Convective Heat Transfer Correlations

Bernhard Spang
Email: chemengineer.guide@miningco.com
Web: http://chemengineer.miningco.com

1 Forced Convection Flow Inside a Circular Tube

um D
Re =

cp
Pr = =
k

hD
Nu =
k

All properties at fluid bulk mean temperature (arithmetic mean of inlet and outlet temperature).

Nusselt numbers Nu0 from sections 1-1 to 1-3 have to be corrected for temperature-dependent
fluid properties according to section 1-4.

1-1 Thermally developing, hydrodynamically developed laminar flow (Re < 2300)

a) Constant wall temperature

D 0.8
019
. (Re Pr )
L
Nu 0 = 3.657 + (Hausen)
D
1 + 0117
. (Re Pr ) 0.467
L

b) Constant wall heat flux

1953 (Re Pr D )1 / 3 ; (Re Pr D ) 33.3

. L L
Nu 0 = D (Shah)
4.364 + 0.0722 Re Pr L ; (Re Pr D ) < 33.3
L
 -2-

1-2 Simultaneously developing laminar flow (Re < 2300)

a) Constant wall temperature

D 1.33
0.0677 (Re Pr )
Nu 0 = 3.657 + L (Stephan)
D
1+ 01
. Pr (Re ) 0.3
L

b) Constant wall heat flux

D 1.33
0.086 (Re Pr
)
L
Nu 0 = 4.364 +
D
1 + 01
. Pr (Re ) 0.83
L

which is valid over the range 0.7 < Pr < 7 or if Re Pr D/L < 33 also for Pr > 7.

1-3 Fully developed turbulent and transition flow (Re > 2300)

a) Constant wall heat flux

(Re 1000) Pr
D
2 /3
8
Nu 0 = 1 + (Petukhov, Gnielinski)
L
1 + 12.7 (Pr 1)
2 /3
8

1
where =
. log Re 164
(182 . )2

b) Constant wall temperature

For fluids with Pr > 0.7 correlation for constant wall heat flux can be used with
negligible error.

1-4 Effects of property variation with temperature

a) Liquids, laminar and turbulent flow

0.14

Nu = Nu 0
w
 -3-

at mean fluid temperature, w at wall temperature

b) Gases, laminar flow

Nu = Nu0

c) Gases, turbulent flow

Tm
0.36

Nu = Nu 0
Tw

Temperatures in Kelvin

2 Forced Convection Flow Inside Concentric Annular Ducts, Turbulent (Re > 2300)

Dh = Do - Di

um Dh
Re =

h Dh
Nu =
k

All properties at fluid bulk mean temperature

Di
(arithmetic mean of inlet and outlet
Do temperature)

a) Heat transfer at the inner wall, outer wall insulated

D
0.16
Nu
= 0.86 o (Petukhov and Roizen)
Nu tube Di

b) Heat transfer at the outer wall, inner wall insulated

Di
0. 6
Nu
= 1 014
. (Petukhov and Roizen)
Nu tube Do

c) Heat transfer at both walls, same wall temperatures

 -4-

Di
0.84
Di
0.6

0.86 + 1 014
.
Nu Do Do
= (Stephan)
Nu tube Di
1+
Do

3 Forced Convection Flow Inside Non-Circular Ducts, Turbulent (Re > 2300)

4 cross sectional area

Equations for circular tube with hydraulic diameter Dh =
wetted perimeter

um Dh
Re =

hDh
Nu =
k

4 Forced Convection Flow Across Single Circular Cylinders and Tube Bundles

l= D
2

um l
Re l =

hl
Nu l =
k

D = cylinder diameter, um = free-stream velocity, all properties at fluid bulk mean temperature.

Correction for temperature dependent fluid properties see section 4-4

4-1 Smooth circular cylinder

Nu l ,o = 0.3 + Nu l2,lam + Nu 2l ,turb (Gnielinski)

where Nu l ,lam = 0.664 Re l 3

Pr

0.037 Re 0l .8 Pr
Nu l ,turb =
1 + 2.443 Re l 0.1 ( Pr 2 / 3 1)
 -5-

10 < Rel < 107

0.6 < Pr < 1000

4-2 Tube bundle

SQ
Transverse pitch ratio a=
D
SL
Longitudinal pitch ratio b=
D

Void ratio =1 for b > 1
4a

=1 for b < 1
4ab

um l
Re , l =

Nu0,bundle = fANul,0 (Gnielinski)

Nul,0 according to section 4-1 with Re ,l instead of Rel.

Arrangement factor fA depends on tube bundle arrangement.

0.7 (b / a 0.3)
a) In-line arrangement f A = 1+
1.5 (b / a + 0.7) 2
sQ
D

sL

um
 -6-

2
b) Staggered arrangement f A =1+
3b

sQ

sL
um

4-3 Finned tube bundle

Ao SQ (S R + )
=
r

Ae ( ) (
S Q D S R + S Q D 2r )

2r (r + D + )
D

A
=1+
AGo D (S R + )

sR

a) In-line tube bundle arrangement

0. 6 0.15
Ao A
Nu l , o = 0.26 Re 0.6
Pr 1/ 3 (Paikert)
Ae AGO
l
 -7-

b) Staggered tube bundle arrangement

0.6 0.15
Ao A
Nu l , o = 0.45 Re 0.6
Pr 1/ 3 (Paikert)
Ae AGO
l

4-4 Effects of property variation with temperature

a) Liquids

0.14

Nu l = Nu l , o
w

0.14

Nu bundle = Nu 0, bundle
w

at mean fluid temperature

w at wall temperature

b) Gases

0.12
Tm
Nu l = Nu l ,o
Tw

0.12
Tm
Nu bundle = Nu 0 ,bundle
Tw

Temperatures in Kelvin

5 Forced Convection Flow over a Flat Plate

Tw u L
Re L =

hL
u
L Nu L =
k
T All properties at mean film temperature
T +T
Tm = w
2
 -8-

a) Laminar boundary layer, Tw = const.

Nu L ,lam = 0.664 Re 1L/ 2 Pr 1/ 3 (Pohlhausen)

ReL < 2105

0.6 < Pr < 10

b) Turbulent boundary layer along the whole plate, Tw = const.

0.037 Re 0L.8 Pr
Nu L ,turb = (Petukhov)
1 + 2.443 Re L 0.1 ( Pr 2 / 3 1))

c) Boundary layer with laminar-turbulent transition

Nu L = Nu 2L ,lam + Nu 2L ,turb (Gnielinski)

6 Free Convection

All properties at TM =
1
(T + T )
2 w

L3 g 2 Tw T
Gr =
2

L = characteristic length (see below)
h L
Nu =
k

Nu0 "Length" L
Vertical wall 0.67 H
Horizontal cylinder 0.36 D
Sphere 2.00 D

1
For ideal gases: = (temperature in K)
TM
 -9-

1
Gr Pr 6

300
Nu = Nu o + (Churchill, Thelen)
(1 + ( 0.5) 9 /16 ) 16/ 9
Pr

valid for: 10-4 < GrPr < 41014

0.022 < Pr < 7640
and Tw = const.

7 Film Condensation

All properties without subscript are for condensate at the mean temperature
3 1
Tm = Tw + Ts
4 4

Exception: D = vapor density at saturation temperature Ts

7-1 Laminar film condensation

a) Vertical wall or tube

1/ 4
hH h ( D ) g H 3
Nu = = 0.943 (Nusselt)
k (Ts Tw ) k

Tw = mean wall temperature

b) Horizontal cylinder

1/ 4
h D h ( D ) g D 3
Nu = = 0.728 (Nusselt)
k (Ts Tw ) k

Tw = const.

7-2 Turbulent film condensation

For vertical wall

Re = C Am
 -10-

h H (Ts Tw ) g 1/ 3
k H (Ts Tw )
Re = ; A=
h 5/ 3 h
Recrit = 350
turbulent film: C = 3 10 3 ; m = 3 / 2 (Grigull)

8 Nucleate Pool Boiling

q
= h (Tw Ts ) Tw = temperature of heating surface

Ts = saturation temperature

a) Heat transfer at ambient pressure

0.674 0.371 0.350

hd A2
0.156
hd qd

2
Nu = A = 01
. A (Pr ) 0.162 (Stephan and Preuer)
k k Ts 2 d A

' saturated liquid

'' saturated vapor
2
Bubble departure diameter d A = 0.851o
g ( ' '')
Angle o = /4 rad for water
= 0.0175 rad for low-boiling liquids
= 0.611 rad for other liquids

b) Water, 0.5 bar < p < 20 bar

and 104 W/m < q
< 106 W/m

q
p
0.72 0.24
h
= 195
. (Fritz)
2
W/m K W / m2 bar
 -11-

List of Symbols

cp specific heat capacity at constant pressure

D, d diameter
g gravitational acceleration
h mean heat transfer coefficient
h enthalpy of evaporation
H height
k thermal conductivity
L length
q
heat flux
T temperature
u flow velocity
thermal diffusivity
coefficient of thermal expansion
dynamic viscosity
kinematic viscosity
density
surface tension

Subscripts

h hydraulic
i inside
m mean
o outside
s saturation
w wall

Dimensionless numbers

Gr Grashof number
Nu mean Nusselt number
Pr Prandtl number
Re Reynolds number
 -12-

References

Churchill, S.W.: Free convection around immersed bodies. Chapter 2.5.7 of Heat Exchanger
Design Handbook, Hemisphere (1983).

Fritz, W.: In VDI-Wrmeatlas, Dsseldorf (1963), Hb2.

Gnielinski, V.: Neue Gleichungen fr den Wrme- und den Stoffbergang in turbulent
durchstrmten Rohren und Kanlen. Forschung im Ingenieurwesen 41, 8-16 (1975).

Gnielinski, V.: Berechnung mittlerer Wrme- und Stoffbergangskoeffizienten an laminar und

turbulent berstrmten Einzelkrpern mit Hilfe einer einheitlichen Gleichung. Forschung im
Ingenieurwesen 41, 145-153 (1975).

Grigull, U.: Wrmebergang bei der Kondensation mit turbulenter Wasserhaut. Forschung im
Ingenieurwesen 13, 49-57 (1942).

Hausen, H.: Neue Gleichungen fr die Wrmebertragung bei freier und erzwungener Strmung.
Allg. Wrmetechnik 9 , 75-79 (1959).

Nusselt, W.: Die Oberflchenkondensation des Wasserdampfes. VDI Z. 60, 541-546 and 569-575
(1916).

Petukhov, B.S.: Heat transfer and friction in turbulent pipe flow with variable physical properties.
Adv. Heat Transfer 6, 503-565 (1970).

Petukhov, B.S. and L.I. Roizen: High Temperature 2, 65-68 (1964).

Pohlhausen, E.: Der Wrmeaustausch zwischen festen Krpern und Flssigkeiten mit kleiner
Reibung und kleiner Wrmeleitung. Z. Angew. Math. Mech. 1, 115-121 (1921).

Shah, R.K.: Thermal entry length solutions for the circular tube and parallel plates. Proc. 3rd
Natnl. Heat Mass Transfer Conference, Indian Inst. Technol Bombay, Vol. I, Paper HMT-11-75
(1975).

Stephan, K.: Wrmebergang und Druckabfall bei nicht ausgebildeter Laminarstrmung in

Rohren und ebenen Spalten. Chem.-Ing.-Tech. 31, 773-778 (1959).

Stephan, K.: Chem.-Ing.-Tech. 34, 207-212 (1962).

Stephan, K. and P. Preuer: Wrmebergang und maximale Wrmestromdichte beim

Behltersieden binrer und ternrer Flssigkeitsgemische. Chem.-Ing.-Tech. 51, 37 (1979).

VDI-Wrmeatlas, 7th edition, Dsseldorf 1994.