Dimentionless Number

Reynolds Number
Reynolds number defined as (where L is a characteristic length) may be

interpreted as the ratio of two forces that influence the behavior of fluid flow in the
boundary layer. These two forces are the inertia forces and viscous forces:
When the Reynolds number is large, the inertia forces are in command. Viscous
forces dominate the boundary layer when the Reynolds number is small. Now, how
does this relate to transition from laminar to turbulent flow?
Any real flow of fluid contains small disturbances that will grow given enough
opportunities. as long as the viscous forces dominate these disturbances are under
control. As the inertia forces get bigger, the viscosity can no longer maintain order
and these tiny disturbances grow into trouble makers and we transition to turbulent
flow.
Another important quantity of the boundary layer that is influenced by the Reynolds
number is its thickness. As the Reynolds number increases, the viscous layer gets
squeezed into a smaller distance from the surface.
The value of Reynolds number beyond which the flow is no longer considered
laminar is called the critical Reynolds number. For flow over a flat plate, the critical
Reynolds number is observed to vary between 1e+5 to 3e+6 depending on the
turbulence level in the free stream and the roughness of the surface. We normally
use 5e+5 as the critical Reynolds number for flow over flat plates.
Calculation of the Reynolds number is easy as long as you:
 Identify the characteristic length

 Pick the right velocity
 Use a consistent set of units
For flow over a flat plate, the characteristic length is the length of the plate and the
characteristic velocity is the free stream velocity. For pipes the characteristic length
is the pipe diameter and the characteristic velocity is the average velocity through
the pipe obtained by dividing the volumetric flow rate by the cross-sectional area (we
are assuming that the pipe is full, of course). For pipes with a non-circular cross-
section, the characteristic length is the Hydraulic Diameter defined as 4A/P, where A
is the cross-sectional area of the duct and P is the wetted perimeter. You can easily
verify that for a circular pipe the hydraulic diameter equals the pipe diameter. For
non-cicular pipes the average velocity is used as the characteristic velocity. The
situation gets messy when you are dealing with a problem that has many velocity
and length scales such as the flow inside a computer cabinet. You must decide,
based on your design objectives, which length and velocity length scales make
sense for calculation of the Reynolds number.
Nusselt Number
Nusselt number is the dimensionless heat transfer coefficient and appears when you
are dealing with convection. It, therefore, provides a measure of the convection heat
transfer at the surface. It is defined as hL/k where, h is the heat transfer coefficient, L
is a characteristic length and k is the thermal conductivity. But, what does this
grouping mean from a physical standpoint? Let's find out.
I am afraid that we have to look at the boundary layer in order to explain the concept
of Nusselt number. We will, of course, cover the basics of the boundary layer in a
separate tutorial but for now it suffices to say that when a fluid flows over a solid
surface, the first layer of the fluid stick to the boundary (we even have a name for
this thing called, no slip condition). This causes the flow to retard in the vicinity of the
wall. As we move away from the wall the effect of this no slip thing gets smaller and
smaller up to a point where it is no longer felt by the fluid. To get to this point,
though, we have had to go through a layer of fluid who still knows about the wall.
This layer is called the boundary layer. This was the effect of the wall on the velocity
(or momentum). A similar argument applies when, for example, a cold fluid flows
over a hot surface. The first layer of the fluid (which is now stuck to the surface) gets
its heat from the surface through pure conduction. It then gives its newly acquired
energy to all of the other fluid molecules that it comes in contact with as they pass by
it (this is convection). As we move further and further away from the wall, the effect
of the hot wall is felt less and less (it, of course, depends on the thermal conductivity
of the fluid). Eventually, there comes a point where the fluid does not have a clue
about the hot wall. The layer of fluid between the wall and this point is called the
thermal boundary layer. It is where all of the action is taking place (as far as heat
transfer between the solid and fluid is concerned). Before continuing with the Nusselt
number, let us define another dimensionless property:
member that we explained how the first fluid layer stick to the solid surface and the
heat is transferred via conduction. Well, let's write this equation:
In a boundary layer situation the characteristic length is the thickness of the
boundary layer.
Consider a fluid layer of thickness L and a temperature difference of across this
layer. Heat transfer by convection can be calculated as h while heat transfer by
conduction is k /L. Dividing the convection heat transfer to the conduction heat
transfer, we get:
So, the Nusselt number may be viewed as the ratio of convection to conduction for a
layer of fluid. If Nu=1, we have pure conduction. Higher values of Nusselt mean that
the heat transfer is enhanced by convection.
Prandtl Number
Heat transfer gurus have invented another dimensionless number called

the Prandtl number which is a grouping of the properties of the fluid but it has a
significance to our discussion. Prandtl number is defined as:
It is the ratio of momentum diffusivity (kinematic viscosity) to thermal diffusivity. It can

be related to the thickness of the thermal and velocity boundary layers. It is actually
the ratio of velocity boundary layer to thermal boundary layer. When Pr=1, the
boundary layers coincide. Typical values of the Prandtl number are:
Material Pr
Liquid
0.004-0.03
metals
Gases 0.7-1.0
Water 1.7-13.7
Oils 50-100,000
When Pr is small, it means that heat diffuses very quickly compared to the velocity
(momentum). This means the thickness of the thermal boundary layer is much bigger
than the velocity boundary layer for liquid metals.
Grashof Number
You see this number and you should think of natural or free convection. The Grashof
number is the ratio of buoyancy forces to the viscous forces.
In natural convection the Grashof number plays the same role the is played by the
Reynolds number in forced convection. The buoyant forces are fighting with viscous
forces and at some point they overcome the viscous forces and the flow is no longer
nice and laminar. For a vertical plate, the flow transitions to turbulent around a
Grashof number of 10^9.

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Reynolds Number

Reynolds number defined as (where L is a characteristic length) may be

Calculation of the Reynolds number is easy as long as you:

 Identify the characteristic length

Heat transfer gurus have invented another dimensionless number called

It is the ratio of momentum diffusivity (kinematic viscosity) to thermal diffusivity. It can

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