Objective

 Measuring the temperature distribution along an extended surface and comparing the result
with a theoretical analysis
 Calculating the heat transfer from an extended surface resulting from combined modes of
free convection and radiation heat transfer and comparing the result with the theoretical
analysis
 Determining the thermal conductivity of the rod material

Theory
To determine the heat transfer rate associated with a fin, we must first obtain the temperature
distribution along the fin. Consider the extended surface of Figure 1. The analysis is simplified if
certain assumptions are made. We choose to assume one-dimensional conditions in the longitudinal
(x) direction, even though conduction within the fin is actually two-dimensional. The rate at which
energy is convected to the fluid from any point on the fin surface must be balanced by the net rate
at which energy reaches that point due to conduction in the transverse (y, z) direction. However, in
practice the fin is thin, and temperature changes in the transverse direction within the fin are small
compared with the temperature difference between the fin and the environment. Hence, we may
assume that the temperature is uniform across the fin thickness, that is, it is only a function of x. We
will consider steady state conditions and also assume that the thermal conductivity is constant, that
radiation from the surface is negligible, that heat generation effects are absent, and that the
convection heat transfer coefficient (H) is uniform over the surface.

Applying the conservation of energy,

𝑞𝑥 = 𝑞𝑥+𝑑𝑥 + 𝑑𝑞𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑣
From Fourier’s law, we know that
𝑑𝑇
𝑞𝑥 = −𝑘𝐴𝑐
𝑑𝑥
From Taylor series expansion,
𝑑𝑞𝑥
𝑞𝑥+𝑑𝑥 = 𝑞𝑥 + 𝑑𝑥
𝑑𝑥
And convection heat transfer rate,

𝑞𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑣 = ℎ𝑑𝐴𝑠 (𝑇 − 𝑇∞ )

After substituting everything back we get,

𝑑2 𝑇 1 𝑑𝐴𝑐 𝑑𝑇 1 ℎ 𝑑𝐴𝑠
2
+( ) −( ) (𝑇 − 𝑇∞ ) = 0
𝑑𝑥 𝐴𝑐 𝑑𝑥 𝑑𝑥 𝐴𝑐 𝑘 𝑑𝑥
To solve the previous equation, it is necessary to be more specific about the geometry. Hence for
straight circular pin fin of uniform cross section, with specifications specified in figure 2, Ac is a
constant and As = Px, where As is the surface area measured from the base to x and P is the fin
perimeter. The equation reduces to,

𝑑2 𝑇 𝑃 ℎ
2
+( ) (𝑇 − 𝑇∞ ) = 0
𝑑𝑥 𝐴𝑐 𝑘

To simplify the equation, we introduce a new variable named as excess temperature, where 𝑇∞ is a
constant.

𝜃(𝑥) = 𝑇(𝑥) − 𝑇∞
Hence,

𝑑2 𝜃
− 𝑚2 𝜃 = 0
𝑑𝑥 2
With,
ℎ𝑃
𝑚2 =
𝑘𝐴𝑐
This is a linear, homogeneous, second-order differential equation with constant coefficients. Its
general solution is of the form,

𝜃(𝑥) = 𝐶1 𝑒 𝑚𝑥 + 𝐶2 𝑒 −𝑚𝑥
Now we specify the boundary conditions. At the base

𝜃(0) = 𝑇𝑏 − 𝑇∞ = 𝜃𝑏
The second tip condition corresponds to the assumption that the convective heat loss from the fin
tip is negligible, in which case the tip may be treated as adiabatic.
𝑑𝜃
= 0 𝑎𝑡 𝑥 = 𝑙
𝑑𝑥
On solving, we obtain
𝜃 cosh 𝑚(𝑙 − 𝑥)
=
𝜃𝑏 cosh 𝑚𝑙
The fin transfer rate is then,

𝑞𝑓 = √ℎ𝑃𝑘𝐴𝑐 𝜃𝑏 tanh 𝑚𝑙

Also, the total heat loss from the rod can be calculated as follows.

𝑄𝑡𝑜𝑡 = 𝐻𝐴𝑠 (𝑇𝑠 − 𝑇𝑎 )

Where the heat transfer coefficient H is combined coefficient due to natural convection and
radiation, i.e. 𝐻 = 𝐻𝑐 + 𝐻𝑟 (W/m2K)

And 𝐴𝑠 = 𝜋𝐷𝑙 (Total area of the extended surface)

l = Length of the rod

D = Diameter of the rod
Ts = Average Surface Temperature of the rod
Ta = Ambient Temperature

Hc can be calculated from the formula below,

𝐻𝑐 𝐷
𝑁𝑢𝑐 = = 𝐶𝑅𝑎𝐷𝑛
𝑘
𝛽𝑔(𝑇𝑠 − 𝑇𝑎) 𝐷 3
𝑅𝑎𝐷 =
𝜗𝛼
And the average radiative heat transfer coefficient Hr can be calculated as follows.

(𝑇𝑠4 − 𝑇𝑎4 )
𝐻𝑟 = 𝜎𝜀𝐹
(𝑇𝑠 − 𝑇𝑎 )
Where,

σ = Stefan Boltzmann Constant = 5.67E-8 (W/m2K)

ε = Emissivity of the surface = 0.85
F = View Factor = 1
Procedure
1. Switch on the main switch.
2. Set the heater voltage to 10 Volts with the help of voltage control potentiometer.
3. Monitor temperature T1 regularly and when T1 reaches 70°C, reduce the heater voltage to7
Volts (the initial higher setting will reduce the time taken for the temperature on the rod to
stabilize).
4. Allow the temperature to stabilize till steady state is reached.
5. Record the voltage and current supplied to the heater.
6. Record the temperature at each position along the rod (T1 to T8) and ambient air
temperature (Ta).
7. Set the heater voltage to 9 Volts and follow the above steps.

Observations
Voltmeter Reading (V) = 7
Ammeter Reading (A) = 0.21
Power (W) = 1.47

Set 1 - Temperature Measurement (till steady state)

S. No. T1 (°C) T2 (°C) T3 (°C) T4 (°C) T5 (°C) T6 (°C) T7 (°C) T8 (°C) Ta (°C) Time
1 18.4 18.5 18.8 18.7 18.4 18.7 18.8 18.7 18.6 2:45 PM
2 28.6 25.4 23.2 21.7 20.4 20.1 19.9 19.7 19.1 2:55 PM
3 31.7 28.1 25.7 23.9 22.5 22.0 21.7 21.5 20.0 3:05 PM
4 33.4 29.7 27.1 25.2 23.7 23..2 22.8 22.5 20.7 3:15 PM
5 34.4 30.6 28.0 26.0 24.4 23.9 23.5 23.2 21.2 3:25 PM
6 35.0 31.2 28.4 26.4 24.8 24.4 23.7 23.7 21.4 3:35 PM
7 35.2 31.4 28.7 26.6 25.0 24.5 24.1 23.8 21.5 3:40 PM
8 35.5 31.7 28.9 26.9 25.2 24.8 24.3 24.0 21.6 3:45 PM

Voltmeter Reading (V) = 9

Ammeter Reading (A) = 0.27
Power (W) = 2.43

Set 2 - Temperature Measurement (till steady state)

S. No. T1 (°C) T2 (°C) T3 (°C) T4 (°C) T5 (°C) T6 (°C) T7 (°C) T8 (°C) Ta (°C) Time
1 35.7 31.8 29.1 27.1 25.4 24.9 24.5 24.2 21.8 3:50 PM
2 41.9 35.8 31.5 28.5 26.4 25.6 25 24.7 22.1 4:00 PM
3 43.2 36.9 32.4 29.4 27.1 26.2 25.5 25.2 22.2 4:10 PM
4 44.4 37.9 33.2 30.1 27.7 26.7 26.1 25.7 22.4 4:20 PM
5 44.7 38.2 33.5 30.4 28.0 26.9 26.2 25.8 22.5 4:30 PM
6 45.1 38.5 33.8 30.5 28.1 27.2 26.4 26.0 22.6 4:40 PM
7 45.2 38.6 33.9 30.7 28.2 27.3 26.5 26.2 22.8 4:50 PM
Graphs
Plot of experimental and theoretical temperature Tx at various positions:

Set 1

Plot of Temperature values for Input Voltage 7 V

40
35
30
25
T (oC)

20 Theoretical
Temperature
15
Experimental
10 Temperature
5
0
0 10 20 30 40
x (cm)

Set 2

Plot of Temperature values for Input Voltage 9 V

50
45
40
35
30
T (oC)

25 Theoretical
Temperature
20
15 Experimental
10 Temperature
5
0
0 10 20 30 40
x (cm)
Calculations & Results
Calculating the value of ‘m’ for each thermocouple measurements, using the formula:
𝜃 (𝑥) cosh 𝑚(𝐿 − 𝑥) 𝑇(𝑥) − 𝑇𝑎
= =
𝜃 cosh 𝑚𝐿 𝑇1 − 𝑇𝑎
For Set 1, at x = 5 cm, T(x) = T2 = 31.7oC, L = 35 cm, T1 = 35.5oC, Ta = 21.6oC
cosh 𝑚2 (0.35 − 0.05) 31.7 − 21.6
=
cosh 0.35 ∗ 𝑚2 35.5 − 21.6
𝑚2 = 6.57∗
*The above expression is solved using Matlab

Similarly, we can calculate ‘m’ for each thermocouple and both the sets.

m2 m3 m4 m5 m6 m7 m8 mavg
Location, x (cm) 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
Voltmeter Reading (V) = 7 6.57 6.69 6.79 7.26 6.76 6.79 6.97 6.83
Voltmeter Reading (V) = 9 7.12 7.22 7.26 7.58 7.24 7.29 7.35 7.29

Now, calculating the theoretical value of temperature T(x) at each point along the rod using average
value of ‘m’.

Again, for Set 1, at x = 5 cm, L = 35 cm, T1 = 35.5 °C, Ta = 21.6°C and mavg = 6.83
cosh 𝑚𝑎𝑣𝑔 (𝐿 − 𝑥) 𝑇2 − 𝑇𝑎
=
cosh 𝑚𝑎𝑣𝑔 𝐿 𝑇1 − 𝑇𝑎
cosh 6.83 ∗ (0.35 − 0.05) 𝑇2 − 21.6
=
cosh 6.83 ∗ 0.35 35.5 − 21.6
𝑇2 = 31.56℃

Theoretical Temperature T1 T2 T3 T4 T5 T6 T7 T8 Ta
(°C) (°C) (°C) (°C) (°C) (°C) (°C) (°C) (°C)
Location, x (cm) 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 Atm.
Voltmeter Reading (V) = 7 35.5 31.56 28.80 26.87 25.57 24.74 24.27 24.12 21.6
Voltmeter Reading (V) = 9 45.2 38.45 33.72 30.59 28.51 27.19 26.47 26.24 22.8

For Set 1:
35.5 + 31.7 + 28.9 + 26.9 + 25.2 + 24.8 + 24.3 + 24
𝑇𝑠 = ℃
8
𝑇𝑠 = 27.66℃
27.66+21.6
Various Physical Properties of Air at 2
℃ = 24.63℃,

β (Thermal Expansion Coefficient) = 3.99E-3 (1/K)

g (Acceleration due to gravity) = 9.81 m/s2
Ta (Ambient Temperature) = 21.6oC
D = 1 cm
ν (Kinematic Viscosity) = 1.558E-5 m2/s
α (Thermal Diffusivity) = 2.136E-5 m2/s
κ (Thermal Conductivity) = 0.02548 W/m-K

Hence,

3.99 ∗ 10−3 ∗ 9.81 ∗ (27.66 − 21.6) ∗ 0.013

𝑅𝑎𝐷 =
1.558 ∗ 10−5 ∗ 2.136 ∗ 10−5
𝑅𝑎𝐷 = 712.76
So, from the table

C = 0.85 and n = 0.188

𝐻𝑐 𝐷
𝑁𝑢𝑐 = = 𝐶𝑅𝑎𝐷𝑛 = 0.85 ∗ 712.760.188 = 2.92
𝑘
𝐻𝑐 = 7.44 𝑊 ⁄𝑚2 𝐾
Now,

(300.664 − 294.64 )
𝐻𝑟 = 5.67 ∗ 10−8 ∗ 0.85 ∗ 1 ∗ = 5.083 𝑊 ⁄𝑚2 𝐾
(300.66 − 294.6)

𝐻 = 𝐻𝑐 + 𝐻𝑟 = 12.523 𝑊 ⁄𝑚2 𝐾
Hence,

𝑄𝑡𝑜𝑡 = 12.523 ∗ 𝜋 ∗ 0.01 ∗ 0.35 ∗ (27.66 − 21.6) = 0.834 𝑊

Result, in tabulated form, for both sets:

Set Ts (oC) RaD Nuc Hc (W/m2K) Hr (W/m2K) H (W/m2K) Qtot (W)

1 27.66 712.76 2.92 7.44 5.083 12.523 0.834
2 32.075 956.48 3.089 7.94 5.229 13.169 1.343

For Set 1,
𝐻𝑃 12.523 ∗ 𝜋 ∗ 0.01
𝐾𝑏𝑟𝑎𝑠𝑠 = = = 107.38 𝑊 ⁄𝑚𝐾
𝑚2 𝐴 6.832 ∗ 𝜋 ∗ 0.0052
For Set 2,
𝐻𝑃 13.169 ∗ 𝜋 ∗ 0.01
𝐾𝑏𝑟𝑎𝑠𝑠 = = = 99.12 𝑊 ⁄𝑚𝐾
𝑚 𝐴 7.292 ∗ 𝜋 ∗ 0.0052
2

Average Experimental Value, 𝐾𝑏𝑟𝑎𝑠𝑠 (𝑎𝑣𝑔) = 103.25 𝑊 ⁄𝑚𝐾

Conclusion
The magnitude of the temperature gradient decreases with increasing x, which is in perfect
consonance with the theory, as the amount of heat being conducted through the rod decreases with
increasing x due to dissipation from convection and radiation. As thermal conductivity and cross
section area remains constant throughout the rod, temperature gradient is bound to decrease.

The experimental value of thermal conductivity of brass is very close to the suggested value. The
difference in the suggested and experimental value of thermal conductivity of brass can be
attributed to various sources of error which might have crept in like imperfect insulation at rod end,
and presence of motion in air which can bring in forced convection, while we have considered
natural convection only.

Applications
Fins are most commonly used in heat exchanging devices such as radiators in cars, computer CPU
heatsinks, and heat exchangers in power plants. They are also used in newer technology such
as hydrogen fuel cells. Nature has also taken advantage of the phenomena of fins. The ears
of jackrabbits and fennec foxes act as fins to release heat from the blood that flows through them.