Effect of upstream shear on flow and heat (Mass) transfer over a flat plate—part II: Mass transfer measurements

Mass transfer measurements on a flat plate downstream of a belt moving in the same direction of the freestream study the effect of the upstream shear on the heat (mass) transfer for four belt-freestream velocity ratios. With an increase in this ratio, the “virtual origin” of the turbulent boundary layer “moves” downstream toward the trailing edge of the belt. This is verified from the variation of the Stanton number versus the Reynolds number plots. As the “inner” region of the boundary layer is removed for a belt speed of u_w=10 m/s (freestream velocity u_in≈15.4 m/s), a corresponding local minimum in the variation of the Stanton number is observed. Downstream of this minimum, the characteristics of the turbulent boundary layer are restored and the data fall back on the empirical variation of Stanton with Reynolds number.