsat 100C

hdc 255,510

Tsat 100C