This technical brief reports on an experiment in which Ra is varied in an intermediate range. It is an interesting range because the values lie in a transition zone between laminar thin boundary layer dominated and conduction dominated natural convection. The experimental data are compared with existing correlations to check the accuracy and validity of these correlations for this transitional range of Ra. A new correlation that is only valid in this transitional zone is also proposed and compared with correlations of the same kind.

Issue Section:
Technical Briefs
Keywords:
natural convection, square disk, transitional Rayleigh number, natural convection, laminar flow, boundary layers, heat conduction
Topics:
Boundary layers, Disks, Natural convection, Heat conduction
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Copyright © 2006
 by American Society of Mechanical Engineers
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