Heat Transfer

Su Yongkang
School of Mechanical Engineering
# 1
HEAT TRANSFER
CHAPTER 9
Free Convection

Heat Transfer
Su Yongkang
School of Mechanical Engineering
# 2
Natural Convection
Where weve been
Up to now, have considered basic concepts of
natural convection, the governing equations
and laminar free convection on vertical surface.




Where were going:
Consider empirical correlations for natural
convection.


Heat Transfer
Su Yongkang
School of Mechanical Engineering
# 3
Empirical Correlations
Typical correlations for heat transfer coefficient
developed from experimental data are expressed as:






Vertical Plate
For an plate at
constant Ts

( )
vo
|
3

Pr
L T T g
Gr Ra
s
L L

= =
L
Ra Log
10
L
Nu Log
10
n
L L
CRa
k
L h
Nu = =
Rayleigh number

=
=
3 / 1
4 / 1
n
n For T
For L

Heat Transfer
Su Yongkang
School of Mechanical Engineering
# 4
Empirical Correlations (Contd)
Vertical Plate (Contd)
Alternative applicable to entire Rayleigh
number range (for constant Ts)


Vertical Cylinders
Use same correlations for vertical flat plate
if:


Inclined Plate

| |
2
27 / 8
16 / 9
6 / 1
Pr) / 492 . 0 ( 1
387 . 0
825 . 0

+
+ =
L
L
Ra
Nu
4 / 1
35

~
L
Gr
L
D
>
Eq
9.26
See Figure 9.7

Heat Transfer
Su Yongkang
School of Mechanical Engineering
# 5
Empirical Correlations (Contd)
Horizontal Plate




Cold Plate
(Ts < T

)
Hot Plate
(Ts > T

)

Heat Transfer
Su Yongkang
School of Mechanical Engineering
# 6
Empirical Correlations (Contd)
Horizontal Plate (Contd)
Define the characteristic length, L as


Upper surface of heated plate, or
Lower surface of cooled plate :


Lower surface of heated plate, or
Upper surface of cooled plate :




( )
( )
11 7 3 / 1
7 4 4 / 1
10 10 15 . 0
10 10 54 . 0
s s =
s s =
L L L
L L L
Ra Ra Nu
Ra Ra Nu
( )
10 5 4 / 1
10 10 27 . 0 s s =
L L L
Ra Ra Nu
Note: Use fluid properties at the
film temperature
2

+
=
T T
T
s
f
P
A
L
s

Heat Transfer
Su Yongkang
School of Mechanical Engineering
# 7
Empirical Correlations (Contd)
Long Horizontal Cylinder
Very common geometry (pipes, wires)

For isothermal cylinder
surface, use general
form equation for
computing Nusselt #


Constants for general
Nusselt number equation





Ra
D
C n
0.333 0.125 10 - 10
0.250 0.480 10 - 10
0.188 0.850 10 - 10
0.148 1.02 10 - 10
0.058 0.675 10 - 10
12 7
7 4
4 2
2 2
2 10
+

Table 9.1
Eq
9.33
n
D D
CRa
k
D h
Nu = =

Heat Transfer
Su Yongkang
School of Mechanical Engineering
# 8
Example: Heated Wire
Given:
Coil of wire in an electrical resistance baseboard
heater
Assume that the wire can be treated as a
horizontal cylinder
Wire is 1 mm in diameter



Find:
Heat loss to room per unit length of wire

Using air properties at a film temperature of


C


C 120

=
s
T
C 20

T
70
2
=
+
=

T T
T
s
f

Heat Transfer
Su Yongkang
School of Mechanical Engineering
# 9
Example: Heated Wire
At a Rayleigh # of : C = , n=
Compute Nusselt # and convection coefficient







Rate of heat transfer to air is:







length of W/m ) T - D(T h
s
= t q
( )
vo
|
3


D T T g
Ra
s
D

=
n
D D
CRa
k
D h
Nu = =

Heat Transfer
Su Yongkang
School of Mechanical Engineering
# 10
Example: Determine the average convection heat
transfer coefficient for the 2.5-m high vertical walls of
a home having respective interior air and wall surface
temperature of (a) 20 and 10 C and (b) 27 and 37 C.

Heat Transfer
Su Yongkang
School of Mechanical Engineering
# 11

Heat Transfer
Su Yongkang
School of Mechanical Engineering
# 12
Example: An electrical heater in the form of a horizontal
disk of 400-mm diameter is used to heat the bottom of a
tank filled with engine oil at a temperature of 5 C.
Calculate the power required to maintain the heater
surface at 70 C.

Heat Transfer
Su Yongkang
School of Mechanical Engineering
# 13

Heat Transfer
Su Yongkang
School of Mechanical Engineering
# 14
Natural (Free) Convection
KEY POINTS OF FREE CONVECTION
Natural or free convection is common
phenomena, but generally has lower heat
transfer rates than in forced convection for
similar temperature differences
Grashof number for free convection is similar
to Reynolds number in forced convection


Rayleigh number is used to account for relative
impact of buoyancy and viscous forces acting as
same time


Most problems solved using equations derived
from empirical data of the form:


Evaluate fluid properties at the film temperature

( )
forces Viscous
forces Buoyancy

2
3
=

=

v
| L T T g
Gr
s
L
( ) ( )
o v
|
v
|


Pr

Pr
3
2
3
L T T g L T T g
Gr Ra
s s
L L


=

= =
( )
n
D D
Ra C
k
D h
Nu = =