Convective Mass Transfer — Flat Plate & Pipe Calculator

🌊 Boundary Layer Mass Transfer Schematic

📝 Configuration

Key Equations:

Re = ρuL_c/μ, Sc = μ/(ρD_AB)

Flat plate laminar average: Sh_L = 0.664 Re_L^1/2 Sc^1/3
Flat plate turbulent average: Sh_L = (0.037 Re_L^0.8 - 871) Sc^1/3

Pipe turbulent, Dittus-Boelter mass analogy: Sh = 0.023 Re^0.8 Scⁿ

📊 Results & Visualization

Configure inputs and click Calculate to view results.

ℹ️ About Convective Mass Transfer

This calculator estimates convective transport of a dilute species from a surface to a moving fluid using Sherwood-number correlations. It is useful for evaporation, drying, gas absorption, dissolution, and wall-to-fluid species transfer.

📘 Calculation Methodology

Mathematical Model & Theory

The calculator uses the heat/mass transfer analogy: Nusselt-number convection correlations are mapped to Sherwood-number mass transfer correlations by replacing Pr with Sc and thermal diffusivity with mass diffusivity.

Worked Engineering Example

Water vapor over a plate: for air at 25°C, u = 2 m/s, L = 0.5 m, D_AB = 2.5×10⁻⁵ m²/s, the code calculates Re and Sc, selects the appropriate Sh correlation, then computes k_m = Sh D_AB/L and N_A = k_m(C_A,s − C_A,∞).

Assumptions & Notes

Dilute species A in carrier fluid B.
Constant fluid properties and binary diffusivity.
Flat-plate correlations assume zero leading-edge concentration boundary layer thickness.
Pipe turbulent option uses Dittus-Boelter-style mass analogy; entry effects and reactions are not included.
Equivalent film thickness is δ_m = D_AB/k_m.

ThermoFluidCalc Report

💨 Convective Mass Transfer — Flat Plate & Pipe Calculator