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Laminar gravitational convection of heat in dead-end channels

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 April 2006

Terry W. Sturm
Affiliation:
School of Civil Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia

Abstract

A closed-form solution of the coupled momentum and thermal energy equations is obtained for laminar gravitational circulation of water resulting from a longitudinal temperature gradient in a dead-end channel. The temperature gradient is determined by the rate of heat loss from the water surface. The solution is shown to be dependent on a modified Rayleigh number which involves the local surface heat-transfer coefficient. An experimental study was conducted, and the results are compared with the closed-form solution.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 1981 Cambridge University Press

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