Influence of the Prandtl Number on the Unsteady Thermo-Fluid Dynamic Field Around a Thick Plate

The problem of a semi-infinite “thick” plate impulsively accelerated to a constant speed is discussed, considering a compressible laminar boundary layer when the thermo-fluid dynamic field in the flow is coupled with the thermal field in the solid (conjugated heat transfer). Different cases are defined by the boundary condition for the thermal field on the unwetted plate side, A first-order analytical approximation of a more general method of solution is here proposed, with emphasis to the analysis of the effects of the Prandtl number (Pr), when the temperature on the unwetted side of the plate is assumed constant. The comparison with some reference solution available for the limiting conditions of steady flow and plate of infinite length shows a very satisfactory accuracy of the present results in spite of the first order approximation.