An analysis of turbulent free convection about bodies of arbitrary geometrical configurations

A general solution method is suggested for the prediction of the turbulent free convection heat transfer from curved surfaces. The method which may be viewed as a generalized version of the Eckert-Jackson method for the isothermal plate, is designed to deal with bodies of arbitrary geometrical configurations. The surface wall temperature is also allowed to vary in the streamwise direction in an arbitrary fashion. For the illustrative purpose, the calculations are carried out for the turbulent free convection about the horizontal circular cylinder, and the results are compared with the existing empirical formula. The flow transition from laminar to turbulent is also predicted by matching the laminar and turbulent solutions.