CONVECTIVE HEAT TRANSFER

Mohammad Goharkhah
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sahand Unversity of Technology,
Tabriz, Iran
CHAPTER 3

LAMINAR BOUNDARY
LAYER FLOW
 LAMINAR BOUNDARY
LAYER FLOW
Boundary layer theory was proposed by
Prandtl shortly after the completion of
his doctoral dissertation in 1904

SAHAND UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY CONVECTIVE HEAT TRANSFER- CHAPTER3

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING By: M. Goharkhah
 Introduction

TWO FUNDAMENTAL PROBLEMS IN CONVECTIVE HEAT TRANSFER

1. The net force exerted by the stream on a plate (to calculate the pressure drop and
consequently the pumping power )

2. The resistance to the transfer of heat from the

plate to the stream (to calculate the heat transfer
rate)

Key Question: We must first determine the flow and temperature fields in the
How can we vicinity of the solid wall by solving the continuity, Navier-Stokes
calculate F and q? and energy equations

SAHAND UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY CONVECTIVE HEAT TRANSFER- CHAPTER3

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING By: M. Goharkhah
 Introduction
The conservation equations boundary conditions
for an incompressible flow
with constant property

Solve four equations with the boundary conditions to obtain four unknowns (u, v, P, T)
The mathematical complexity of convection heat transfer is traced to the
But!!!! non-inearity of the Navier-Stokes equations of motion and the coupling of
flow and thermal fields.
The boundary layer concept provides major simplifications.
SAHAND UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY CONVECTIVE HEAT TRANSFER- CHAPTER3
DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING By: M. Goharkhah
 The Boundary Layer Concept
 This concept is based on the notion that under special conditions certain terms in the
governing equations are much smaller than others and therefore can be neglected
without significantly affecting the accuracy of the solution.
Two questions are raised:
(1) What are the conditions under which terms in the governing equations can be
dropped?
(2) What terms can be dropped?

velocity or viscous boundary

layer: Under certain conditions the
effect of viscosity is confined to a thin
region near the surface.

Thermal boundary layer: under

certain conditions the effect of thermal
interaction between the surface and
the moving fluid is confined to a thin
region near the surface.
SAHAND UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY CONVECTIVE HEAT TRANSFER- CHAPTER3
DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING By: M. Goharkhah
 The Boundary Layer Concept
The velocity boundary layer
(1)slender body without flow separation
(2) high Reynolds number (Re >100). The conditions for the formation
The thermal boundary layer : of the two boundary layers.
(1) Slender body without flow separation and
(2) high product of Reynolds and Prandtl numbers (Pe=Re Pr > 100)

Important observations
(1) Zero fluid velocity or so called no slip condition at the surface .
(2) Fluid velocity and temperature change rapidly in the boundary layer. (Free stream
velocity and temperature at the edge of the boundary layer)
(3) At high Re and Pr both velocity and thermal boundary layers are thin.
(4) Viscosity plays no role outside the viscous boundary layer. Thus, the flow field is
devided into a viscosity dominated region (boundary layer), and an inviscid region
(outside the boundary layer).
(5) Boundary layers can exist in both forced and free convection flows.

SAHAND UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY CONVECTIVE HEAT TRANSFER- CHAPTER3

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING By: M. Goharkhah
Boundary Layer Equations- Scale
analysis
 Boundary layer equations- Scale analysis
The scale of each of the five terms in the x-momentum equation is determined to see
which term can be neglected
Free stream characteristics

scales for changes in x, y, and u

From mass continuity equation

(slenderness of the
The order of both inertia terms is
boundary layer)
The inertia terms can not be neglected
∂2u/∂x2 term can be neglected at
the expense of the ∂2u/∂y2 term

The next step is to

simplify these two terms

SAHAND UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY CONVECTIVE HEAT TRANSFER- CHAPTER3

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING By: M. Goharkhah
 Boundary layer equations- Scale analysis
pressure ∼ friction balance Moreover, we know that :

(mass continuity)

inside the boundary layer, the pressure varies

chiefly in the x direction;
at any x, the pressure inside the boundary layer
region is practically the same as the pressure
immediately outside it,

SAHAND UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY CONVECTIVE HEAT TRANSFER- CHAPTER3

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING By: M. Goharkhah
 Boundary layer equations- Scale analysis
Now, we can write the boundary layer equations.

boundary layer equation for momentum

The boundary layer equation for energy
Performing a scale analysis to the
energy equation we can simply
show that the thermal diffusion in
the x direction can be neglected.
x ∼L,

Three unknowns (u,v,T) are obtained from these equations. Compare this with the
‘‘four equations and four unknowns’’ problem contemplated originally.

The disappearance of the ∂2/∂x2 diffusion terms from the momentum and
energy equations makes this new problem solvable in a variety of ways.

SAHAND UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY CONVECTIVE HEAT TRANSFER- CHAPTER3

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING By: M. Goharkhah
 SCALE ANALYSIS- boundary layer thickness and wall
friction
What is the order of magnitude of the boundary layer thickness and wall friction?
The order of magnitude of the boundary layer
thickness is obtained from momentum equation

Assume a free stream with uniform pressure

(simplest free stream possible) From mass continuity
equation
Consider the inertia ∼ friction balance in
the boundary layer momentum equation
Reynolds number based on the longitudinal
dimension of the boundary layer region

slenderness postulate on which the boundary layer theory is based (δ <<L) is valid
provided that ReL>>1
dimensionless skin friction coefficient

 The real (measured or calculated) value of τ will differ from by only a

factor of order unity
SAHAND UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY CONVECTIVE HEAT TRANSFER- CHAPTER3
DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING By: M. Goharkhah
 SCALE ANALYSIS- Thermal boundary layer thickness and
Nusselt number
Scaling will now be used to find the order of magnitude of h and δT

The δT scale needed for estimating

h ∼ k/δT can be determined from
the energy equation

there is always a balance

x ∼L,
between conduction
from the wall into the
stream and convection

Scales for u and v depend on whether δT is larger or smaller than δ

SAHAND UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY CONVECTIVE HEAT TRANSFER- CHAPTER3

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING By: M. Goharkhah
For this case the axial velocity u within
the thermal boundary layer is of the order
of the free stream velocity:
SAHAND UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY
DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
Theaxial velocity u within the thermal
boundary layer is smaller than the free
stream velocity.
Pretending that the velocity profile is linear,
similarity of triangles gives a scale for u as
CONVECTIVE HEAT TRANSFER- CHAPTER3
By: M. Goharkhah
 SCALE ANALYSIS- Thermal boundary layer thickness and
Nusselt number
Case1- Thick thermal boundary layer, δT >>δ

The 2nd term can

(mass continuity ) be neglected

the convection ∼ conduction balance

Peclet number becomes:

δT >>δ,
the range occupied by liquid metals

SAHAND UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY CONVECTIVE HEAT TRANSFER- CHAPTER3

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING By: M. Goharkhah
 SCALE ANALYSIS- Thermal boundary layer thickness and
Nusselt number
Case2- Thin thermal boundary layer, δT <<δ

fluids with Prandtl numbers of order 1 (e.g., air) or

greater than 1 (e.g., water or oils).

These scaling results agree within a factor

of order unity with the classical analytical
results discussed next

SAHAND UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY CONVECTIVE HEAT TRANSFER- CHAPTER3

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING By: M. Goharkhah
 Comments

SAHAND UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY CONVECTIVE HEAT TRANSFER- CHAPTER3

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING By: M. Goharkhah
 Comments
The meaning of Reynolds number.:
In most treatments of fluid mechanics, the Reynolds number is described as the order of
magnitude of the inertia/friction ratio in a particular flow. This interpretation is not
correct because in the boundary layer region, there is always a balance between inertia
and friction, whereas ReL can reach as high as 105 before the transition to turbulent flow.
The only physical interpretation of the Reynolds number in boundary layer flow is
geometric

δ is proportional to L1/2. Moreover, along the wall (0 < x < L), the boundary layer
thickness increases as x 1/2. Now, one particular property of the x1/2 function is that its
slope is infinite at x = 0. This geometric feature of the boundary layer is inexplicably
absent from the graphics employed by most texts.

SAHAND UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY CONVECTIVE HEAT TRANSFER- CHAPTER3

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING By: M. Goharkhah
 Summary of Boundary Layer Equations for
Steady Laminar Flow
Simplifying assumptions Continuity:
Continuum
Newtonian fluid
 two-dimensional process x-Momentum:
negligible changes in kinetic
and potential energy
constant properties
Slender surface Energy
high Reynolds number (Re > 100)
high Peclet number (Pe > 100)
steady state
laminar flow The pressure term is obtained from the solution to inviscid
no dissipation flow outside the boundary layer. Thus , the momentum
 no gravity equation has two unknowns: u and v.
 no energy generation To include the effect of buoyancy, the following term
should be added to the right-hand-side of the momentum
equation

SAHAND UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY CONVECTIVE HEAT TRANSFER- CHAPTER3

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING By: M. Goharkhah