Analysis of forced convection from a horizontal flat plate for liquid metals

Abstract

ABSTRACT Numerical simulation of the flow and forced convective heat transfer past a horizontal flat plate for liquid metals has b een performed in elliptical cylindrical coordinates. The two dimensional, steady incompressible Navier–Stokes equations in stream function vorticity formulation together with energy equation are solved using fourth order compact finite difference scheme. A stable and efficient method is introduced to solve the fourth order discretizations of governing partial differential equations through iterations in pseudo time. The fourth order convergence of the present scheme is demonstrated. The drag coefficient, average Nusselt number, variation of skin friction and local Nusselt numbers on the plate surface are shown graphically for Reynolds number up to and Prandtl numbers 0.004, 0.020 and 0.065, respectively for liquid sodium, liquid gallium and liquid lithium. It is found that skin friction coefficient and local Nusselt number approaches to Blasius solution and Pohlhaunsen solution (), respectively as Reynolds number approaches to infinity.