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Prandtl Number

The Prandtl number (Pr) is a dimensionless number that represents the ratio of momentum diffusivity to thermal diffusivity. It provides information about how quickly momentum and heat dissipate within a fluid. Pr depends on properties of the fluid like viscosity, thermal conductivity, density, and heat capacity. Typical Pr values range from 0.003 for molten potassium to over 10,000 for polymer melts. The Prandtl number is important in heat transfer problems as it determines the relative thickness of momentum and thermal boundary layers.

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253 views2 pages

Prandtl Number

The Prandtl number (Pr) is a dimensionless number that represents the ratio of momentum diffusivity to thermal diffusivity. It provides information about how quickly momentum and heat dissipate within a fluid. Pr depends on properties of the fluid like viscosity, thermal conductivity, density, and heat capacity. Typical Pr values range from 0.003 for molten potassium to over 10,000 for polymer melts. The Prandtl number is important in heat transfer problems as it determines the relative thickness of momentum and thermal boundary layers.

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Prandtl number

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The Prandtl number (Pr) or Prandtl group is a dimensionless number, named after the
German physicist Ludwig Prandtl, defined as the ratio of momentum diffusivity to
thermal diffusivity.[1] That is, the Prandtl number is given as:

P r = ? a = momentum diffusivity thermal diffusivity = � / ? k / ( c p ? ) = c


p � k {\displaystyle \mathrm {Pr} ={\frac {\nu }{\alpha }}={\frac {\mbox{momentum
diffusivity}}{\mbox{thermal diffusivity}}}={\frac {\mu /\rho }{k/
(c_{p}\rho )}}={\frac {c_{p}\mu }{k}}} {\displaystyle \mathrm {Pr} ={\frac {\nu }
{\alpha }}={\frac {\mbox{momentum diffusivity}}{\mbox{thermal diffusivity}}}={\frac
{\mu /\rho }{k/(c_{p}\rho )}}={\frac {c_{p}\mu }{k}}}

where:

? {\displaystyle \nu } \nu : momentum diffusivity (kinematic viscosity), ? = �


/ ? {\displaystyle \nu =\mu /\rho } \nu =\mu /\rho , (SI units: m2/s)
a {\displaystyle \alpha } \alpha : thermal diffusivity, a = k / ( ? c p )
{\displaystyle \alpha =k/(\rho c_{p})} \alpha =k/(\rho c_{p}), (SI units: m2/s)
� {\displaystyle \mu } \mu : dynamic viscosity, (SI units: Pa s = N s/m2)
k {\displaystyle k} k : thermal conductivity, (SI units: W/m-K)
c p {\displaystyle c_{p}} c_{p} : specific heat, (SI units: J/kg-K)
? {\displaystyle \rho } \rho : density, (SI units: kg/m3).

Note that whereas the Reynolds number and Grashof number are subscripted with a
length scale variable, the Prandtl number contains no such length scale in its
definition and is dependent only on the fluid and the fluid state. As such, the
Prandtl number is often found in property tables alongside other properties such as
viscosity and thermal conductivity.

For most gases over a wide range of temperature and pressure, Pr is approximately
constant. Therefore, it can be used to determine the thermal conductivity of gases
at high temperatures, where it is difficult to measure experimentally due to the
formation of convection currents.[1]

Typical values for Pr are:

0.003 for molten potassium at 975 K[1]


around 0.015 for mercury
0.065 for molten lithium at 975 K[1]
around 0.16-0.7 for mixtures of noble gases or noble gases with hydrogen
0.63 for oxygen[1]
around 0.71 for air and many other gases
1.38 for gaseous ammonia[1]
between 4 and 5 for R-12 refrigerant
around 7.56 for water (At 18 �C)
13.4 and 7.2 for seawater (At 0 �C and 20 �C respectively)
50 for n-butanol[1]
between 100 and 40,000 for engine oil
1000 for glycerol[1]
10,000 for polymer melts[1]
around 1�1025 for Earth's mantle.

Small values of the Prandtl number, Pr << 1, means the thermal diffusivity
dominates. Whereas with large values, Pr >> 1, the momentum diffusivity dominates
the behavior. For example, the listed value for liquid mercury indicates that the
heat conduction is more significant compared to convection, so thermal diffusivity
is dominant. However, for engine oil, convection is very effective in transferring
energy from an area in comparison to pure conduction, so momentum diffusivity is
dominant.[2]

The Prandtl numbers of gases are about 1, which indicates that both momentum and
heat dissipate through the fluid at about the same rate. Heat diffuses very quickly
in liquid metals (Pr<<1) and very slowly in oils (Pr>>1) relative to momentum.
Consequently thermal boundary layer is much thicker for liquid metals and much
thinner for oils relative to velocity boundary layer.

In heat transfer problems, the Prandtl number controls the relative thickness of
the momentum and thermal boundary layers. When Pr is small, it means that the heat
diffuses quickly compared to the velocity (momentum). This means that for liquid
metals the thickness of the thermal boundary layer is much bigger than the velocity
boundary layer.

The mass transfer analog of the Prandtl number is the Schmidt number.

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