3.7k views
2 votes
Th fluid in an enclosure behaves like a fluid whose thermal conductivity is kNu as a result of _____. Here, Nu is the Nusselt no. and k is the thermal conductivity of the fluid.

a. convection currents
b. conduction currents
c. a decrease in the rate of heat transfer

1 Answer

5 votes

Final answer:

The fluid in an enclosure behaves like a fluid with enhanced thermal conductivity, represented as kNu, due to convection currents. The Nusselt number (Nu) multiplied by the thermal conductivity (k) takes into account the convective heat transfer as well as conduction. Option A is the correct answer.

Step-by-step explanation:

The fluid in an enclosure behaves like a fluid whose thermal conductivity is kNu as a result of convection currents. Here, Nu is the Nusselt number, which is a dimensionless number used in heat transfer to describe the enhancement of heat transfer through a fluid by convection relative to conduction. The thermal conductivity, represented by k, is a physical property of the material that measures its ability to conduct heat.

In the context of heat transfer, conduction is a mode where heat is transferred through direct molecular collision and does not involve any bulk movement of the fluid. This contrasts with convection, which involves the bulk movement of the fluid as part of the heat transfer process. When a fluid moves as a result of a temperature difference, this gives rise to convection currents, and the overall heat transfer is influenced by both the fluid's motion and its thermal properties.

To characterize how effectively a fluid can transfer heat by convection, we use the Nusselt number (Nu). A higher Nusselt number indicates more efficient convective heat transfer relative to conduction. The effective thermal conductivity (kNu) represents the conductivity of the moving fluid, which is greater than just the thermal conductivity of the stationary fluid due to the Nusselt number's multiplicative effect.

Therefore, following the provided context and equation, it is clear that the correct option for the behavior of the fluid is related to convection currents, making the phenomenon described essentially a part of convective heat transfer.

User Victor Zuanazzi
by
8.9k points