Introduction
Fluid flow near a solid surface is not well described by ideal flow solutions due to the viscous drag present in these regions.  In the early  20th century, boundary layer theory was developed to approximate fluid flow and heat transfer in a thin region immediately adjacent to a solid surface termed the boundary layer.   As long as this boundary layer remains thin, a number of approximations can be made to yield a description of fluid flow.  In addition to the momentum boundary layer, a thermal boundary layer will be present if a temperature difference exists between the solid surface and the fluid with which it is in contact.  The thermal boundary layer can be estimated using a method similar to that used for the momentum boundary layer.

Featured Problems

• Momentum boundary layer along a flat plate
• Thermal boundary layer within momentun boundary layer along a heated flat plate
• Thermal boundary layer outside momentum boundary layer along a heated flat plate
• Heat loss at surface of a heated flat plate