1

Module 3:
Convective heat and mass transfer

Lecture 25:
Heat Transfer to Boundary Layers
(Continued)

NPTEL,IITKharagpur,Prof.SaikatChakraborty,DepartmentofChemicalEngineering

For large Pr, eqn. (10) from lecture 24 implies that T << . Hence a linear velocity profile can be
assumed inside the boundary layer or
vx
= f ' ( ) = c
v

f =c

2
2

(using f=0 at =0),

where c is a constant

Fig 1 Boundary layer and thermal boundary layer on flat plate

Then

d
1
=
= C ' 3 Pr
3
d =0

0 exp Pr C 12 d

(1)

NPTEL,IITKharagpur,Prof.SaikatChakraborty,DepartmentofChemicalEngineering

Where C is the constant.

All the other extreme of small Pr, T >> and for most thermal B.L. vx v f ' ( ) 1 f = .
Then

d
1
=
d =0

Pr

Hence
Nu x = 0.564 Re1 2 Pr1 2

(2)

The above equation is valid for 0.005 < Pr <0.05. Comparing to the exact solution (eqn. (6) of lecture
24) one finds that the coefficient 0.564 is a little too high. This is because the approximation vx v is
good far from the surface while we are trying to evaluate Nux at the surface.
Average heat transfer coefficient
q = hw A (Tw T ) with hw =

13

1
hx dx
L 0

12

hx
v x
For x = c x
k

hw = 2hx = L

NPTEL,IITKharagpur,Prof.SaikatChakraborty,DepartmentofChemicalEngineering

Fig. 2

Fig. 3

This analysis can be generalised to wedge flows (shown below in Fig. 4).
NPTEL,IITKharagpur,Prof.SaikatChakraborty,DepartmentofChemicalEngineering

Fig. 4
v = Cx m

Where C is a constant

In this case similarity variable becomes = m + 1 y

f ( ) = m + 1

v
;
x

v x

The case we analysed can be obtained by setting = 0 (m = 0), thus v = constant .

Also similarity exists for cases in which
Tw T = Ct x r

(3)

Where Ct is a constant
NPTEL,IITKharagpur,Prof.SaikatChakraborty,DepartmentofChemicalEngineering

Then the energy balance becomes

d 2 1
d
+ Pr f
2
2
d
d

With

1 Pr f ' = 0
2

(4)

= 0 at = 0
= 1 at

Fig. 5 Varying does not have a strong effect on

NPTEL,IITKharagpur,Prof.SaikatChakraborty,DepartmentofChemicalEngineering

Fig. 6
For = -0.5 the surface flux vanishes. For < -0.5, heat flows into the wall even when the wall
temperature is higher than the free stream temperature.

NPTEL,IITKharagpur,Prof.SaikatChakraborty,DepartmentofChemicalEngineering