Combined convection and wall conduction effects in laminar pipe flow: numerical predictions and experimental validation under uniform wall heating

Laminar combined convection in horizontal circular ducts is investigated both numerically and experimentally, under uniform wall heating. A series of experiments for the heating of water in a long horizontal copper tube are simulated numerically in order to assess the reliability of the theoretical results. Peripheral and axial wall conduction effects, inherently present in the experiments, are accounted for in the numerical model. The cross validation of experimental and numerical data allows significant conclusions to be reached on conjugate conduction and convection with buoyancy effects in horizontal duct flows. Buoyancy is considered for values of the modified Rayleigh number, Ra-q0, up to 5 . 10(6); the forced convection contribution is considered for two values of the entry Reynolds number, Re-0 = 500 and 1000.