Dimensionless Numbers

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 Dimensionless
Numbers
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Importance of Dimensionless Numbers

Dimensionless numbers allow for comparisons between very

different systems
Dimensionless numbers tell you how the system will behave
Many useful relationships exist between dimensionless numbers
that tell you how specific things influence the system
Dimensionless numbers allow you to solve a problem more easily

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Nomenclature

D = diameter of pipe ρ = density of fluid.

DH = Hydraulic diameter DAB = mass diffusivity
L = Length of the pipe h = heat transfer coefficient.
Lch = characteristic length g = acceleration due to earths gravity.
R = Length through which conduction t = characteristic time
occurs. ν = Kinematic viscosity of fluid.
u = mean characteristic velocity of the α = Thermal diffusivity
object relative to the fluid. β = volumetric thermal expansion
Vch = Characteristic velocity coefficient ( = 1/T for ideal fluids, T =
Cp = specific heat capacity at constant absolute temperature)
pressure. Ts = surface temperature
k = thermal conductivity T∞ = Bulk Temperature
μ = dynamic viscosity of the fluid
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Reynolds Number
Re

Primarily used to analyze different flow regimes i.e. Laminar, Turbulent, or

Transient Flow.
When Viscous forces are dominant (i.e. low value of Re) it is a laminar flow.
When Inertial forces are dominant (i.e. high value of Re) it is a Turbulent flow.

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Prandtl Number
Pr

It is also the ratio of velocity boundary layer to thermal boundary layer.

Depends only on fluid & its properties.
Pr = small, implies that rate of thermal diffusion (heat) is more than the rate of
momentum diffusion (velocity). Also the thickness of thermal boundary layer is
much larger than the velocity boundary layer.

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Schmidt Number
Sc

Analogous to Prandtl number of Heat Transfer.

Used in fluid flows in which there is simultaneous momentum & mass diffusion.
It is also the ratio of fluid boundary layer to mass transfer boundary layer thickness.
To find mass transfer coefficient using Sherwood number, we need Schmidt number.

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Lewis Number
Le

Ratio of thermal diffusivity to mass diffusivity.

Fluid flow with simultaneous Heat & mass transfer by convection.
It is also ratio of Schmidt number to Prandtl number.

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Peclet Number
Pe

Ratio of Heat transported by convection to Heat transported by conduction.

Product of Re & Pr for Pe(HT) & product of Re & Sc for Pe(MT).

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Stanton Number
St

For HT, It is the ratio of heat transferred to the fluid to the heat capacity of the fluid.
For HT, It’s the ratio of Nusselt Number to Peclet Number i.e. St(HT) = Nu/(Re.Pr).
Used to find heat transfer in forced convection flows.
For MT, It’s the ratio of Sherwood Number to Peclet Number i.e. St(MT) = Sh/(Re.Sc).
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Nusselt Number Nu

Ratio of convective to conductive heat transfer coefficient across the boundary layer.
Low Nu => conduction is more => Laminar flow
High Nu => convection is more => Turbulent flow.
It can also be viewed as conduction resistance to convection resistance of the material.
Free convection: Nu = f(Ra, Pr)
Forced Convection: Nu = f(Re, Pr)
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Sherwood Number Sh

Ratio of Convective to diffusive mass transport.

Analogous of Nusselt number in Heat transfer
Or
Sherwood number is Nusselt number for mass transfer.

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Grashof Number Gr

Ratio of Buoyancy force to viscous force in natural convection.

Reynolds number is used in forced convection of fluid flow,
whereas Grashof number is used in natural convection.

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Biot Number

Bi

Used in unsteady state (transient) heat transfer conditions.

Ratio of heat transfer resistance inside the body to heat transfer resistance at the surface
of the body. OR ratio of internal thermal resistance to external thermal resistance .
Shows the variation of temperature inside the body w.r.t to time.
Bi < 0.1 => heat transfer resistance inside the body is very low => inside the body
conduction takes place faster compared to convection at the surface. => no temperature
gradient inside the body (uniformity in temperature) vice versa implies that Temperature
is not uniform throughout the material volume.
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Rayleigh Number
Ra

It shows the presence & strength of convection in a fluid body.

Heat transfer by Conduction within fluid < Critical value for that fluid <
Heat transfer by convection. (consequences of Ra values) Product of Gr.Pr

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Graetz Number
Gz

Characterizes laminar flow in a conduit OR transfer of heat by streamline

fluid flow in a pipe.
In case of mass transfer, Pr is replaced by Sc.

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Fourier Number
Fo

Ratio of rate of heat conduction to the rate of heat storage.

Used along with Biot number to solve transient state heat transfer problems.
For mass transfer by diffusion, Fourier number for MT is used.
It can also be understood as current time to the time taken to reach steady state.

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