• DECEMBER 2019

Heat Transfer on A Flat Plate

- Turbulent
Temperature Field vs Velocity Field
Temperature Velocity

• The temperature contour shows the temperature dropping from 400 𝐾 to 300 𝐾 inside the boundary layer.
• The thermal boundary layer thickness is no longer a function of Prandtl number, and it is about the same as
the velocity boundary layer thickness.
 Comparison with Empirical Data

Nusselt Number

• There is a good agreement between numerical solution of wall Nusselt Number calculated by Ansys Fluent, and
the empirical correlation.
 Comparison with Empirical Data

𝑇 + profile at x = 4.5 m
• The thermal boundary layer profile follows has a shape similar
18
to that of the velocity profile :
16 Ansys Fluent

14
Universal law 𝑇 + = 𝑃𝑟 ∙ 𝑦 + in the thermal sublayer near the wall
𝑃𝑟𝑡
12 𝑇+ = ln 𝑦 +
+ 𝐴(𝑃𝑟) in the logarithmic layer away from the
𝜅
10
Log Law wall
8
T+
6
Here 𝑃𝑟𝑡 = 𝑐𝑝 𝜇𝑡 Τ𝑘𝑡 is the turbulent Prandtl number;
4 𝑃𝑟𝑡 ≈ 0.9 to 1.0 for 𝑃𝑟 > 0.7.
2
T + = Pr y+
Constant 𝜅 ≈ 0.41 is the same as in the velocity log law
0 correlation.
1.E-01 1.E+00 1.E+01 1.E+02 1.E+03
y+ A common correlation for 𝐴(𝑃𝑟) is:
𝐴 𝑃𝑟 = 13𝑃𝑟 2Τ3 − 7