Stanton number

The Stanton number, St or C_H, is a dimensionless number that measures the ratio of heat transferred into a fluid to the thermal capacity of fluid. It is used to characterize heat transfer in forced convection flows.

$\mathrm{St} = \frac{h}{c_p \rho V}$

where

• h = convection heat transfer coefficient
• ρ = density of the fluid
• c_p = specific heat of the fluid
• V = velocity of the fluid

It can also be represented in terms of the fluid's Nusselt, Reynolds, and Prandtl numbers:

$\mathrm{St} = \frac{\mathrm{Nu}}{\mathrm{Re}\cdot\mathrm{Pr}}$

where

• Nu is the Nusselt number
• Re is the Reynolds number
• Pr is the Prandtl number

The Stanton number arises in the consideration of the geometric similarity of the momentum boundary layer and the thermal boundary layer, where it can be used to express a relationship between the shear force at the wall (due to viscous drag) and the total heat transfer at the wall (due to thermal diffusivity).

The Stanton number is named after Thomas Edward Stanton (1865-1931).^[1]

References

1. ^ The Victoria University of Manchester’s contributions to the development of aeronautics