Chapter 3

HEAT CONVECTION
(MACROSCOPIC TRANSPORT)
3.1 Introduction
-The process of heat transfer between a surface and a fluid
flowing in contact with it is called convection.

-Heat transfer by convection involves two simultaneously

occurring mechanisms, diffusion or conduction, accompanied
with macroscopic transport of heat to (or from) a moving or
flowing fluid.

-The fluid acts as a vehicle for energy transport, and the heat-flux
density depends on the velocity with which the fluid is renewed
over the surface
3.2 Classification

If the flow is caused by an external device like a pump or

blower, it is termed as forced convection. (fig a)
If the flow is caused by the buoyant forces generated by
heating or cooling of the fluid the process is called as natural
or free convection.(fig b)
3.3. Newton's law of cooling

The heat transfer by convection is described by the Newton's

law of cooling:

dQ  h Tw  T dAd or

Q  hA Tw  T
Where:
Tw : the surface temperature , °C or K.
T∞ : the fluid temperature of the free stream, °C or K.
Q : heat tranfer rate (W)
h : Convective heat transfer coefficient (W/m2K)
3.4 Convective heat transfer coefficient
dQ q
h  W / m2 K
Tw  T dA Tw  T
Convective heat transfer coefficient is influenced by
(i) fluid properties like density, viscosity and other thermal
properties like specific heat, conductivity
(ii) the flow velocity and
(iii) the surface geometry.
As the properties vary with temperature and location the value of
convective heat transfer coefficient will vary from point to point. This
leads to the situation that analytically derived equations are applicable
only to a limited extent.
3.9 Methods used in convection studies
1. Dimensional analysis combined with experiments
2. Exact mathematical solutions of the boundary layer
equations
3. Approximate analyses of the boundary layer equations by
integral methods
4. The analogy between heat and momentum transfer
5. Numerical analysis, or modeling with computational fluid
dynamics (CFD) methods
3.9.1. Dimensional analysis combined with experiments

Dimensional analysis is mathematically simple and has found a wide range of

application.
The chief limitation of this method is that the results obtained are incomplete
and quite useless without experimental data. Dimensional analysis
contributes little to our understanding of the transfer process but facilitates the
interpretation and extends the range of experimental data by correlating them
in terms of
dimensionless groups.
There are two different methods for determining dimensionless groups
suitable for correlating experimental data.
(i) The first of these methods, discussed in the following section, requires only
listing of the variables pertinent to a phenomenon. This technique is simple to
use, but if a pertinent variable is omitted, erroneous results ensue.
(ii) In the second method, the dimensionless groups and similarity conditions
are deduced from the differential equations describing the phenomenon.
This method is preferable when the phenomenon can be described
mathematically, but the solution of the resulting equations is often too
involved to be practical
3.9.2. Exact mathematical analyses

Exact mathematical analyses require simultaneous solution of the

equations describing the fluid motion and the transfer of energy in the
moving fluid. The method presupposes that the physical mechanisms are
sufficiently well understood to be described in mathematical language. This
preliminary requirement limits the scope of exact solutions because
complete mathematical equations describing the fluid flow and the heat
transfer mechanisms can be written only for laminar flow. Even for laminar
flow, the equations are quite complicated, but solutions have been
obtained for a number of simple systems such as flow over a flat plate, an
airfoil, or a circular cylinder .
Exact solutions are important because the assumptions made in the
course of the analysis can be specified accurately and their validity can be
checked by experiment. They also serve as a basis of comparison and as
a check on simpler approximate methods. Furthermore, the development
of high-speed computers has increased the range of problems amenable
to mathematical solution, and results of computations for different systems
are continually being published in the literature.
3.9.3. Approximate analysis of the boundary layer

Approximate analysis of the boundary layer avoids the

detailed mathematical description of the flow in the boundary
layer.
Instead, a plausible but simple equation is used to describe
the velocity and temperature distributions in the boundary
layer. The problem is then analyzed on a macroscopic basis
by applying the equation of motion and the energy equation to
the aggregate of the fluid particles contained within the
boundary layer.
This method is relatively simple; moreover, it yields solutions
to problems that cannot be treated by an exact mathematical
analysis. In instances where other solutions are available,
they agree within engineering accuracy with the solutions
obtained by this approximate method.
The technique is not limited to laminar flow but also can be
applied to turbulent flow.
3.9.4. Numerical methods

Numerical methods can solve in an approximate form the

exact equations of motion . The approximation results from
the need to express the field variables (temperature, velocity,
and pressure) at discrete points in time and space rather
than continuously. However, the solution can be made
sufficiently accurate if care is taken in discretizing the exact
equations.
One of the most important advantages of numerical methods
is that once the solution procedure has been programmed,
solutions for different boundary conditions, property
variables, and so on can be easily computed. Generally,
numerical methods can handle complex boundary conditions
easily.
 1. Natural convection without phase change
1.1 Natural convection in an infinite space
An infinite space lets the fluid flow independently without interacting each other. The
natural convection systems in infinite spaces can be calculated by following equation
as general:

Nu f  C (Gr. Pr) n  C.Ra n Rayleigh

 .l
Nu  Nusselt number: a ratio of conduction resistance to heat flow (l/) and
 convection resistance to heat flow (1/).

v   .C Prandtl number: defined as the ratio of momentum diffusivity to

Pr    thermal diffusivity.
a a. 

gl 3t Grashoff number: approximates the ratio of the buoyancy to viscous

Gr   force acting on a fluid.
2
The specified temperature for physical factors is taken as the average
temperature between the item surface and the fluid.
1.2 Natural convection in narrow space
Due to the narrow space, the convection fluxes have strong interaction on each other
and form a circulation. Normally, if the ratio (the height of the convection space) H/
(the width of the space) ≤ 3, we can call it infinite space and reversely.

Specific cases: for two plane forming a narrow space (below

plane is hot, upper plane is cold)
Raf < 1500 Almost no heat convection
1500 < Raf < 1700 Natural convection
1700 < Raf < 4700 Local natural convection
Raf > 4700 Turbulent convection
 2. Forced convection in tubes
The convection under effect of external force forming circulation fluxes not only by
natural convection is called forced convection. Generally,

Nu  f (Re,Gr , Pr)

The process is influenced by the fluid flow regime (meant by Re), the thermal
properties of the system, geometry, and heat transfer direction (meant by Gr and
Pr).

Extra reading: flow profile of forced convection fluxes

(trang 64 – 65 Quyển 1: Truyền nhiệt ổn định)
2.1 Forced convection (in turbulent flow) without phase change
Due to turbulent flow, natural convection is not considerable. Experimental
equation: 0 , 25
 Pr 
Nu  0,021. Re 0 ,8
Pr 0 , 43
   l R
 Prw 
Adjustment factor
Temperature: fluid temperature
For air: Pr = 0,7 and relatively Pr/Prw = 1

l
 l  f (Re, ) For short tubes (Table 1.2, p.67)
d
d
 R  1 1,77 For curved or bended tubes.
R
Specifically, 7000 < Re < 106 and 1 < Pr < 500 , a quick math can be:

  d 23    
0 ,14

Nu f  0,024.1     Re 0,8 . Pr f0,33 . 

f

  l    w 
(Other cases: homework reading)
 2.2 Forced convection (in transitional flows) without phase change
Among a number of experimental equations, this following can be accepted:

Nu f  0,008 k Re 0,8 Pr 0, 43
(when 2300 < Re < 10.000), factor k = 1 for l/d > 50 and depends on Re when l/d < 50.

2.3 Forced convection (laminar flows) without phase change, in

horizontal tube
Among a number of experimental equations, this following can be accepted:

0 , 25 = 1 when l/d > 50

 Pr 
Nu f  0,17. Re 0f ,33 Pr 0, 43 Grf0,1   l
 Prw 
= f(l/d) when l/d < 50
To obtain Gr, take t = tf - tw
3. Heat convection outside an item

A fluid flowing horizontally across a flat plane

A fluid flowing horizontally across a single hollow cylinder
A fluid flowing horizontally across a bundle of tubes
3.1 A fluid flowing horizontally across a flat plane

Specified dimension: length of the plane

Specified temperature: temperature of the
fluid

Particularly, for air as the heat convective fluid

3.2 A fluid flowing horizontally across a tube

Specified dimension: external diameter

Specified temperature: temperature of the fluid

Particularly, for air as the heat convective fluid

4. Heat convection with phase change

4.1 Dry saturated steam outside a vertical tube

When a hot saturated vapor As drops In reality,
condenses on a cold surface simultaneously formed.
As liquid layers

What influence the average flowing down velocity of the fluid ?

- Viscosity
- Density

Temperature of the condensing liquid varies by the wall side + the environment side

If the liquid flows in layers: Q  (tcon  t w ) F (W )

Layer thickness 


In the other expression: Q   (tcon  t w ) F (W )
The thicker condensation
layer, the worse heat transfer.
 CHAPTER 4: OVERALL HEAT TRANSFER


r (m 2 .s.o C / J hay m 2 .o C / W ) Heat resistance of a wall with
 thickness  (m)
 1
 ( W/m 2 .o C ) Heat conductivity of a wall with thickness  (m)
 r

Heat conduction through a wall at steady state:

t1  t n 1
Q n Heat resistance of layer i
ri
i 1 Fi

If di+1/di < 2
 (d i 1  d i ) L  (d i 1  d i ) L
Fi  Fi 
d i 1 2
ln
di