Combined forced and free convection heat transfer from a horizontal flat plate

Abstract

The problem of combined forced and free convection heat transfer in boundary-layer flow past a heated or cooled, horizontal flat plate is studied in the limits of large and small Prandtl number using the technique of matched asymptotic expansions. It is found that the effects of natural convection are confined to small changes in the basic forced convection velocity and temperature fields providedGr/Re5/2Pr2/3≪1 forPr≫1, orGr/Re5/2Pr1/2≪1 forPr≪1. The governing similarity equations at the first two orders in these small parameters are solved and the results compared with the numerical solutions of Sparrow and Minkowycz (1962).