Correlations for Convective Heat Transfer from Room Surfaces

The development of a simple, accurate, and highly generalized set of correlations for the surface convection coefficients in enclosures typical of rooms in buildings is reported. The technique used consisted of the use of a recently developed numerical analysis computer program which solves the Navier-Stokes equations in two or three dimensions to perform numerical experiments. The project examined only a few of the possible combinations of boundary conditions and it is indicated that simple and accurate correlations can be developed. The significance of surface convection coefficients in the building sciences and the current state of the art are outlined. The numerical analysis technique and the methodology used to develop the preliminary correlation are described. The results are presented and compared to the standard results using techniques.