THERMAL / 020
Natural Convection, Rayleigh & Heat-Transfer Calculator
Build a first-order buoyancy heat-transfer benchmark from fluid properties, temperature difference and characteristic length.
Use the calculation to challenge the CFD setup.
Natural-convection CFD can look plausible even with poor property data or boundary conditions. A correlation-level heat-transfer estimate is a useful independent scale check.
Define the reference scale. Use values that represent the actual engineering problem.
Calculate transparently. The tool exposes the governing relation and intermediate outputs.
Compare with the solver. Look for inconsistent definitions, units or modelling assumptions.
Test sensitivity. Important CFD conclusions should not depend on one arbitrary input or discretization choice.
Move from calculation to diagnosis.
Use the result as a benchmark, then follow the relevant Technical Case or consulting capability when the actual CFD model needs deeper judgement.