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In fluid mechanics, the Rayleigh number (Ra, after Lord Rayleigh [1]) for a fluid is a dimensionless number associated with buoyancy-driven flow, also known as free (or natural) convection. [2] [3] [4] It characterises the fluid's flow regime: [5] a value in a certain lower range denotes laminar flow; a value in a higher range, turbulent flow.
In thermal fluid dynamics, the Nusselt number (Nu, after Wilhelm Nusselt [1]: 336 ) is the ratio of total heat transfer to conductive heat transfer at a boundary in a fluid. Total heat transfer combines conduction and convection. Convection includes both advection (fluid motion) and diffusion (conduction). The conductive component is measured ...
Dimensionless numbers (or characteristic numbers) have an important role in analyzing the behavior of fluids and their flow as well as in other transport phenomena. [1] They include the Reynolds and the Mach numbers, which describe as ratios the relative magnitude of fluid and physical system characteristics, such as density, viscosity, speed of sound, and flow speed.
The study of momentum transfer, or fluid mechanics can be divided into two branches: fluid statics (fluids at rest), and fluid dynamics (fluids in motion). When a fluid is flowing in the x-direction parallel to a solid surface, the fluid has x-directed momentum, and its concentration is υ x ρ .
Turbomachinery, in mechanical engineering, describes machines that transfer energy between a rotor and a fluid, including both turbines and compressors. While a turbine transfers energy from a fluid to a rotor, a compressor transfers energy from a rotor to a fluid. [1] [2] It is an important application of fluid mechanics. [3]
Fluid mechanics is the branch of physics concerned with the mechanics of fluids (liquids, gases, and plasmas) and the forces on them. [ 1 ] : 3 It has applications in a wide range of disciplines, including mechanical , aerospace , civil , chemical , and biomedical engineering , as well as geophysics , oceanography , meteorology , astrophysics ...
The initial movement is the upwelling of less-dense fluid from the warmer bottom layer. [8] This upwelling spontaneously organizes into a regular pattern of cells. Rayleigh–Bénard convection produces complex patterns of frost damage in grass. [9] Frost regions turn brown after several days while frost-free regions remain green.
In fluid mechanics, non-dimensionalization of the Navier–Stokes equations is the conversion of the Navier–Stokes equation to a nondimensional form. This technique can ease the analysis of the problem at hand, and reduce the number of free parameters. Small or large sizes of certain dimensionless parameters indicate the importance of certain ...