ENME 332, Spring 2013

TRANSFER PROCESSES

I nstructors:
Reinhard Radermacher & Bao Yang
1
Todays Agenda:
1. Review on I nternal Flow:

2. Free (or Natural) convection

2
General Considerations and Results for
Vertical and Horizontal Plates
General Considerations
General Considerations
Free convection refers to fluid motion induced by buoyancy forces.
Buoyancy forces may arise in a fluid for which there are density gradients
and a body force that is proportional to density.
In heat transfer, density gradients are due to temperature gradients and the
body force is gravitational.
Stable and Unstable Temperature Gradients
General Considerations (cont.)
Free convection flow:
Bounded flow : flow not bounded by a surface
Free Boundary Flows: flow not bounded by a surface
Occur in an extensive (in principle, infinite), quiescent (motionless
at locations far from the source of buoyancy) fluid.
Plumes and Buoyant J ets:
Free Convection Boundary Layers
Boundary layer flow on a hot or cold surface induced
by buoyancy forces.
( )
s
T T

General Considerations (cont.)

=
Rayleigh Number:
( )
3
s
L L
g T T L
Ra Gr Pr

= =
characteristic length of surface L
(a ther ther mody mal expa namic pr nsion coefficien operty of the fl d) t ui
1

| |
=
|
\ .
p
T
Liquids: Tables A.5, A.6
( ) Ideal Gas: 1/ K T =
[K
-1
]
General Considerations (cont.)
Mixed Convection
A condition for which forced and free convection effects are comparable.
Exists if
( )
2
/ 1
L L
Gr Re
( )
2
- Free convection / 1
L L
Gr Re >>
( )
2
- Forced convection / 1
L L
Gr Re <<
Heat Transfer Correlations for Mixed Convection:
n n n
FC NC
Nu Nu Nu
assisting and transverse flows
- opposing flows
+

3 n
Nu
FC
Nusselt number for forced convection
Nu
NC
Nusselt number for natural (free) convection
Vertical Plates
Vertical Plates
Free Convection Boundary Layer Development on a Hot Plate:
Ascending flow with the maximum velocity occurring in the boundary layer
and zero velocity at both the surface and outer edge.
How do conditions differ from those associated with forced convection?
How do conditions differ for a cold plate ( )?
s
T T

<
x-component velocity temperature
Vertical Plates (cont.)
Form of the x-Momentum Equation for Laminar Flow
( )
2
2
u u u
u g T T
x y y

+ = +

Net Momentum Fluxes
( Inertia Forces)
Buoyancy Force Viscous Force
Temperature dependence requires that solution for u (x,y) be obtained
concurrently with solution of the boundary layer energy equation for T (x,y).
2
2
T T T
u v
x y y

+ =

The solutions are said to be coupled.
Boundary Layer Equations
Vertical Plates (cont.)
Similarity Solution
Based on existence of a similarity variable, through which the x-momentum
equation may be transformed from a partial differential equation with two-
independent variables ( x and y) to an ordinary differential equation expressed
exclusively in terms of .
,

1/ 4
4
x
Gr y
x

| |

|
\ .
Transformed momentum and energy equations:
( )
2
3 2 0 f ff f T

+ + =
* *
3 0 T Pr fT

+ =
( )
( )
1/ 2
2
x
s
T T df
x
f Gr u T
d T T

Vertical Plates (cont.)

Velocity boundary layer thickness ( ) 5 for 0.6 Pr >

| |
> = =
|
\ .
dimensionless x-component velocity dimensionless temperature
Vertical Plates (cont.)
Nusselt Numbers
( )
and :
L
x
Nu Nu
( )
1/4 1/4
0
4 4
x x
x
Gr Gr
hx dT
Nu g Pr
k d

=
| | | |
= = =
| |
\ . \ .
( )
( )
( )
1/2
1/4
1/2
0.75
0
0.609 1.221 1.238
Pr
g Pr Pr
Pr Pr
= < <
+ +
1 4
3
L
L
L o
h hdx Nu Nu
L
= =

Transition to Turbulence
Amplification of disturbances
depends on relative magnitudes
of buoyancy and viscous forces.
Transition occurs at a critical
Rayleigh Number.
( )
3
9
, ,
10
s
x c x c
g T T x
Ra Gr Pr

= =
Vertical Plates (cont.)
Empirical Heat Transfer Correlations: Vertical Plates
Laminar Flow
( )
9
10 :
L
Ra <
( )
1/4
4/9
9/16
0.670
0.68
1 0.492/
L
L
Ra
Nu
Pr
= +
(
+

All Conditions:
( )
2
1/6
8/27
9/16
0.387
0.825
1 0.492/
L
L
Ra
Nu
Pr


= +
`
(
+
)
(9.27)
(9.26)
Horizontal Plates
Horizontal Plates
Buoyancy force is normal, instead of parallel, to the plate.
Flow and heat transfer depend on whether the plate is hot or cold and
whether it is facing upward or downward.
Hot Surface Facing Upward or Cold Surface Facing Downward
s
T T

> s
T T

<
( )
1/ 4 4 7
0.54 10 10
L
L L
Nu Ra Ra = < <
( )
1/ 3 7 11
0.15 10 10
L
L L
Nu Ra Ra = < <
where L =A
s
/P. How does depend on L when
1/ 3
?
L L
Nu Ra h
(9.30)
(9.31)
Upper surface
Lower surface
Horizontal Plates (cont.)
Hot Surface Facing Downward or Cold Surface Facing Upward
s
T T

>
s
T T

<
( )
1/5 4 9
0.52 10 10
L
L L
Nu Ra Ra = < <
Why do these conditions yield smaller heat transfer rates than those
for a hot upper surface or cold lower surface?
(9.32)
Problem: Solar Receiver
Problem 9.33: Convection and radiation losses from the surface of a central solar receiver.
FIND: (a) Heat loss and collection efficiency for a prescribed receiver temperature, (b) Effect
of receiver temperature on heat losses and collector efficiency.
Problem: Solar Receiver
Problem 9.33: Convection and radiation losses from the surface of a
central solar receiver.
KNOWN: Dimensions and emissivity of cylindrical solar receiver. Incident solar flux.
Temperature of ambient air.
FIND: (a) Heat loss and collection efficiency for a prescribed receiver temperature, (b) Effect
of receiver temperature on heat losses and collector efficiency.
ASSUMPTI ONS: (1) Steady-state, (2) Ambient air is quiescent, (3) Incident solar flux is
uniformly distributed over receiver surface, (4) All of the incident solar flux is absorbed by the
receiver, (5) Negligible irradiation from the surroundings, (6) Uniform receiver surface
temperature, (7) Curvature of cylinder has a negligible effect on boundary layer development,
(8) Constant properties , (9) Negligible effect of top and bottom surfaces.
Problem: Solar Receiver (cont.)
PROPERTIES: Table A-4, air (T
f
=550 K): k =0.0439 W/mK, =45.6 10
-6
m
2
/s, =
66.7 10
-6
m
2
/s, Pr =0.683, =1.82 10
-3
K
-1
.
ANALYSIS: (a) The total heat loss is
( )
4
rad conv s s s s
q q q A T hA T T

= + = +
With Ra
L
=g (T
s
- T

)L
3
/ =9.8 m/s
2
(1.82 10
-3
K
-1
) 500K (12m)
3
/(45.6 66.7 10
-12

m
4
/s
2
) =5.07 10
12
, the Churchill and Chu correlation, Eq. 9.26, yields
( )
{ }
2
1/6
2 2
8/27
9/16
0.387 0.0439W/m K
0.825 0.825 42.4 6.83W/m K
12m
1 0.492/
L
Ra k
h
L
Pr

= + = + =
+




`
(
(
)
Hence, with A
s
=DL =264 m
2

( ) ( )
4 2 8 2 4 2 2
264m 0.2 5.67 10 W/m K 800K 264m 6.83W/m K 500K q

= +
6 5 6
rad conv
1.23 10 W 9.01 10 W 2.13 10 W q q q = + = + =
<
Problem: Solar Receiver (cont.)
With
7
2.64 10 W,
s s
A q

= the collector efficiency is

| |
= = =
|

\ .
(b) As shown below, because of its dependence on temperature to the fourth power, q
rad

increases more significantly with increasing T
s
than does q
conv
, and the effect on the efficiency
is pronounced
COMMENTS: The collector efficiency is also reduced by the inability to have a perfectly
absorbing receiver. Partial reflection of the incident solar flux will reduce the efficiency by at
least several percent.
<