Laminar natural convection from blunt bodies with arbitrary surface heat flux or surface temperature

The laminar boundary layer equations for free convection over bodies of arbitrary shape and with arbitrary surface heat flux or surface temperature are solved in local Cartesian coordinates. Both two-dimensional axisymmetric bodies (e.g., horizontal cylinders) and three-dimensional axisymmetric bodies (e.g., spheres) with finite radii of curvature at their stagnation points are considered. A Blasius series expansion is applied to convert from partial to ordinary differential equations. An additional transformation removes the surface shape dependence and the surface heat flux or surface temperature dependence of the equations. A second-order-correct, finite-difference method is used to solve the resulting equations. Tables of results for low Prandtl numbers are presented, from which local Nusselt numbers can be computed. The equations are also solved in cylindrical coordinates for horizontal cylinders. This solution includes curvature terms neglected in using local Cartesian coordinates. Solutions are presented for low Prandtl numbers and a range of Grashof numbers. 33 references. (auth)