616 Chapter 9 ■ Free Convection

Comments:
1. The manner in which the rod temperature decreases during the cooling process may be
determined from Equation 1 with C1 obtained from Equation 3. The rod temperature
history is shown in the figure.
10

u (C)
4

0
0 20 40 60 80
t (s)

2. Since the temperature difference between the rod and the fluid decreases with time, the
Rayleigh number also decreases as cooling proceeds. This leads to a gradual reduction
in the convection heat transfer coefficient during cooling, as can be determined by
solving Equation 2 once 8(t) is known.
650

550
h (W/m 2•K)

450

350

250
0 20 40 60 80
t (s) –
3. The maximum value of the convection heat transfer coefficient is = 584 W/m2· K.
– hmax
2
This corresponds to a maximum Biot number of Bimax = hmax(D/2)/ks = 584 W/m · K ×
(20 × 10—3 m/2)/237 W/m · K = 0.025 when the criterion of Equation 5.10 is applied in a
conservative fashion. Since Bimax < 0.1, we conclude that the lumped capacitance approx-
imation is valid.
4. Because the rod temperature continually decreases, the buoyancy forces within the
fluid decrease with time. Hence fluid velocities continually evolve as the temperature
difference between the rod and the fluid slowly decays. Equation 9.33 is strictly
applicable only for steady-state conditions. In applying the correlation here, we have
implicitly assumed that the instantaneous heat transfer rate from the rod is the same as
the steady-state heat transfer rate if the same temperature difference exists between the
rod and the fluid. This assumption often yields predictions of acceptable accuracy and
is referred to as the quasi-steady approximation.
9.6 ■ Empirical Correlations: External Free Convection Flows 617

9.6.4 Spheres
The following correlation due to Churchill [10] is recommended for spheres in fluids of
Pr “ 0.7 and for RaD “ 1011.

0.589 Ra1/4
D
NuD = 2 + (9.35)
[1 + (0.469/Pr)9/16]4/9

In the limit as RaD l0, Equation 9.35 reduces to NuD = 2, which corresponds to heat
transfer by conduction between a spherical surface and a stationary infinite medium, in a
manner consistent with Equations 7.56 and 7.57.
Recommended correlations from this section are summarized in Table 9.2. Results for
other immersed geometries and special conditions are presented in comprehensive reviews
by Churchill [10] and Raithby and Hollands [21].

TABLE 9.2 Summary of free convection empirical correlations

for immersed geometries
Recommended
Geometry Correlation Restrictions
1. Vertical platesa

Equation 9.26 None

2. Inclined plates
Cold surface up or hot
surface down

Equation 9.26 0 Š 8 “ 60°

g l g cos 8
3. Horizontal plates
(a) Hot surface up or
cold surface down

Equation 9.30 104 “ RaL “ 107, Pr “ 0.7

Equation 9.31 107 “ RaL “ 1011
(b) Cold surface up or
hot surface down

Equation 9.32 104 “ RaL “ 109, Pr “ 0.7

618 Chapter 9 ■ Free Convection

TABLE 9.2 Continued

Recommended
Geometry Correlation Restrictions
4. Horizontal cylinder

Equation 9.34 RaD “ 1012

5. Sphere

Equation 9.35 RaD “ 1011

Pr “ 0.7
a
The correlation may be applied to a vertical cylinder if (D/L) “ (35/Gr
L
1/4
).

9.7 Free Convection Within Parallel Plate Channels

A common free convection geometry involves vertical (or inclined) parallel plate channels
that are open to the ambient at opposite ends (Figure 9.9). The plates could constitute a fin
array used to enhance free convection heat transfer from a base surface to which the fins are
attached, or they could constitute an array of circuit boards with heat-dissipating electronic
components. Surface thermal conditions may be idealized as being isothermal or isoflux
and symmetrical (Ts,1 = Ts,2; qs”,1 = qs”,2) or asymmetrical (Ts,1 G Ts,2; qs”,1 G qs”,2).
For vertical channels (8 = 0) buoyancy acts exclusively to induce motion in the
streamwise (x) direction and, beginning at x = 0, boundary layers develop on each sur-
face. For short channels and/or large spacings (small L/S), independent boundary layer
development occurs at each surface and conditions correspond to those for an isolated
plate in an infinite, quiescent medium. For large L/S, however, boundary layers develop-
ing on opposing surfaces eventually merge to yield a fully developed condition. If the
channel is inclined, there is a component of the buoyancy force normal, as well as parallel,

x=L Ambient fluid, T


Isothermal (Ts,1) g
or isoflux (q’s’,1)
surface

Isothermal (Ts,2)
or isoflux (q’s’,2)
x
surface

FIGURE 9.9 Free convection flow between heated

parallel plates with opposite ends exposed to a
Ambient fluid, T
quiescent fluid.
9.7 ■ Free Convection Within Parallel Plate Channels 619

to the streamwise direction, and conditions may strongly be influenced by development of

a three-dimensional, secondary flow.

9.7.1 Vertical Channels

Beginning with the benchmark paper by Elenbaas [24], the vertical orientation has been
studied extensively for symmetrically and asymmetrically heated plates with isothermal or
isoflux surface conditions. For symmetrically heated, isothermal plates, Elenbaas obtained
the following semiempirical correlation:
3/4
NuS = 1 RaS S
24 L ( ){ 1 — exp — [ 35
]}
RaS(S/L)
(9.36)

where the average Nusselt and Rayleigh numbers are defined as

NuS = (T q/A
— T )k
s
S
œ
(9.37)

and
gþ(Ts —
RaS = Tœ)S3 (9.38)
au
Equation 9.36 was developed for air as the working fluid, and its range of applicability is

[10 —1 “ S Ra “ 105
L
S ]
Knowledge of the average Nusselt number for a plate therefore permits determination of
the total heat rate for the plate. In the fully developed limit (S/Ll 0), Equation 9.36
reduces to
RaS(S/L)
NuS(fd) = (9.39)
24
Retention of the L dependence results from defining NuS in terms of the fixed inlet (ambient)
temperature and not in terms of the fluid mixed-mean temperature, which is not explicitly
known. For the common condition corresponding to adjoining isothermal (Ts,1) and insu-
lated (qs”,2 = 0) plates, the fully developed limit yields the following expression for the
isothermal surface [25]:
RaS(S/L)
NuS(fd) = (9.40)
12
For isoflux surfaces, it is more convenient to define a local Nusselt number as
q”s
(
NuS,L = S
Ts,L — Tœ k ) (9.41)

and to correlate results in terms of a modified Rayleigh number defined as

gþqs”S4
RaS* =
(9.42)
kav