Wilhelm Nusselt
Encyclopedia
Ernst Kraft Wilhelm Nußelt (Nusselt in English; born November 25, 1882 in Nuremberg
– died September 1, 1957 in München) was a German engineer. Nusselt studied mechanical engineering at the Munich Technical University (Technische Universität München), where he got his doctorate in 1907. He taught in Dresden from 1913 to 1917.
During this teaching tenure he developed the dimensional analysis of heat transfer
, without any knowledge of the Buckingham π theorem or any other developments of Lord Rayleigh.
In so doing he opened the door for further heat transfer
analysis. After teaching and working in Switzerland
and Germany
between 1917 and 1925, he was appointed to the Chair of Theoretical Mechanics in München. There he made important developments in the field of heat exchangers. He held that position until 1952, being succeeded in the job by another important figure in the field of heat transfer, Ernst Schmidt.
The Nusselt number
used in Fluid Mechanics
and Heat Transfer
is named in his honour.
Nuremberg
Nuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...
– died September 1, 1957 in München) was a German engineer. Nusselt studied mechanical engineering at the Munich Technical University (Technische Universität München), where he got his doctorate in 1907. He taught in Dresden from 1913 to 1917.
During this teaching tenure he developed the dimensional analysis of heat transfer
Heat transfer
Heat transfer is a discipline of thermal engineering that concerns the exchange of thermal energy from one physical system to another. Heat transfer is classified into various mechanisms, such as heat conduction, convection, thermal radiation, and phase-change transfer...
, without any knowledge of the Buckingham π theorem or any other developments of Lord Rayleigh.
In so doing he opened the door for further heat transfer
Heat transfer
Heat transfer is a discipline of thermal engineering that concerns the exchange of thermal energy from one physical system to another. Heat transfer is classified into various mechanisms, such as heat conduction, convection, thermal radiation, and phase-change transfer...
analysis. After teaching and working in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
between 1917 and 1925, he was appointed to the Chair of Theoretical Mechanics in München. There he made important developments in the field of heat exchangers. He held that position until 1952, being succeeded in the job by another important figure in the field of heat transfer, Ernst Schmidt.
The Nusselt number
Nusselt number
In heat transfer at a boundary within a fluid, the Nusselt number is the ratio of convective to conductive heat transfer across the boundary. Named after Wilhelm Nusselt, it is a dimensionless number...
used in Fluid Mechanics
Fluid mechanics
Fluid mechanics is the study of fluids and the forces on them. Fluid mechanics can be divided into fluid statics, the study of fluids at rest; fluid kinematics, the study of fluids in motion; and fluid dynamics, the study of the effect of forces on fluid motion...
and Heat Transfer
Heat transfer
Heat transfer is a discipline of thermal engineering that concerns the exchange of thermal energy from one physical system to another. Heat transfer is classified into various mechanisms, such as heat conduction, convection, thermal radiation, and phase-change transfer...
is named in his honour.