Viscous dissipation effects on fully developed combined free and forced non-Newtonian convection in a vertical tube

Abstract

An investigation which includes the simultaneous effects of viscous dissipation and combined free and forced laminar non-Newtonian convection is presented. The problem under consideration is that of fully developed upflow in a vertical, circular tube which is heated with a constant wall heat flux. All properties are assumed to be constants in the analysis except for a temperature dependent density in the body force term which generates the free convection effects. The coupled continuity, momentum, and energy equations are solved using a finite difference technique. Numerical solutions are presented as a function of the parameters of the problem-flow behavior index n, Grashof number over Reynolds number ratio Gr/Re, and the Eckert number-Prandtl number product E Pr. The results show that heating due to viscous dissipation distorts the velocity profile, increases the friction factor, and decreases the Nusselt number.