Flat-Plate Convection Map

Show average Nu, h, heat rate, and transition position for external flat-plate flow with a thermal boundary-layer map.

visual calculatorHeat Transfer

Read the flow shape before trusting the number.

This page turns a CFD setup into regime, scale, and dominant-effect cues. Adjust the calculator below and compare the moving graphic with the computed result.

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flat platethermal boundary layerconvectiontransition

formula

KaTeX rendered

\begin{aligned}\text{Nu\_L,lam = 0.664 Re\_L\^{}(1/2) Pr\^{}(1/3)}\\[0.35em]\text{Nu\_L,mixed \~{}= (0.037 Re\_L\^{}0.8 - 871) Pr\^{}(1/3)}\end{aligned}

ASCII source

Nu_L,lam = 0.664 Re_L^(1/2) Pr^(1/3), Nu_L,mixed ~= (0.037 Re_L^0.8 - 871) Pr^(1/3)

U_inf (m/s)plate L (m)plate width (m)nu (m2/s)Prk (W/m/K)wall-air DeltaT (K)

thermal BL

mixed convection estimate

Re_L

6.400e+5

Nu laminar

473.89

Nu turbulent

1457.35

h mixed (W/m2/K)

22.11

Q (W)

141.51

Average flat-plate correlations are useful when setting wall heat-flux expectations for external-flow CFD.

flat plate thermal boundary layer convection transition