Analysis of steady forced convection in thermally developing turbulent duct flows

Presents a novel theoretical approach, based on extension of ideas associated with the generalized integral transform technique, for obtaining accurate analytic solutions for fully developed steady forced convection inside circular ducts with turbulent flow and constant wall surface temperature conditions. Within the temperature field, reports the thermal response of the fluid in terms of hybrid solutions for bulk fluid temperature and Nusselt number distributions along the thermal entrance region of the duct. Further, in assessing the accuracy and validity of the theoretical work, critically examines predicated analytical solutions of thermally developed Nusselt numbers and compares them with results from reliable empirical correlations of the open literature. For the investigated cases, satisfactory agreement prevailed between the theoretically and empirically derived heat transfer parameters, exhibiting a maximum difference of 9.58 per cent for the range of system variables analysed.