Experimental Investigation of Free Convection Heat Transfer in Laminar Flow Regime

The present study investigates the characteristics of free convection heat transfer under laminar flow conditions using experimental methods. The objective is to establish the relationship between theoretical and experimental results for free convection in a controlled environment. Experiments were performed on a vertical heated plate to analyze temperature distribution, Nusselt number, and heat transfer coefficient. The obtained data were compared with standard laminar free convection correlations to verify their accuracy. Results indicate close agreement between theoretical predictions and experimental measurements, confirming that free convection is dominant and stable in the laminar regime. Minor deviations are attributed to surface temperature variation and ambient air fluctuations. The findings validate classical free convection models and provide practical insights for thermal system design where natural convection governs heat transfer.