Heat transfer by natural convection from an isothermal downward-facing round plate in unlimited space

A theoretical analysis and experimental study of natural convective heat tr ansfer from an isothermal downward-facing horizontal round plate has been c arried out. The results are presented in the form of correlations between t he Nusselt and Rayleigh numbers. The correctness of the theoretical model, proposed to describe convective heat transfer from the downward-facing roun d plate, and the simplifying assumptions introduced, were verified by compa rison with contours of static temperature and velocity distributions determ ined from numerical simulations using the FLUENT/UNS code and estimated by flow visualisations using interferometry, images of particle tracks, and a liquid crystal foil. The experimental measurements were performed in air an d water using a plate of diameter D=0.07 m. The theoretical, experimental, and numerical results are all in excellent agreement. (C) 2001 Elsevier Sci ence Ltd. All rights reserved.