Experimental Investigation of Coupled Conduction and Laminar Convection in a Circular Tube

Wall heat conduction effects on laminar flow heat transfer are experimentally investigated. The steady flow of water through a uniformly heated copper pipe is considered in the experiment, which covers a range of Reynolds numbers from 500 to 1900. The thermal behaviour of the test section is simulated numerically and the influence of conduction along the pipe wall is therefore accounted for in the reduction of the data. Fully developed flow results satisfactorily compare with predictions by a theoretical method previously developed by the authors [Heat Technol. 2,72 (1984)]. Results are also reported for the case where the velocity profile is partially developed at the inlet of the heat transfer section. The combined effects on heat transfer of flow development and of wall axial heat conduction are discussed.