INSTRUCTION MANUAL

TH 320 FREE AND FORCED CONVECTION

ESSOM COMPANY LIMITED

510/1 SOI 22/1 SOMDET PHRACHAO TAKSIN RD.
BUKKALO THONBURI BANGKOK 10600, THAILAND
TEL. +66 (0) 24760034 FAX +66 (0) 24761500
E-mail: [email protected]
www.essom.com
 CONTENTS

Page

Receipt of goods A
Installation instruction B

1. Introduction 1-1
2. General description 2-1
3. Theory 3-1
4. Experimental procedures 4-1
5. Experiments 5-1

Addendum
Addendum 1 Experimental Data Sheets
Addendum 2 Typical Experimental Results

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form (including
photocopying or storing in any medium by electronic means and whether or not transiently or incidentally
to some other use of this publication) without the written permission from ESSOM COMPANY
LIMITED.

1
 RECEIPT OF GOODS

1. On Receipt of Goods

(a) On receipt of the goods at the customer’s premises, the shipment should be inspected for any damages or missing
items. These items should be checked against the delivery note, packing list or shipping documents.

(b) If there is any damage to the equipment or a discrepancy in missing items as listed shipping documents, then the
insurance company should be notified within three working days on receipt of the shipment if the loss or damage
was not apparent at the time of taking delivery from the port.

(c) If insurance has been arranged by the buyer then you must notify your insurer in writing of any damage or loss of
parts which was observed regarding this shipment within a specified period of time as stated in the Terms and
Conditions. This should include detailed photographs of the damaged equipment.

(d) If insurance has been arranged by the seller you should notify the insurances representative along with any
correspondence including the insurance certificate supplied by the seller. These should include detailed photographs
for evaluation of damages or replacement parts pertaining to the shipment.

(e) The seller will only replace damaged parts on notification by the insurance company that the claim has been
accepted.

2. Manufacturers Liability

(a) Before proceeding to install commission or operate the equipment listed in the instruction manual, we would like
to alert the user to the health and safety aspects of people who will work on or operate our equipment with regard to
the liability of the manufacturers or suppliers.

(b) Manufacturers or suppliers are absolved of any responsibilities with regard to misuse of their equipment causing
harm or financial charges being incurred against them from clients or third parties for consequences of failure or
damage of the equipment in any way if the equipment is not installed, maintained and operated as outlined in the
instruction manual published by the manufacturers or suppliers.

(c) In order to safeguard the students and operators of the equipment it is vital that all safety aspects as outlined in
the instruction manual are observed.

A
 INSTALLATION INSTRUCTION

1. GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS:

Shipped oversea Equipment is usually partially assembled in order to reduce possibility of damages and
shipping volume.

Parts list or packaging list is normally shipped with shipping documents. When the shipping box reaches
the site, the box should be carefully opened, and the parts must be checked / examined for damage and
identified according to the part list.

Equipment and parts are to be assembled according to the assembly instruction.

B
 INSTRUCTION MANUAL
TH 320 FREE AND FORCED CONVECTION

1 INTRODUCTION

Heat transfer by simultaneous conduction and convection, whether free or forced, forms the basis of most
industrial heat exchangers and related equipment. The measurement and prediction of heat transfer coefficients
for such circumstances is achieved in the ESSOM Free and Forced Convection by studying the temperature
profiles and heat flux in an air duct with associated flat and extended transfer surfaces. The vertical duct is so
constructed that the air temperature and velocity can be readily measured, and a variety of “plug-in” modules of
heated solid surfaces of known dimensions can be presented to the air stream for detailed study. A fan situated
at the top of the duct provides the air stream for forced convection experiments.

A Control Panel contains temperature measurement, power control, and fan speed control circuits with
appropriate instrumentation. Temperature measurement, to a resolution of 0.1 oC is effected using RTD sensors
with direct digital read-out in 0C.

Air velocity is measured with portable anemometer mounted on the duct.

The power control circuit provides a continuously variable, electrical output of 0-320 watts with a direct
read-out in watts.
Using the instrumentation provided, free and forced convective heat transfer coefficients may be
determined for: -
1.1 A flat surface
1.2 An array of cylinders (pinned heat sink)
1.3 An array of fins (finned heat sink)
Each module may be used independently on the bench, to establish free convection coefficients for
horizontal orientation.

The apparatus is fully self-contained.

1-1
2 GENERAL DESCRIPTION

The ESSOM Free and Forced Convection consists of a vertical rectangular duct supported by stand and a
control panel. A flat plate pinned or finned exchanger may be installed in the duct and secured by a quick-
release catch on each side. Each exchanger incorporates an electric heating element with thermostatic protection
against overheating. The temperature at the base of each exchanger is monitored by a thermistor sensor with
connecting lead.

The exchanger in use may be viewed through an acrylic window in the wall of the duct.

An upward flow of air may be generated in the duct with a variable speed fan mounted at the top of
rectangular duct.

Air velocity in the duct, whether natural or forced, is indicated on a portable anemometer held in a bracket
on the duct wall. The anemometer sensor is inserted through the wall of the duct.

Temperature sensors are provided for the measurement of the in-going and out-going air temperatures
together with surface temperatures of exchanger pins and fins. A digital readout indicates the temperature using
a thermistor probe connected to a flexible lead.

These temperatures are determined by inserting the probe through access holes in the duct wall.

A control panel incorporates a variable power regulator with a digital readout to control and indicate power
supplied to the exchanger on test. The exchanger is connected to the panel via the supply lead. A variable low
voltage D.C. supply is provided for the fan via the supply lead.

Power is supplied to the equipment via a supply lead connected to control panel.

2-1
2.1 Description and Assembly

3 4

1. Air Outlet 2. Air Duct

3. Finned Plate 4. Flat Plate
5. Control Panel 6. Pinned Plate

2.2 Experiment Capabilities

2.2.1 Demonstration of the relationship between input and surface temperature in free convection.
2.2.2 Demonstration of the relationship between input and surface temperature in forced convection.
2.2.3 Demonstration of the use of extended surfaces to improve heat transfer from the surface.
2.2.4 To determine the temperature distribution along an extended surface.
2.2.5 Comparison of a horizontal and vertical flat plate in free convection.

2-2
3 THEORY

3.1 Free Convection

A heated surface dissipates heat primarily through a process called convection. Heat is also dissipated
by conduction and radiation, however these effects are not considered in this experiment. Air in contact
with the hot surface is heated by the surface and rises due to a reduction in density. The heated air is
replaced by cooler air which is in turn heated by the surface and rises. This process is called free
convection.

The hotter the temperature of the surface, the greater the convective currents and more heat (power)
will be dissipated. If more power is supplied to a surface, the temperature of the surface must rise to
dissipate this power.

Figure 3.1.1 Typical graph of power against surface temperature

3.2 Forced Convection

In free convection the heat transfer rate from the surface is limited by the small movements of air
generated by this heat. More heat is transferred if the air velocity is increased over the heated surface. This
process of assisting the movement of air over the heated surface is called Forced Convection. Therefore a
heated surface experiencing forced convection will have a lower surface temperature than that of the same
surface in free convection, for the same power input.

Figure 3.2.1 Typical graph of air velocity against surface temperature

3-1
3.3 Extended Surface

Heat transfer from an object can be improved by increasing the surface area in contact with the air. In
practice it may be difficult to increase the size of the body to suit. In these circumstances the surface area
in contact with the air may be increased by adding fins or pins normal to the surface. These features are
called extended surfaces. A typical example is the use of fins on the cylinder and head of an air cooled
petrol engine. The effect of extended surfaces can be demonstrated by comparing finned and pinned
surfaces with a flat plate under the same conditions of power input and airflow.

Figure 3.3.1 Typical graph of air velocity against surface temperature

3.4 Temperature Distribution along an Extended Surface

For a heat exchanger to be 100% efficient, the whole of the extended surface must be at the same
temperature as the backplane. In practice, this cannot occur because the flow of heat along the pins or fins
by conduction causes a temperature gradient to occur. The greater this gradient, the less efficient the heat
exchanger will be.

The efficiency of the heat exchanger must not be confused with the effect of a change in surface area
e.g. comparing pinned and finned. For example, if the pinned and finned heat exchangers supplied with the
equipment are compared, the pin is more efficient than the fin (slightly smaller temperature gradient) but
the finned exchanger has a significantly larger surface area than the pinned exchanger and can dissipate
more heat for the same surface temperature.

3-2
 Figure 3.4.1 Graph of surface temperature against distance from back plate

3.5 Horizontal and Vertical Flat Plate in Free Convection

When a temperature difference is established between a wall and a stationary fluid, the fluid adjacent
to the wall will move upward if the wail temperature is higher than that of the fluid, and downward if
the wall temperature is lower. Density gradients are set up in the fluid resulting in buoyancy forces and
free convective currents. The rate of heat transfer depends mainly on the fluid motion. The orientation of
the plate affects this movement of air. A horizontal plate restricts the movement of air and reduces the heat
transfer. The same plate mounted vertically will give improved heat transfer.

3-3
4 EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES

4.1 General start-up procedures

4.1.1 Connect the mains input power supply plug to a nearest single-phase electrical supply of
240VAC/50Hz.
4.1.2 Turn the heater power control knob and fan speed control knob fully anti-clockwise.
4.1.3 Connect the fan supply lead to the socket at the side of the control panel.
4.1.4 Connect the temperature probe lead to the socket beneath the control panel.
4.1.5 Clamp the flat plate heat exchanger into the duct using the two toggle clamps and connect the heater
power supply lead to the socket on the cover.
4.1.6 Connect the plate temperature connector to the socket on the heat exchanger.
4.1.7 Place the meter into the bracket situated on the side of the duct. Then connect the cable to the
connection beneath the control panel.
4.1.8 Ensure that the sensor hole is aligned with the direction of the airflow when inserting the probe
through the wall of the duct.
4.1.9 Switch on the main power.
4.1.10 Check that the L.E.D. temperature meter and wattmeter are illuminated. Check that the temperature
meter indicates ambient temperature.
4.1.11 Increase the heater power in the exchanger by rotating the power control knob clockwise. The
power supplied to the exchanger should be shown in watts on the meter.
4.1.12 Switch on the fan and increase the speed by rotating the fan speed control knob clockwise.
4.1.13 Observe that the air velocity is indicated on the indicator.
4.1.14 Check that the plate temperature increases.
4.1.15 Set the heater power control and fan speed control knob to minimum.
4.1.16 Now you are ready for the following experiments.

4.2 General shut-down procedures

4.2.1 Switch off the heater and turn the power control knob fully anti-clockwise. Set the fan speed control
knob to maximum to cool down the hot plate heat exchanger.
4.2.2 Turn off the main power supply after plate heat exchanger has cooled down to room temperature.

4-1
5 EXPERIMENTS

5.1 Experiment 1:

5.1.1 Objective: To demonstrate the relationship between power input and surface temperature in free
convection.

5.1.2 Experimental Setup:

5.1.2.1 Remove the fan assembly from the top of the duct.
5.1.2.2 Place the finned heat exchanger into the test duct.
5.1.2.3 Record the ambient air temperature (tA).
5.1.2.4 Set the heater power control to 20 Watts (clockwise).
5.1.2.5 Allow sufficient time to achieve steady state conditions before noting the heated plate
temperature (tH) into the table below.
5.1.2.6 Repeat this procedure at 40, 60 and 80 Watts.
5.1.2.7 Plot a graph of power against temperature (tH-tA).

5.1.3 Results:
o
Ambient air temperature (tA) = ________ C

Input Power Plate Temp (tH) tH – tA

Watts C C
20
40
60
80

5-1
5.2 Experiment 2:

5.2.1 Objective: To demonstrate the relationship between power input and surface temperature in forced
convection.

5.2.2 Experimental Setup:

5.2.2.1 Place the fan assembly on to the top of the duct.

5.2.2.2 Place the finned heat exchanger into the duct.
5.2.2.3 Note the ambient air temperature (tA).
5.2.2.4 Set the heater power control to 50 Watts (clockwise). Allow sufficient time to achieve
steady state conditions before noting the heated plate temperature (tH).
5.2.2.5 Set the fan speed control to give a reading of 0.5m/s on the thermal anemometer, allow
sufficient time to achieve steady state conditions. Record heated plate temperature.
5.2.2.6 Repeat this procedure at 1.0m/s and 1.5m/s.
5.2.2.7 Plot a graph of air velocity against temperature. ( tH –tA)

5.2.3 Results:

Ambient air temperature (tA) = _______ C

Power input = 50 Watts
Air Velocity Plate Temp (tH) tH – tA
m/s C C
0
0.5
1.0
1.5

5-2
5.3 Experiment 3:

5.3.1 Objective: To demonstrate the use of extended surface to improve heat transfer from the surface.

5.3.2 Experimental Setup:

5.3.2.1 Place the fan assembly on to the top of the duct.

5.3.2.2 Place the flat plate heat exchanger into the duct.
5.3.2.3 Record the ambient air temperature (tA).
5.3.2.4 Set the heater power control to 75 Watts. Allow the temperature to rise to 80 0C, and then
adjust the heater power control to 15 Watts until a steady reading is obtained. Record
heated plate temperature (tH).
5.3.2.5 Set the fan speed control to give 1m/s using the thermal anemometer.
5.3.2.6 Repeat this procedure at 1.5 and 2.0m/s for the flat plate. Repeat the experiment by
replacing the flat plate with the finned plate and pinned plate.
5.3.2.7 Plot graphs of velocity against temperature (tH - tA) for each of the plates.

5.3.3 Results:

Ambient air temperature (tA) = _______0C

Input power = 15 Watts

Velocity Plate temperature (tH) tH - tA

m/s C C
0
1
2
2.5

Note: Comment on the correlation between total surface area of the heat exchanger and the
temperature achieved.

5.3.3.1 Further Experiments: Increase power input and repeat experiments

5-3
5.4 Experiment 4:

5.4.1 Objective: To determine the temperature distribution along an extend surface.

5.4.2 Experimental Setup:

5.4.2.1 Measure from the back plate the distance of the three access holes on the pinned and
finned heat exchangers.
5.4.2.2 Place the fan assembly on to the top of duct.
5.4.2.3 Place the pinned heat exchanger into the duct.
5.4.2.4 Note the ambient air temperature (tA).
5.4.2.5 Set the heater power control to 60 watts. Allow sufficient time to achieve steady state
conditions before noting the heated plate temperature (tH).
5.4.2.6 Insert the temperature probe into the duct through the hole nearest the heated plate
ensuring that the tip of the probe is in contact with the pin. A small amount of heat
conducting compound on the tip will ensure a good thermal contact. Note this
temperature (t1).
5.4.2.7 Record the pin temperatures (t2 and t3) using the remaining two holes. Repeat this
procedure at 1.0m/s and 2m/s.
5.4.2.8 Remove the pinned heat exchanger and replace with the finned heat exchanger. Repeat
complete experiment.
5.4.2.9 Plot graphs of surface temperature against distance from back plate for the two heat
exchangers at various air velocities.

5-4
5.4.3 Results:

Ambient air temperature (tA) = _____C

Power input = _____ Watts
Distance of nearest hole = _____ mm
Distance of middle hole = _____ mm
Distance of farthest hole = _____ mm

Air Velocity, Temperature,

m/s C
t1 t2 t3
Pinned Finned Pinned Finned Pinned Finned
0
1
2

5-5
5.5 Experiment 5:

5.5.1 Objective: Comparison of a horizontal and vertical flat plate in free convection.

5.5.2 Experimental Setup:

5.5.2.1 Remove the fan assembly from the top of the duct.
5.5.2.2 Place the flat plate exchanger horizontally onto a suitable surface.
5.5.2.3 Record the ambient air temperature (tA). Set the heater power control to 15 Watts.
5.5.2.4 The surface temperature of the flat plate (tP) can be recorded using the temperature probe,
the tip of the probe being held in contact with the surface by hand. To ensure good
contact the thermal compound should be used.
5.5.2.5 Allow sufficient time to achieve steady state conditions before noting the heated plate
temperature. The plate temperature should be taken at the centre of the plate.
5.5.2.6 Repeat the experiment by placing the flat plate vertically .Take care not to touch the
heated surface with your hands.

5.5.3 Results:

Ambient air temperature (tA) = _______C

Plate Temp (tP) tH – tA

C C
Horizontal
Vertical

Note: Comment on the effects of plate orientation on surface temperature.

5-6
 ADDENDUM 1
Experimental Data Sheets
Experiment 1:

Objective: To demonstrate the relationship between power input and surface temperature in free convection.

Results:
o
Ambient air temperature (tA) = ________ C

Input Power Plate Temp (tH) tH – tA

Watts C C
20
40
60
80

Experiment 2:

Objective: To demonstrate the relationship between power input and surface temperature in forced convection.

Results:

Ambient air temperature (tA) = _______ C

Power input = 50 Watts
Air Velocity Plate Temp (tH) tH – tA
m/s C C
0
0.5
1.0
1.5

Experiment 3:

Objective: To demonstrate the use of extended surface to improve heat transfer from the surface.

Results:

Ambient air temperature (tA) = _______0C

Input power = 15 Watts

Velocity Plate temperature (tH) tH - tA

m/s C C
0
1
2
2.5
Experiment 4:

Objective: To determine the temperature distribution along an extend surface.

Results:

Ambient air temperature (tA) = _____C

Power input = _____ Watts
Distance of nearest hole = _____ mm
Distance of middle hole = _____ mm
Distance of farthest hole = _____ mm

Air Velocity, Temperature,

m/s
C
t1 t2 t3
Pinned Finned Pinned Finned Pinned Finned
0
1
2

Experiment 5:

Objective: Comparison of a horizontal and vertical flat plate in free convection.

Results:

Ambient air temperature (tA) = _______C

Plate Temp (tP) tH – tA

C C
Horizontal
Vertical
 ADDENDUM 2
Typical Experimental Results
Experiment 1:

Objective: To demonstrate the relationship between power input and surface temperature in free convection.

Results:

Ambient air temperature (tA) = 29.1 oC

Input Power Finned Plate tH – tA

Watts Temp (tH) C
C
20 59.5 30.4
40 69.7 40.6
60 84.3 55.2
80 97.9 68.8
Experiment 2:

Objective: To demonstrate the relationship between power input and surface temperature in forced convection.

Results:

Ambient air temperature (tA) = 29.8C

Power input = 50 Watts
Air Velocity Finned Plate tH – tA
m/s Temp (tH) C
C
0 79.4 49.6
0.5 69.2 39.4
1.0 58.8 29
1.5 50.8 21
Experiment 3:

Objective: To demonstrate the use of extended surface to improve heat transfer from the surface.

Results:

Ambient air temperature (tA) = 29.50C

Input power = 15 Watts

Plate Temp (tH), tH-tA,

Air Velocity, m/s ºC ºC
Pinned Finned Flat Pinned Finned Flat
0 57.5 49.3 82.1 28.0 19.8 52.6
1.0 47.1 40.2 76.5 17.6 11.1 47.0
2.0 41.1 37.1 73.0 11.6 7.2 43.5
2.5 39.6 35.2 70.9 10.1 5.7 41.4
Experiment 4:

Objective: To determine the temperature distribution along an extend surface.

Results:

Pinned Heat Exchanger

Ambient air temperature (tA) = 29.5C
Input power = 60 watts
Distance of nearest hole, 1 = 6.0 mm
Distance of middle hole, 2 = 33.0mm
Distance of furthest hole, 3 = 59.0 mm

Finned Heat Exchanger

Ambient air temperature (tA) = 29.5C
Input power = 60 watts
Distance of nearest hole, 1 = 6.0 mm
Distance of middle hole, 2 = 33.0mm
Distance of furthest hole, 3 = 58.0 mm

Air Velocity, Temperature,

m/s
C
t1 t2 t3
Pinned Finned Pinned Finned Pinned Finned
0 85.9 54.2 78.6 50.9 76.3 50.3
1 35.5 27.2 29.1 24.3 26.7 23.2
2 26.6 21.1 20.4 18.4 18.3 15.6
Experiment 5:

Objective: Comparison of a horizontal and vertical flat plate in free convection.

Results:

Ambient air temperature (tA) = _______C

Plate Temp (tP) tH – tA

C C
Horizontal 87.4 56.9
Vertical 82.1 51.6