Emil: Natural convection occurs when a fluid comes into contact with heated surface.

Since the
density of the fluid will decrease when it is in contact with a higher temperature of solid. Due to
that buoyancy, that fluid would rise and colder fluid will takes its place so that sets up a natural
current around the solid object.
At a given distance from the bottom of the plate, the local upward velocity
increases with increasing distance from the surface to reach a maximum value close to
the surface, then decreases and approaches zero again. In natural convection, as in forced
convection, the flow may be laminar or turbulent,
depending on the distance from the leading edge, the fluid properties, the body force,
and the temperature difference between the surface and the fluid.
Jake: The local heat flux at the flat surface can be described using Newtons law of cooling.
Where hx is the convective heat transfer coefficient, which depends on flow configurations and
the properties of the fluid. The heat transfer coefficient usually also depends on the temperature
difference,
difference.

, which means that the heat flux is not a linear function of the temperature

YGS: In free convection, it is induced by buoyancy forces. These forces may arise in a fluid for
which there are density gradients and a body force that is proportional to density. These density
gradients are due to the temperature gradients.
In this type of convection, Continuity, Momentum and Energy equations are used.
The Grashof number is used in free convection rather than the Reynolds number since it has a
similar significance for natural convection as the Reynolds number has for forced convection.
Grashof number is the ratio of the buoyant force and the viscous force.
Rayleigh number is also an important dimensionless parameter used in this topic. This is just the
product of the Grashof and the Prandtl number.
Nusselt number is the ratio of the convection and conduction. It has specific equations for
laminar and turbulent flow.
Jake: These are the dimensionless parameters that we should familiarize, the reynolds, grashof,
prandtl, Rayleigh number w/c is just the product of grashof and prandtl and finally the nusselt
number. As you can see, among these numbers, the number w/c has the heat transfer coefficient
is the nusselt number.
Let us now see what will be the pattern that we will go through in solving natural convection
problems and applications using these dimensionless numbers. The big question that we will
always encounter is what is the heat transfer coefficient?
So applying Buckingham theorem on the nusselt number, we can derive the nusselt number as a
function of these three pi terms, namely Reynolds, prandtl and grashof number. So when we go

with natural convection applications. It starts with the grashof number which has known
dimensionns and prantl number, usually found using a table and then use these to find a nusselt
value w/c we then equate to these formula. It is evident that we dont consider Reynolds number
in natural convection anymore because there are no external forces or inertial forces involved
such as pumps, fans and blowers unlike forced convection. Instead the buoyant force is the
dominating force in this application thus we use the grashof number w/c is the ratio of buoyant
and viscous forces.
Let us now consider the empirical correlations for various shapes such as......
For vertical plates these are the formulas and conditions that we are going to consider:
This is for a tilted vertical plate:
For horizontal plates
Sample problem;
Ygnacio: these are the empirical formulas for Cylinders, Spheres, Cones and Three-Dimensional
Bodies:
Sample problem:
Emil: these are the empirical formulas

Enclosed Spaces

Sample problem:

The film temperature is , and the corresponding value of GrL is found to be

65L3(Ts-T), where L is in centimeters and T is in K, from the last column in
Table 28, Appendix 2 by interpolation. For the specified conditions, we get
for the smaller plate. Since the Grashof number is less than 10 9, the flow is laminar.
For air at , the Prandtl number is 0.71, and GrPr is therefore . From
Fig. 5.5, the average Nusselt number is 35.7 at , and therefore
Combining the effects of convection and radiation as shown in Chapter 1, the total
dissipation rate from both sides of the plate is therefore
For the large plate, the Rayleigh number is (450/15)3 times larger or
, indicating that the flow is turbulent. From Fig. 5.5, the average
Nusselt number is 973 and . The total heat dissipation rate from
both sides of the plate is therefore