External Flow Correlations (Average, Isothermal Surface)

Flat Plate Correlations

Flow
Average Nusselt Number Restrictions
Conditions Note: All fluid
properties are
Laminar Nu L  0.664 Re1L/ 2 Pr1/ 3 Pr  0.6 evaluated at film
temperature for flat
plate correlations.
 
NuL  0.037 Re 4L/ 5  A Pr1/ 3 0.6  Pr  60
Turbulent
where A  0.037 Re 4x,/c5  0.664 Re1x/,c2 Re x,c  Re L  108

Cylinders in Cross Flow

Cylinder Reynolds
Cross Number Average Nusselt Number Restrictions Note: All fluid properties
Section Range are evaluated at film
temperature for cylinder
V
D 0.4-4 Nu D  0.989 Re0D.330 Pr1/ 3 Pr  0.7 in cross flow correlations.

Nu D  0.911 Re0D.385 Pr1/ 3

V
D 4-40 Pr  0.7
Alternative Correlations for Circular
Cylinders in Cross Flow:
V
D 40-4,000 Nu D  0.683 Re0D.466 Pr1/ 3 Pr  0.7
 The Zukauskas correlation (7.53) and
4,000- the Churchill and Bernstein correlation
V
D
40,000
Nu D  0.193 Re0D.618 Pr1/ 3 Pr  0.7 (7.54) may also be used

40,000-
V
D
400,000
Nu D  0.027 Re0D.805 Pr1/ 3 Pr  0.7

6,000-
Nu L  0.304 Re0D.59 Pr1/ 3
V
D gas flow
60,000
Freely Falling Liquid Drops
V 5,000-
D
60,000
Nu D  0.158 Re0D.66 Pr1/ 3 gas flow Average Nusselt Number

V
D
5,200-
Nu D  0.164 Re0D.638 Pr1/ 3 gas flow Nu D  2  0.6 Re1D/ 2 Pr1/ 3
20,400
Note: All fluid properties are evaluated
20,400-
V
D
105,000
Nu D  0.039 Re0D.78 Pr1/ 3 gas flow at T∞ for the falling drop correlation.

4,500-
Nu D  0.150 Re0D.638 Pr1/ 3
V
D gas flow
90,700

Flow Around a Sphere

Average Nusselt Number Restrictions
Note: For flow around a
sphere, all fluid properties,
1/ 4
0.71  Pr  380 except μs, are evaluated at T∞.

 
μs is evaluated at TS.
Nu D  2  0.4 Re1D/ 2  0.06 Re 2D/ 3 Pr 0.4   3.5  Re D  7.6 104
 s  1.0   / s   3.2
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

hDh
NuD 
k
b Uniform Heat Flux Uniform Surface
Cross Section
Temperature
f Re Dh
a

Turbulent Flow in Circular Tubes

Local Nusselt Number Restrictions

Nu D  0.023 Re 4D/ 5 Pr n 0.6  Pr  160

Re D  10,000 Liquid Metals, Turbulent Flow, Constant Ts
n  0.40 for Ts  Tm
n  0.30 for Ts  Tm L / D  10 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 PeD  Re D Pr
table above may be replaced by Dh=4Ac / P
Note: Only use the correlation in the box directly
above for liquid metals. The other correlations on
Alternative Correlations for Turbulent this page are not applicable to liquid metals.
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).
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

Note: For tube banks with fewer than 20 rows,
multiply the average Nusselt number from the table
1/ 4 N L  20 at left by the correction factor C2 in Table 7.6.
 Pr 
Nu D  C Re m
D , max Pr 0.36
  0.7  Pr  500 This correction is valid if ReD,max is > 1,000.
 Prs  10  Re D,max  2 106

Packed Bed Correlation

Average Nusselt Number Restrictions

Pr (or Sc)  0.7

 jH   jM  2.06 Re D0.575
90  Re D  4,000
where
h
jH  Pr 2 / 3
Vc p

hm 2 / 3
jM  Sc
V
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 Alternative Correlation

D 35 for Vertical Plate:
2 Vertical cylinder:  1/ 4

 0.387 Ra 1/ 6 
 L GrL  Equation (9.27) is
Nu L  0.825  8 / 27 
 
L

1  0.492 / Pr 
slightly more accurate for


9 / 16


Top Surface of Inclined Cold Plate /
Bottom Surface of Inclined Hot Plate: laminar flow.
• Replace g with g cos q in RaL
• Valid for 0  q  60

Horizontal Plate

Orientation Average Nusselt Number Restrictions

Nu L  0.54Ra1L/ 4 104  Ra L  107 , Pr  0.7

Upper surface of hot plate or
As
lower surface of cold plate L
Nu L  0.15Ra 1/ 3
L
10  Ra L  10 , all Pr
7 11
P

Lower surface of hot plate or

upper surface of cold plate Nu L  0.52Ra1L/ 5 104  Ra L  109 , Pr  0.7

Curved Shapes

Shape Average Nusselt Number Restrictions

Alternative Correlation
2
Long 
 0.387 Ra1D/ 6 

for Long Horizontal
Nu D  0.60  8 / 27 
Ra D  1012 Cylinder:
 
Horizontal
 1  0.559 / Pr  
9 / 16
Cylinder
   The Morgan correlation
(9.33) may also be used.

0.589 Ra1D/ 4 Pr  0.7

Nu D  2 
Sphere
1  0.469 / Pr  9 / 16 4 / 9
Ra D  1011
Internal Free Convection Correlations
Vertical Parallel Plate Channels (Developing and Fully Developed)
Temperature to
Boundary Getting q and qs”
Nusselt Number Rayleigh Number evaluate fluid
Condition from Nu
properties in Ra
Average Nu over whole plate
isothermal
g Ts  T S 3  q/ A  S Ts  T
1 / 2
(Ts known  C1 C2  Ra S  Nu S    T 
on one or Nu S    1/ 2    Ts  T  k
 Ra S S / L  Ra S S / L  
both plates)
2 2

Local Nu at x = L
isoflux
 C 
1/ 2
gqs" S 4  qs"  S Ts , L  T
(qs” known C2 Ra S*  Nu S , L   
 T 
Nu S , L  * 1  2/5   Ts , L  T  k
  k 2
on one or
 Ra S S / L Ra S S / L 
*
both plates)

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

1) boundary conditions. Use the isothermal equation for
conditions 1 and 3; isoflux equation for conditions 2 and 4.
2)
Ts1 Ts2= Ts1 q”s1 q”s2=q”s1 Ts1 q”s2=0 q”s1 q”s2=0
3)
1) 2) 3) 4)
4)

Vertical Rectangular Cavity

H
Average Nusselt Number Restrictions

1  H L   2 L w
0.29
 Pr  103  Pr  105 Alternative Correlation for Vertical
Nu L  0.18  Ra L 
 Pr  0.2  Ra L Pr
Rectangular Cavity:
103   Eq. (9.53) covers a wide range of aspect
0.2  Pr
ratios but is more restrictive on Ra and Pr

0.28 1/ 4
2  H L  10
 Pr  H Horizontal Cavity Heated From Below
Nu L  0.22  Ra L    Pr  105
 Pr  0.2  L
103  Ra L  1010 Average Nusselt Number Restrictions

10  H L  40 NuL  0.069 Ra1L/ 3 Pr 0.074 3 105  Ra L  7 109

0.3
H
Nu L  0.42 Ra1L/ 4 Pr 0.012  1  Pr  2 104
L For cavity correlations, evaluate all fluid properties
104  Ra L  107 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)  Space between concentric horizontal cylinders: (9.58)
 Tilted rectangular cavities: (9.54)-(9.57)  Space between concentric spheres: (9.61)
Boiling and Condensation
For all condensation correlations below:
Nucleate Pool Boiling
Evaluate liquid properties at Tf = (Tsat + Ts ) / 2 .
3 Evaluate v and hfg at Tsat .
 g ( l  v ) 
1/ 2
 c p ,l Te 
qs"  l h fg   
   C h Pr n  Laminar Film Condensation, Vertical Flat Plate
   s , f fg l 
1/ 4
Evaluate liquid and vapor properties at Tsat .  l g ( l   v )hfg kl3 
hL  0.943  
 l (Tsat  Ts ) L 
hfg  h fg  0.68c p,l (Tsat  Ts )

Laminar, Transition, and Film Condensation,

Turbulent Film Condensation, Vertical Tube:
Vertical Flat Plate (for l >> v):
 Vertical flat plate
 Calculate the parameter P using expressions can be
(10.42), then solve for hL using the used if d(L) << D/2.
appropriate correlation from Evaluate d(L) using
(10.43)-(10.45) (10.26).

Laminar Film Condensation, Sphere and Tube

1/ 4
Critical Heat Flux  l g ( l   v )hfg kl3 
hD  C  
C =0.826 for spheres.

 l (Tsat  Ts ) D 
1/ 4
 g ( l   v )  C=0.729 for horizontal
"
qmax  Ch fg  v   hfg  h fg  0.68c p,l (Tsat  Ts ) tubes.
  v2 
Evaluate liquid and vapor properties at Tsat .
Laminar Film Condensation, Vertical Tier of N Tubes:
C =0.149 for large horizontal plates.
C=0.131 for large horizontal cylinders, spheres,  Average heat transfer coefficient of each tube: Eq. (10.49).
and many large finite heated surfaces.
Inner Surface of Horizontal Tube
Film Boiling
1/ 4 Average Nusselt Number Restrictions
hconvD  g ( l   v )hfg D 3 
Nu D   C 
  v kv (Ts  Tsat ) 
1/ 4
kv  l g ( l   v )hfg kl3 
hD  0.555     v u m ,v D 
 l (Tsat  Ts ) D     35,000
hfg  h fg  0.80c p,v (Ts  Tsat )  v i
hfg  h fg  0.375c p,l (Tsat  Ts )
Evaluate vapor properties at Tf = (Tsat + Ts ) / 2 .
Evaluate l and hfg at Tsat .
  v u m ,v D 
Eq. (10.51)    35,000
 v i
C =0.67 for spheres. C=0.62 for horizontal cylinders.
Radiation should be considered for Ts > 300°C
See Eqs. (10.9)-(10.11)
Dropwise Condensation
Correlations for Flow Boiling: Average Nusselt Number Restrictions
 External forced convection boiling: (10.12)-(10.14) hdc  51,104  2044Tsat C  22C  Tsat  100C
 Two-phase flow: (10.15)-(10.16)
hdc  255,510 Tsat  100C