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Title: Internal convective heat transfer to gases in the low-Reynolds-number “turbulent” range

Journal Article · · International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [4]
  1. University of Idaho, Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Idaho National Laboratory (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Institut fur Kernenergetik und Energiesysteme, Stuttgart/Vaihingen (Germany)
  2. Institut fur Kernenergetik und Energiesysteme, Stuttgart/Vaihingen (Germany); Institut fur Thermodynamik der Luft- und Raumfahrt, Stuttgart/Vaihingen (Germany)
  3. Idaho National Laboratory (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
  4. Institut fur Kernenergetik und Energiesysteme, Stuttgart/Vaihingen (Germany)
+ Show Author Affiliations

For internal vertical gas flow in tubes with strong heating rates at low turbulent Reynolds numbers, a typical experimental observation is that the local Nusselt number varies roughly as the square of the decreasing local Reynolds number. The aim of the present note is to examine this situation. This examination leads to the hypothesis that the behavior results from the evolution of the thermal boundary layer developing within the molecular conduction (~ laminar) layer which is also growing from the wall. Comparisons to direct numerical simulations demonstrate that reasonable predictions are provided by an extension of the Leveque similarity analysis for laminar boundary layers. The present observations modify and improve our fundamental understanding of the process called "relaminarization" in these flows.

Research Organization:
Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE), Nuclear Energy University Program (NEUP); Ministry of Science, Research and Art Baden-Wurttemberg; USDOE
Grant/Contract Number:
NE0008412; AC07-05ID14517
OSTI ID:
1434302
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1484693
Report Number(s):
INL/JOU-17-42635; INL/JOU-17-42635-Rev000; PII: S0017931017335986; TRN: US1802555
Journal Information:
International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, Vol. 121, Issue C; ISSN 0017-9310
Publisher:
ElsevierCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 6 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

References (21)

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Implicit Model Equation for Hydraulic Resistance and Heat Transfer including Wall Roughness journal February 2016
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The generalized Lévêque equation and its practical use for the prediction of heat and mass transfer rates from pressure drop journal August 2002
Effect of Large Temperature Gradients on Convective Heat Transfer: The Downstream Region journal February 1965
Internal Low Reynolds-Number Turbulent and Transitional Gas Flow With Heat Transfer journal May 1966
Temperature, velocity and mean turbulence structure in strongly heated internal gas flows journal October 2002
Relaminarization in highly accelerated turbulent boundary layers journal November 1973
Turbulent heat and momentum transfer for gases in a circular tube at wall to bulk temperature ratios to seven journal July 1965
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Heated laminarizing gas flow in a square duct journal May 1973
Direct numerical simulation for laminarization of turbulent forced gas flows in circular tubes with strong heating journal October 2000
Mean structure in the viscous layer of strongly-heated internal gas flows. Measurements journal October 1998
Heat transfer in the thermal entrance region of circular tubes and annular passages with fully developed laminar flow journal April 1967
Heat transfer and friction for laminar flow of gas in a circular tube at high heating rate journal October 1965

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Related Subjects

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS
laminarization
vertical tubes
internal convective heat transfer
gas property variation
low-Reynolds-number turbulent
reverse transition