'

Schmidt Number

Description

Schmidt number (Sc) is a dimensionless number defined as the ratio of momentum diffusivity (viscosity) and mass diffusivity, and is used to characterize fluid flows in which there are simultaneous momentum and mass diffusion convection processes. It was named after the German engineer Ernst Heinrich Wilhelm Schmidt (1892-1975).

Schmidt number is the ratio of the shear component for diffusivity viscosity/density to the diffusivity for mass transfer D. It physically relates the relative thickness of the hydrodynamic layer and mass-transfer boundary layer.

Related formulas

Variables

ScSchmidt number (dimensionless)
νkinematic viscosity (m2/s)
Dmass diffusivity (m2/s)