Laminar Free Convection From a Nonisothermal Cylinder

Abstract

Laminar free convection from a nonisothermal horizontal cylinder is analyzed. The wall surface temperature is assumed to be varied in the manner of a1(x/R)2 + a2(x/R)4. Special transformations are devised and employed so that the resulting differential equations and boundary conditions are free of the parameters a1 and a2. These differential equations are solved once and for all; solutions to the original equations for any particular values of a1 and a2 may then be read off easily as linear combinations of the numerical solutions given here. It is found that the dependence of heat transfer from a horizontal cylinder on Prandtl number is practically the same as that from a vertical plate. Furthermore, the heat transfer is greatly influenced by the surface temperature variations.