Dimensionless

Numbers
and Problem 4.5 - 1
Calotes, Lou Janssen
Espiloy, Anna Lorraine
Olandria, Cyril Kaye
 Dimensionless Numbers

Pure numbers without any physical units, it does not

change if one alters one's system of units of measurement,
for example from English units to metric units.

Simple ratio of two dimensionally equal quantities

(simple) or that of dimensionally equal products of
quantities in the numerator and in the denominator
- Kunes, J. ( 2012 ). Dimensionless Physical Quantities in Science and Engineering.
Elsevier
 Purposes of Dimensionless
Numbers
Allow comparisons for very different systems.
Indicates how the system will behave.
Many useful relationships exist between dimensionless
numbers that tell you how specific things influence the
system.
Dimensionless numbers allow you to solve a problem more
easily.
When you need to solve a problem numerically,
dimensionless groups help you to scale your problem.
 Fields of Application
Heat and Mass Transfer
Optics
Astronomy
Aerodynamics
Mathematics
Electronics
Chemistry
Bergman, T., Lavine, A., Incropera, F., Dewitt, D. ( 2011 ). Introduction to Heat
Bergman, T., Lavine, A., Incropera, F., Dewitt, D. ( 2011 ). Introduction to Heat
 Recall: Reynolds Number
Importantdimensionless quantityinfluid
mechanicsthat is used to help predict flow
Osborne Reynolds patterns in different fluid flow situations.
1842 - 1912
< 2000 : Laminar
=

Flow
= 2100 4000 :
Transition Flow
=

= =
> 4000 :
Turbulent Flow
 Pclet Number

Defined to be the ratio of the rate

Jean Claude Pclet ofadvectionof a physical quantity by the flow
1793 - 1857 to the rate ofdiffusionof the same quantity
driven by an appropriate gradient.Reynolds
Number counterpart to Where: thermal energy

transfer
=
=

 Biot Number
Provides a measure of the temperature drop
Jean Baptiste Biot
in the solid, relative to the temperature
1774 - 1862 difference between the surface and the fluid
during transient processes.

Bergman, T., Lavine, A., Incropera, F., Dewitt, D. ( 2011 ). Introduction to Heat
 Biot Number

Bergman, T., Lavine, A., Incropera, F., Dewitt, D. ( 2011 ). Introduction to Heat
 Biot Number

Bergman, T., Lavine, A., Incropera, F., Dewitt, D. ( 2011 ). Introduction to Heat
 Biot Number

The resistance to conduction within the solid is

much less than the resistance to convection
across the boundary fluid layer. It is reasonable
to assume uniform temperature distribution
The temperature difference across the solid is
much larger than that between the surface of
the solid and the fluid.

Bergman, T., Lavine, A., Incropera, F., Dewitt, D. ( 2011 ). Introduction to Heat
 Prandtl Number
Ludwig Prandtl (1875 - 1953)

Where: Where:
Typical Range of Prandlt Numbers for Selected Fluids:
 Grashof Number
Franz Grashof (1826 - 1893)

Where: Where:
 Lewis Number
Warren Lewis (1882 1975)

Where: Where:
 Fourier Number
Joseph Fourier (1768 - 1830)

Where:
Nusselt Number
 Wilhelm Nusselt
A German engineer
Born on November 25, 1882
Died on September 1, 1957
Developed dimensional analysis of heat
transfer
 Nusselt Number

where
 Nusselt Number

Gives the ratio of the actual heat
transferred between the plates by
moving fluid to the heat transfer that
would occur by conduction.
Characterize heat flux from a solid
surface of a fluid.
 Nusselt Number
Large Nusselt number signifies very
efficient convection
Example: For Turbulent,
 Nusselt Number
Free Convection

Forced Convection
 Nusselt Number
Free Convection of a Vertical Wall
 Nusselt Number
Free Convection from Horizontal Plates

top surface of a hot object in a colder environment or

bottom surface of a cold object in a hotter environment
 Nusselt Number
bottom surface of a hot object in a colder environment or
top surface of a cold object in a hotter environment
 Nusselt Number
Flat Plate in Laminar Flow
 Nusselt Number
Forced Convection in Turbulent Pipe Flow
Gnielinski Correlation

Valid:
 Nusselt Number
Forced Convection in Turbulent Pipe Flow
Dittus-Boelter Equation

Valid:
 Nusselt Number
Forced Convection in Turbulent Pipe Flow
Sieder-Tate Correlation

Valid:
 Nusselt Number
Forced Convection in Fully Developed Laminar Pipe Flow
Nusselt number are constant-valued. For internal flow:

where
- convective heat transfer coefficient; - hydraulic diameter;
- thermal conductivity of the fluid
 Nusselt Number
Forced Convection in Fully Developed Laminar Pipe Flow
Convection with uniform surface heat flux for circular tubes

Convection with uniform surface temperature for circular

tubes
Stanton Number
 Stanton Number
Measures the ratio of heat transferred
into a fluid to the thermal capacity of a
fluid.
Characterize heat transfer in forced
convection flows

When Pr = 1,
Thomas Edward Stanton
(1865-1931)
Graetz Number
 Leo Graetz
A German physicist
Born on September 26, 1856
Died on November 12, 1941
First to investigate the propagation of
electromagnetic energy
 Graetz Number
Applicable
to many transient heat
conduction in laminar pipe flow

where is the velocity of the fluid, the

diameter of the piper, the fluid thermal
diffusivity, axial distance along the pipe
 Graetz Number

Time taken by heat

to diffuse radially
into the fluid by

conduction,
sometimes called
relaxation time
 Graetz Number

Time taken
for the fluid
to reach
distance
 Graetz Number

 Graetz Number
; radial
temperature profiles are fully
developed
; larger values thermal boundary layer
development has to be taken into account
 Graetz Number

where is the diameter in round tubes or
hydraulic diameter in arbitrary cross-
section ducts, is the length, is the
Reynolds number, is the Prandtl number.
Rayleigh Number
 Rayleigh Number
John William Strutt, 3rd Baron Rayleigh
Born on November 12, 1842
Died on June 30, 1919
Discovered argon with William Ramsay
 Rayleigh Number
Determines how heat is transferred
throughout the fluid
Associated with buoyancy-driven flow
(free convection).
When , heat transfer due conduction
When , heat transfer due to convection
 Rayleigh Number

where,
thermal diffusivity
surface
characteristic
temperature
length
--ambient
Rayleightemperature
number of a characteristic length
- Grashof
acceleration
numberduefor
to gravity
characteristic length
Prandtl
thermal number
expansion coefficient
kinematic viscosity

If

If
Problem 4.5-1
Heating Air by Condensing Steam
 Air is flowing through a tube having an inside diameter of 38.1 mm at a velocity of
6.71 m/s, average temperature of 449.6 K, and pressure of 138 kPa. The inside wall
temperature is held constant at 477.6 K by steam condensing outside the tube wall.
Calculate the heat transfer coefficient for a long tube
and the heat-transfer flux.
Given:
Required:

Assumptions:
Air is an ideal gas.
No heat loss
No internal heat generation
Steady flow
 Determining Type of Flow

Determining
Reynolds Number: Average Density of the Flowing Air:

Viscosity of air at the mean bulk Temperature:

from the Appendix

Substituting the values into the equation:

 For Turbulent Flow
heat transfer coefficient is given by: (Equation 4.5-8 on page
The Values:
261)

The heat-transfer flux is given by: