An Analytical Investigation of Natural Convection of a Van Der Waals Gas over a Vertical Plate

Abstract

The study focused on a theoretical study of natural convection in a van der Waals gas near a vertical plate. A novel simplified form of the van der Waals equation derived in the study enabled analytical modeling of fluid flow and heat transfer. Analytical solutions were obtained for the velocity and temperature profiles, as well as the Nusselt numbers. It was revealed that nonlinear effects considered by the van der Waals equation of state contribute to acceleration or deceleration of the flow. This caused respective enhancement or deterioration of heat transfer. Results for a van der Waals gas were compared with respective computations using an ideal gas model. Limits of the applicability of the simplified van der Waals equations were pinpointed.