Turbulent natural convection in a horizontal layer of liquid metal confined between two infinite rigid plates is studied theoretically. The layer, with uniformly distributed energy sources in the fluid, is heated from below and cooled from above. An approximate analysis of the Boussinesq equations of motion is performed for the case of small-Prandtl-number fluids to determine the temperature profiles in three different thermal regions of the layer. By matching these profiles in the regions of overlap, analytical expressions are derived for the lower and upper surface Nusselt numbers and the dimensionless turbulent core temperature as functions of the internal and external Rayleigh numbers defined respectively in terms of the volumetric heating rate and surface-to-surface temperature difference of the layer. Comparison of the present results with heat transfer data for liquid mercury is made and found to be good.
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Turbulent Natural Convection in a Horizontal Layer of Small-Prandtl-Number Fluid
F. B. Cheung,
F. B. Cheung
Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802
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S. W. Shiah,
S. W. Shiah
Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802
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D. H. Cho,
D. H. Cho
Reactor Analysis and Safety Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL 60439
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L. Baker, Jr.
L. Baker, Jr.
Reactor Analysis and Safety Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL 60439
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F. B. Cheung
Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802
S. W. Shiah
Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802
D. H. Cho
Reactor Analysis and Safety Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL 60439
L. Baker, Jr.
Reactor Analysis and Safety Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL 60439
J. Heat Transfer. Nov 1991, 113(4): 919-925 (7 pages)
Published Online: November 1, 1991
Article history
Received:
August 28, 1990
Revised:
May 2, 1991
Online:
May 23, 2008
Citation
Cheung, F. B., Shiah, S. W., Cho, D. H., and Baker, L., Jr. (November 1, 1991). "Turbulent Natural Convection in a Horizontal Layer of Small-Prandtl-Number Fluid." ASME. J. Heat Transfer. November 1991; 113(4): 919–925. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.2911222
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