Brinkman number
 

Hello everybody, Does anyone know under what conditions is the Brinkman number on the order of 1? Do you know the physical interpretation of this number.

Thanks in advance.

Re: Brinkman number
 

The Brinkman number indicates the significance of the temperature rise in the fluid due to viscous dissipation. It would only come into play at high velocities or for fluids with high viscosities (e.g. motor oil).

For most fluids (air, water) at moderate speeds, the Brinkman number is much less than one.

White's Viscous Flow text has a discussion on this.