0
votes
1answer
44 views

What happens to pipe outlet temperature here?

I have a fluid flowing through a pipe in the ocean and there is heat transfer from the ocean to the fluid in the pipe. I prepared a simulation and the results show that if I increase the mass flow ...
1
vote
3answers
94 views

What's the physical difference between a convective heater and an infrared heater?

Could someone please explain why there are 2 types of space heaters-- one that is convective and one that is infrared? Why does the first one not radiate and why does the second one not heat the air? ...
3
votes
1answer
144 views

Rayleigh-Benard Convection

I found this nice paper about RB convection. However I am confused by what is going on page 6. In particular why we are suddenly using Helmholtz equation to find spatially periodic solutions. Aren't ...
0
votes
2answers
2k views

What is the characteristic length of a cylinder

I have a cold cylinder that is submerged in hot water and I need to find the convective heat transfer coefficient. I can do the whole process but I am stuck finding the characteristic length. I found ...
4
votes
1answer
3k views

What exactly is the difference between advection and convection?

After reading Wikipedia articles on advection and convection, I still cannot determine whether there is a consensus on a difference between these two terms. Sometimes, the term convection seems to ...
1
vote
1answer
262 views

How would I calculate the convection coefficient in transient convection?

So I have faced a problem dealing with transient conduction and I need a little help with the problem solving concepts. I need to determine how long it would take to reach the final temperature but I ...
2
votes
2answers
141 views

How would I go about solving this transient convection problem if the mean fluid temperature is constantly changing?

Let's say I have a ceramic slab on a conveyor belt that is initially at $450\,^{\circ}\mathrm{C}$ and there is air being blown over it at a speed of $35 \frac{m}{s}$ with an ambient temperature of ...
3
votes
2answers
535 views

Why is oil a poor conductor of heat?

Why is oil a poor conductor of heat? Does it help in insulation?
1
vote
1answer
209 views

Per unit area, is there more heat transfer through the open top of a mug or the side walls?

I had a mug of hot coffee cool too rapidly for my liking the other day, which made me wonder what was the greater contributor to heat loss for a typical open-top ceramic mug: the open top, the walls, ...
1
vote
1answer
458 views

Finding electric power generated using heat transfer

I'm working through an example I have been given to study. Suppose I have a 2m X 4m photovoltaic panel on my roof that is irradiated with a solar flux of $G_s = 700W/m^2$. Given: $\alpha_s = 0.83$ ...
1
vote
1answer
466 views

In what situations do I use the characteristic length of a fin to find the surface area?

So I'm learning about fins in heat transfer and it seems that there are two separate formulas for the surface area of a rectangular fin of length L, width w and thickness t. The fin is attached to a ...
5
votes
4answers
1k views

Is there an equation for convective heat transfer?

Is there an equation I can use to calculate the temperature (as a function of time) of an object which is gaining or losing heat by convection? Or equivalently, the rate of energy transfer from the ...