ARCHIMEDES NUMBER is proportional to { (gravitational force) / (viscous force) } and

is used in momentum transfer in general and buoyancy, fluidization, and motion due to density
difference calculations in particular. It is normally defined in the following form :

Where:
g

Gravitational acceleration

Characteristic length

mu

Viscosity

rho_f

Fluid density

rho_s

Solid density

Arrhenius number is proportional to { (activation energy) / (potential energy) } and is used in

Where:
Eo

Activation Energy

Gas law constant

Temperature

Bingham number is proportional to { (yield stress) / (viscous stress) } and is used in momentum
transfer in general and flow of bingham plastics calculations in particular. It is normally defined
in the following form :

Where:
gc

Dimensional constant

Characteristic length

mu

Viscosity

tau_y

Stress

Velocity

Biot number is proportional to { (thermal internal resistance) / (surface film resistance) } and is
used in heat transfer in general and unsteady state calculations in particular. It is normally
defined in the following form :

Where:
delta-x

Mid-plane distance

h_T

Heat transfer coefficient

Thermal Conductivity

Blake number is proportional to { (inertial force) / (viscous force) } and is used in momentum
transfer in general and flow through beds of solids calculations in particular. It is normally
defined in one of the following forms :

or

Where:
epsilon

Void fraction

Mass velocity

mu

Viscosity

rho

Density

Particle area/particle volume

Velocity

Bodenstein number is used in mass transfer in general and diffusion in reactors calculations in
particular. It is normally defined in the following form :

Where:
Dv,a

Effective axial diffusivity

Reactor length

Velocity

Where:
d

Droplet/bubble diameter

Gravitational acceleration

gc

Dimensional constant

rho

Droplet/bubble density

rho_f

Surrounding fluid density

sigma

Surface tension

Capillary number is proportional to { (viscous force) / (surface tension force) } and is used in
momentum transfer in general and atomization and 2-phase flow in beds of solids calculations in
particular. It is equivalent to (We/Re). It is normally defined in the following form

Where:
gc

Dimensional constant

mu

Viscosity

sigma

Surface tension

Velocity

Cauchy number is proportional to { (inertial force) / (compressibility force) } and is used in

Where:
Eb

bulk modulus of fluid

gc

Dimensional constant

rho

Density

Velocity

Cavitation number is proportional to { (excess of local static head over vapor pressure head) /
(velocity head) } and is used in momentum transfer in general and throttling calculations in
particular. It is normally defined in the following form :

Where:
gc

Dimensional constant

Local static pressure

p_v

Vapor pressure

rho

Density

Velocity

Colburn-Chilton j factor is used in heat transfer in general and free and forced convection
calculations in particular. It is equivalent to (St.Pr^2/3). It is normally defined in one of the
following forms :

or

Where:
Cp

Heat capacity

Mass velocity

Heat transfer coefficient

Thermal Conductivity

mu

Viscosity

rho

Density

Velocity

Condensation number is used in heat transfer in general and as the name implies in condensation
calculations in particular. It is normally defined in one of the following forms :

or

Where:
delta-T

Temperature difference

lambda

Latent heat

Gravitational
acceleration

Heat transfer coefficient

Thermal Conductivity

Characteristic length

mu

Viscosity

rho

Density

Drag Coefficient
Drag coefficient is proportional to { (gravitational force) / (inertial force) } and is used in
momentum transfer in general and free settling velocities and resistance to flow calculations in
particular. It is normally defined in the following form :

Where:
g

Gravitational acceleration

Characteristic dimension of object

rho

Density of object

rho_f

Density of surrounding fluid

Velocity

Eckert Number
Eckert number is used in momentum and heat transfer in general and compressible flow
calculations in particular. It is normally defined in the following form :

Where:
Cp

Heat capacity

delta-T

Temperature difference

V_inf

Velocity of fluid far from body

Elasticity Number
Elasticity number is proportional to { (elastic force) / (inertial force) } and is used in momentum
transfer in general and viscoelastic flow calculations in particular. It is normally defined in the
following form :

Where:
r

Pipe/conduit radius

mu

Viscosity

rho

Density

theta

relaxation time

Etvs number is proportional to { (gravitational force) / (surface tension force) } and is used in
momentum transfer in general and atomization, and motion of bubbles and droplets calculations
in particular. It is equivalent to (Bo). It is normally defined in the following form :

Where:
L

Characteristic length

rho

Density of
bubble/droplet

rho_f

Density of surrounding fluid

sigma

Surface tension

Euler Number
Euler number is proportional to { (friction head) * (velocity head) } and is used in momentum
transfer in general and fluid friction in conduits calculations in particular. It is equivalent to (N/2)
where N is the number of velocity heads. It is normally defined in one of the following forms :

or

Where:
delta-P

Pressure drop

gc

Dimensional constant

Mass velocity

rho

Density

Velocity

Fourier Number
Fourier number is used in heat transfer in general and unsteady state heat transfer calculations in
particular. It is normally defined in one of the following forms :

or

Where:
alpha

Thermal diffusivity

Cp

Heat capacity

Thermal Conductivity

Characteristic length

rho

Density

Time

Froude Number
Froude number is proportional to { (inertial force) / (gravitational force) } and is used in
momentum transfer in general and open channel flow and wave and surface behavior
calculations in particular. It is normally defined in one of the following forms

or

Where:
a

Acceleration

Gravitational acceleration

Characteristic length

Velocity

Galileo Number
Galileo number is proportional to { (Re. gravity force) / (viscous force) } and is used in
momentum and heat transfer in general and viscous flow and thermal expansion calculations in
particular. It is normally defined in the following form :

Where:
g

Gravitational acceleration

Diameter

mu

Viscosity

rho

Density

Grtz Number
Grtz number is proportional to { (thermal capacity) / (convective heat transfer) } and is used in
heat transfer in general and convection in laminar flow calculations in particular. It is equivalent
to {(L/d) / (Re.Pr)} or {(L/d) / Pe}. It is normally defined in one of the following forms :

Where:
alpha

Thermal diffusivity

Cp

Heat capacity

Diameter

Mass velocity

Thermal Conductivity

Length

Mass flowrate

rho

Density

Velocity

Grashof Number
Grashof number is proportional to { (buoyancy force) / (viscous force) } and is used in heat
transfer in general and free convection calculations in particular. It is normally defined in one of
the following forms :

or

Where:
beta

Coefficient of expansion

delta-T

Temperature difference

Gravitational acceleration

Characteristic length

mu

Viscosity

Kinematic viscosity

rho

Density

Hodgson Number
Hodgson number is proportional to { (time constant of system) / (period of pulsation) } and is
used in momentum transfer in general and unsteady pulsating gas flow calculations in particular.
It is normally defined in the following form :

Where:
delta-P

Pressure drop

fr

Frequency

Avg. static pressure

Avg. volumetric flowrate

System Volume

Knudsen Number
Knudsen number is proportional to { (length of mean free path) / (characteristic dimension) }
and is used in momentum and mass transfer in general and very low pressure gas flow
calculations in particular. It is normally defined in the following form :

Where:
lambda

Length of mean free path

Characteristic dimension

Lewis Number
Lewis number is used in combined heat and mass transfer calculations. It is equivalent to (Sc/Pr).
It is normally defined in one of the following forms :

or

Where:
alpha

Thermal diffusivity

Cp

Heat capacity

Dv

Diffusivity

Thermal Conductivity

rho

Density

Mach number is used in momentum transfer in general and near/ultra sonic flow and throttling
calculations in particular. It is normally defined in the following form :

Where:
V

Velocity

V_sound

Velocity of sound in fluid

Nusselt Number
Nusselt number is proportional to { (total heat transfer) / (conductive heat transfer) } and is used
in heat transfer in general and forced convection calculations in particular. It is normally defined
in the following form :

Where:
h

Heat transfer coefficient

Diameter

Thermal Conductivity

Ohnesorge Number
Ohnesorge number is proportional to { (viscous force) / (sqrt (inertial force . surface tension
force)) } and is used in momentum transfer in general and atomization calculations in particular.
It is equivalent to (SQRT(We) / Re). It is normally defined in the following form :

Where:
gc

Dimensional constant

Characteristic length

mu

Viscosity

rho

Density

sigma

Surface tension

Peclet Number
Peclet number is proportional to { (bulk heat transfer) / (conductive heat transfer) } and is used
in heat transfer in general and forced convection calculations in particular. It is equivalent to
(Re.Pr). It is normally defined in one of the following forms :

or

Where:
alpha

Thermal diffusivity

Cp

Heat capacity

Characteristic length

Mass velocity

Thermal Conductivity

rho

Density

Velocity

Pipeline Parameter
Pipeline parameter is proportional to { (maximum water-hammer pressure rise) / (2 static
pressure) } and is used in momentum transfer in general and hydraulic transients calculations in
particular. It is normally defined in the following form :

Where:
a

Wave velocity

Gravitational acceleration

Static head

Vo

Initial velocity

Power Number
Power number is proportional to { (drag force) / (inertial force) } and is used in momentum
transfer in general and power consumption by agitators, fans, pumps, etc. calculations in
particular. It is normally defined in the following form :

Where:
D

Characteristic length

gc

Dimensional constant

Rate of rotation

Power

rho

Density

Prandtl Number
Prandtl number is proportional to { (momentum diffusivity) / (thermal diffusivity) } and is used
in heat transfer in general and free and forced convection calculations in particular. It is normally
defined in the following form :

Where:
Cp

Heat capacity

Thermal Conductivity

mu

Viscosity

Rayleigh Number
Rayleigh number is used in heat transfer in general and free convection calculations in particular.
It is equivalent to (Gr.Pr). It is normally defined in one of the following forms :

or

Where:
alpha

Thermal diffusivity

beta

Coefficient of expansion

Cp

Heat capacity

delta-T

Temperature difference

Gravitational acceleration

Thermal Conductivity

Characteristic length

mu

Viscosity

rho

Density

Reynolds Number
Reynolds number is proportional to { (inertial force) / (viscous force) } and is used in
momentum, heat, and mass transfer to account for dynamic similarity. It is normally defined in
one of the following forms

For Reynolds Number Calculation using the above formula please go Here
http://www.processassociates.com/reynolds.php
or

Where:
D

Characteristic length

Mass velocity

mu

Viscosity

rho

Density

Velocity

Schmidt Number
Schmidt number is proportional to { (kinetic viscosity) / (molecular diffusivity) } and is used in
mass transfer in general and diffusion in flowing systems calculations in particular. It is normally
defined in the following form :

Where:
Dv

Diffusivity

mu

Viscosity

rho

Density

Sherwood Number
Sherwood number is proportional to { (massr diffusivity) / (molecular diffusivity) } and is used
in mass transfer calculations. It is equivalent to (jm.Re.Sc1/3). It is normally defined in the
following form :

Where:
Dv

Diffusivity

kc

Diffusion rate

Characteristic length

Stanton Number
Stanton number is proportional to { (heat transfered) / (thermal capacity of fluid) } and is used in
heat transfer in general and forced convection calculations in particular. It is equivalent to (Nu /
(Re.Pr)). It is normally defined in one of the following forms :

or

Where:
Cp

Heat capacity

Mass velocity

Heat transfer coefficient

rho

Density

Velocity

Strouhal Number
Strouhal number is proportional to the reciprocal of vortex spacing expressed as no. of obstacle
diameters and is used in momentum transfer in general and Van Karman vortex streets and
unsteady state flow calculations in particular. It is normally defined in the following form :

Where:
fr

frequency

Characteristic length

Velocity

Weber Number
Weber number is proportional to { (inertial force) / (surface tension force) } and is used in
momentum transfer in general and bubble/droplet formation and breakage of liquid jets
calculations in particular. It is normally defined in one of the following forms :

or

Where:
gc

Dimensional constant

Mass velocity

Characteristic length

rho

Density

sigma

Surface tension

Velocity