Local non- similarity thermal boundary- layer solutions

A solution method is described and applied for treating nonsimilar thermal boundary layers. The solutions are locally autonomous (i. e. , independent of information from other streamwse locations) and are found by solving quasi-ordinary differential equations of the similarity type. All nonsimilar terms appearing in the conservation equations are retained without approximation, and only in derived subsidiary equations are terms selectively neglected. The accuracy of the results can be appraised from comparisons internal to the method itself. Thermal boundary-layer nonsimilarity arising both from velocity-fieldnonsimilarity and from streamwise variations of surface temperature are analyzed, Numerical results for the surface heat transfer and for the boundary-layer temperature distribution are presented for various physical situations.