MEC 2920

Thermo-fluid Engineering

Heat Transfer by Convection

Chapter 17

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MEC 2920
Thermo-fluid Engineering Convection Heat Transfer
• Heat transfer between a surface and an adjacent fluid when they are at different
temperatures.
• The mechanism of convection is mainly due to the bulk motion of the fluid.
• According to the cause of fluid motion, convection is classified as forced convection
or free convection.
• The rate of heat transfer by convection is determined from Newton’s law of
cooling, in which the convection heat transfer coefficient is depends on fluid
properties, surface geometry, as well as flow conditions.

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MEC 2920
Thermo-fluid Engineering Convection Heat Transfer
• To study the effects of surface geometry and flow conditions on convection
coefficient, consider the forced convection flow of a fluid with a free stream velocity
u and temperature T in parallel, steady, incompressible flow over a flat plate with
a uniform temperature Ts (Ts > T)

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MEC 2920
• Hydrodynamic Boundary
Thermo-fluid Engineering Layer
Convection Heat Transfer
– thin region next to the surface in which the velocity of the fluid changes
gradually from zero (no-slip condition) at the surface to the free stream
velocity u at some distance from the surface.
– The boundary layer thickness, d is typically defined as the distance above the
surface to the point where u = 0.99 u
• Thermal Boundary Layer
– The thin region in which the temperature of the fluid changes gradually
from Ts at the surface to the free stream temperature T at some distance
from the surface.
– The thermal boundary layer thickness, dt is typically defined as the distance
above the surface to the point where Ts - T = 0.99 (Ts - T)

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MEC 2920
Thermo-fluid Engineering Thermal Boundary layer
• As the thermal boundary layer increases with x, the magnitude of temperature
gradients decrease, hence convective flux and convection coefficient.
• As the flow advances with x over the surface, the boundary layer will transit from
laminar to turbulent flow at some distance xc from leading edge, at which Re = Rex,c
the critical Reynolds number
• On a flat plat, we can take
• A turbulent boundary layer is characterized by greater thickness dt and flatter
temperature profiles with steeper gradients at surface, which implies larger local
convection coefficients.

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MEC 2920
Thermo-fluid Engineering Convection Coefficient
• At the surface, the fluid velocity is zero and, hence, energy transfers by conduction.
• The local heat flux at any distance x from the leading edge can be obtained from
Fourier's law as

• local convection coefficient

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MEC 2920
Thermo-fluid Engineering Average Convection Coefficient
• For a surface with arbitrary shape, we may write

• average convection coefficient is obtained from

• total heat transfer rate can be obtained by integrating the local heat flux over the
entire surface As

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MEC 2920
Thermo-fluid Engineering Correlations: Estimating Convection Coefficients
• The problem of convection is to determine the convection coefficient for different
flow conditions and geometries with different fluids.
• Since there are numerous variables associated with any flow situation, we identify
universal functions in terms of dimensionless parameters which have physical
significance for convective flow situations.
• Nusselt number which represents the dimensionless temperature gradient at the
surface

• Based on analytical solutions and experiments, the local and average convection
coefficients for forced convection can be correlated, respectively, using the functions

• The Reynolds number, the ratio of the inertia to viscous forces. Characterizes forced
convection flows

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MEC 2920
Thermo-fluid Engineering Correlations: Estimating Convection Coefficients
• The Prandtl number, Pr, is a transport property of the fluid which provides a
measure of the relative effectiveness of momentum and energy transport in the
hydrodynamic and thermal boundary layers, respectively

– The Prandtl number for gases is near unity, whereas for oils and some liquids,
Pr >> 1.
– Pr strongly influences the relative growth of the velocity and thermal boundary
layers
• Relationships among Nu, Pr, and Re are most commonly determined from
experiments performed on specific surface geometries and types of flows, hence,
termed empirical correlations
• The most general correlation for forced convection external flow over flat plates and
other immersed geometries has the form

where C, m and n are independent of the fluid, but dependent upon the surface
geometry and flow condition (laminar vs. turbulent).
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MEC 2920
Thermo-fluid Engineering Correlations: Estimating Convection Coefficients
• In free convection, the boundary layer flow is induced by thermally driven
buoyancy forces arising from a difference between the surface temperature Ts and
the adjoining fluid temperature T.
• The flow is characterized by the Grashof number, which is the ratio of the
buoyancy to viscous forces

g gravitational acceleration  volumetric thermal expansion coefficient

• Since the product of the Grashof and Prandtl number appears frequently in free
convection correlations, it is convenient to designate the product as a number
termed the Rayleigh number

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MEC 2920
Thermo-fluid Engineering Correlations: Estimating Convection Coefficients
– Important Dimensionless Groups in Convection Heat Transfer

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MEC 2920
Thermo-fluid Engineering Correlation Selection Rules
• Identify the flow surface geometry.
– Flow over a flat plate, a cylinder, or a sphere? Or flow through a tube of
circular or non-circular cross-sectional area?
• Specify the appropriate reference temperature and evaluate fluid properties at
that temperature.
– For moderate boundary layer temperature differences, the film temperature, Tf
defined as Tf = (Ts + T)/2 may be used for this purpose.
– However, some correlations require property evaluation at the free stream
temperature T
• Calculate the Reynolds number (forced) or Grashof number (free)
– Using the appropriate characteristic length, calculate the Reynolds number to
determine the boundary layer flow conditions.
– Determine whether the flow is laminar, turbulent, or mixed.
• local or average convection coefficient ?
– The local coefficient is used to determine the heat flux at a point on the surface;
the average coefficient is used to determine the heat transfer rate for the entire
surface.
• Select the appropriate correlation.

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MEC 2920
Thermo-fluid Engineering

FORCED CONVECTION

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MEC 2920
Thermo-fluid Engineering Flat Plate in Parallel Flow
• In the absence of upstream disturbances, laminar boundary layer development
begins at the leading edge (x = 0), and transition to turbulence may occur at a
downstream location (xc) for which the critical Reynolds number is Rex,c = 5105
• Laminar Flow
– The hydrodynamic boundary layer thickness is defined as that value of d(x)
for which u/u = 0.99, and from Eq 14.19 can be expressed as

– local Nusselt number

– average convection coefficient x <xc

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MEC 2920
Thermo-fluid Engineering Flat Plate in Parallel Flow
• Turbulent Flow
– hydrodynamic boundary layer thickness

– local Nusselt number

properties are evaluated at the film temperature, Tf = (Ts + T)/2

• Mixed Boundary Layer Conditions
– To calculate average Nusselt number over flat plate, where part is laminar and
the other is turbulent.
– If we assume a representing critical Reynolds number Rex,c = 5105, the average
convective coefficient can be expressed as

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properties are evaluated at the film temperature, T = (T + T )/2
MEC 2920
Thermo-fluid Engineering Cylinder in Cross Flow
• Consider the long cylinder of diameter D with a uniform surface temperature Ts
experiencing cross flow by a free stream fluid of temperature T with a uniform
upstream velocity u
• The nature of the hydrodynamic boundary layer strongly influences the formation
of the thermal boundary layer, and hence the variation of the local convection
coefficient over the cylinder.
• The effects of transition, separation, and the formation of the wake control the
temperature profile in a complicated manner, and the convection coefficient shows
marked changes over the cylinder surface.
• The average convection coefficient and Nusselt number are given as functions of the
Reynolds and Prandtl numbers
• The Hilpert correlation is one of the most widely used correlations

• The Churchill-Bernstein correlation is a single comprehensive equation that covers

wide range of Reynolds and Prandtl numbers

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MEC 2920
Thermo-fluid Engineering Cylinder in Cross Flow
– Constants for the Hilpert Correlation for Circular (Pr ≥ 0.7) and Noncircular
(Gases only) Cylinders in Cross Flow

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MEC 2920
Thermo-fluid Engineering The Sphere

 Whitaker Correlation

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MEC 2920
Thermo-fluid Engineering External Flow Relations
– Summary of Convection Heat Transfer Correlations for External Flow

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MEC 2920
Thermo-fluid Engineering

FREE CONVECTION

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MEC 2920
Thermo-fluid Engineering Free convection

In free convection, the hydrodynamic and thermal boundary layer flows are coupled:
thermal effects induce flow, which in turn affects the temperature distribution
For vertical plates, the critical Rayleigh number

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MEC 2920
Thermo-fluid Engineering

volumetric thermal expansion coefficient

For an ideal gas, p =  RT, and it follows that =p/(RT)

 d/dT=-p/(RT2)

For liquids and nonideal gases, must be obtained from appropriate tables
(Appendixes HT-4 and HT-5).

n =1/4 and 1/3 for laminar and turbulent flows, respectively

all properties are evaluated at the film temperature, Tf = (Ts + T∞)2

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MEC 2920
Thermo-fluid Engineering Correlations: The Vertical Plate

Churchill-Chu correlation over entire range of RaL

For laminar flow

for laminar flow of gases (Pr = 0.7), the boundary layer thickness ( =t) can be
estimated from

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MEC 2920
Thermo-fluid Engineering Correlations: The Horizontal Plate

hot surface facing downward (Case A)

Or cold surface facing upward (Case B)

hot surface facing upward (Case C)

Or cold surface facing downward (Case D)

As and P are the plate surface area and perimeter

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MEC 2920
Thermo-fluid Engineering Correlations: The Horizontal Cylinder and Sphere

Morgan for the long, horizontal cylinder

Churchill-Chu correlation

For the isothermal sphere, Churchill correlation

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MEC 2920
Thermo-fluid Engineering Convection Heat Transfer

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MEC 2920
Thermo-fluid Engineering Convection Heat Transfer

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MEC 2920
Thermo-fluid Engineering

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MEC 2920
Thermo-fluid Engineering

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MEC 2920
Thermo-fluid Engineering

If the temperature of the plate

is not to exceed 57 °C, what is
the maximum allowable
power dissipation in the
electrical component?

 
=

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MEC 2920
Thermo-fluid Engineering

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MEC 2920
Thermo-fluid Engineering Example 19-1, Cengel pp.783
To defrost ice accumulated on the outer surface of an automobile windshield,
warm air is blown over the inner surface of the windshield. Consider an
automobile windshield (kw=1.4 W/m.K) with an overall height of 0.5 m and
thickness of 5 mm. The outside air (1 atm) ambient temperature is -20 °C and
the average air flow velocity over the outer windshield surface is 80 km/h,
while the ambient temperature inside the automobile is 25 °C.
Determine the value of the convection heat transfer coefficient, for the warm
air blowing over the inner surface of the windshield, necessary to cause the
accumulated ice to begin melting.
Assume the windshield surface can be treated as a flat plate surface.
(The properties of the air at the thin film temperature of Tf=(-20+0)/2=-10°C are
kair=0.02288 W/m.K, ν=1.252x10-5 m2/s and Pr=0.7387)
Steps:
1. Check Reynolds No.
2. Select proper correlations
3. Determine average coefficient at outer surface
4. Energy Balance + Thermal Resistance Concept
5. Determine average coefficient at outer surface 32
MEC 2920
Thermo-fluid Engineering Example 20-2 Cengel pp. 844
Consider a 0.6 m x 0.6 m thin square plate in a room at 30 °C. One side of the
plate is maintained at a temperature of 90 °C, while the other side is insulated.
a. Determine the rate of heat transfer from plate by natural convection if the
plate is
i. Vertical
ii. Horizontal with hot surface facing up, and
iii. Horizontal with hot surface facing down.
b. Determine the heat transfer by radiation by considering the surface is black
and the wall surrounding is at room temperature.
Assume local atmosphere is at 1 atm. The properties of air at thin film temperature of
Tf= (Ts+T∞)/2=(90+30)/2=60 °C and at 1 atm are k=0.02808 W/m.K, ν=1.896x10-5
m2/s, Pr=0.7202 and β =1/Tf=1/333K

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MEC 2920
Thermo-fluid Engineering Assignment
• Chapter 17: 19 34 63 85 104 107

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