Péclet number
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In physics, the Péclet number is a dimensionless number relating the rate of advection of a flow to its rate of thermal diffusion. It is equivalent to the product of the Reynolds number with the Prandtl number.
There are various definitions of the Péclet number. The most typical are as follows:
With:
- α - Thermal diffusivity
- λ - Thermal conductivity
- ρ - Density
- cp - Heat capacity
- l - Characteristic length
- t - Characteristic time
- v - Velocity
It is named after Jean Claude Eugène Péclet (1793-1857).
In engineering applications the Péclet number is typically very large.
