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Lab 2

The document describes an experiment investigating the effects of convection heat transfer on flat and finned plates under varying air speeds. The experiment measured temperature changes across the plates at different fan speeds. Results showed finned plates and higher airflow maintained lower temperatures, demonstrating fins enhance heat dissipation and forced convection transfers heat more effectively than natural convection.

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mharisali379
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8 views

Lab 2

The document describes an experiment investigating the effects of convection heat transfer on flat and finned plates under varying air speeds. The experiment measured temperature changes across the plates at different fan speeds. Results showed finned plates and higher airflow maintained lower temperatures, demonstrating fins enhance heat dissipation and forced convection transfers heat more effectively than natural convection.

Uploaded by

mharisali379
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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HVAC Lab

Lab Report 02

Convection Heat Transfer

6th SEMESTER

Submitted to: Engr. Zeeshan Ahsan


Section: C
SUBMITTED BY
Name CMS

Hafiz M Haris Ali 394480

School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering


Objectives:
 To investigate the correlation between the temperature at the base of both flat and finned
plates across varying air speeds.
 To examine how alterations in the surface area of the plates influence temperature
changes.

Introduction:
Convection heat transfer, driven by density variations, is fundamental in natural and industrial
processes, including weather patterns, cooking, and electronics cooling. It involves thermal
energy transfer between a surface and a moving fluid. Two main types exist:
1. Natural Convection: Driven by buoyancy forces due to temperature gradients within the
fluid, creating a circulation pattern.
2. Forced Convection: Involves fluid motion by external means like fans or pumps,
significantly enhancing heat transfer rates.
Factors affecting convection heat transfer include temperature difference, fluid properties,
velocity, and system geometry. Understanding it is crucial for efficient heat exchange system
design and thermal management optimization.

Apparatus:

Figure 1: Free and Forced Convection Heat Exchanger

Procedure:
1. Place the heat exchanger inside the flat plate test duct.
2. Start the fan located above the heat exchanger.
3. Set the heater power control to the desired level using the knob.
4. Begin with the fan at maximum speed to help the system stabilize quickly.
5. Gradually reduce the fan speed to its lowest setting to observe natural convection when
the fan is not running.
6. Record the temperatures of the heater base plate (T5) and the surrounding air (T4).
7. Repeat these steps for different fan speeds (forced convection), ensuring at least three
readings each time.
8. Replace the flat plate heat exchanger with a finned plate and repeat all previous steps
while noting the temperatures.
9. When finished, turn off the heater supply before switching off the main power source.
NOTE:
- Allow sufficient time for the system to reach steady state conditions after each adjustment.
- Always turn off the heater supply before shutting down the main power switch after completing
the experiment.

Observations & Calculations:


Flat Plate (No Fins):

Heater Power Wind speed


(V)
𝑇4(𝑇𝐴) 𝑇5(𝑇𝐻) 𝑇𝐻 − 𝑇𝐴
(W)
9 0.1 18.2 38.8 20.6
10 1.1 18.2 33.6 15.4
9 2.5 18.2 28.9 10.7

Finned Plate:
Heater
Wind speed
Power (V)
T1 T2 𝑇4(𝑇𝐴) 𝑇5(𝑇𝐻) 𝑇𝐻 − 𝑇𝐴
(W)
9 0 34.2 34.1 18.3 37 18.7
10 1 21.3 21.3 18.3 24.7 6.4
9 2.1 19.1 19.4 18.3 22.3 4

Graph:
Temp Diff vs Wind velocity
25

20

15
𝑇𝐻 − 𝑇𝐴

10

0
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3
velocity of air (m/s)

Unfinned Finned

Discussion:
During the experiment, convection heat exchanger was used to assess convection heat transfer
with and without air speed influence. Two base plates were employed to examine the impact of
surface area on temperature change. Results indicated that as fan speed increased, base plate
temperatures decreased as expected. Forced convection consistently performed better than free
convection, with finned surfaces maintaining lower temperatures due to increased surface area.
Flat surfaces exhibited higher temperature changes than finned surfaces under the same airflow.
This suggests fins enhance heat dissipation effectively. Forced convection exhibited greater heat
transfer than free convection due to its higher heat transfer coefficient, validating theoretical
predictions and highlighting the effectiveness of forced convection, especially when augmented
with fins, in optimizing heat dissipation.

Conclusion:
In conclusion, this experiment demonstrates that as surface area increases, heat transfer rate also
increases. Additionally, forced convection consistently outperforms free convection across all
speeds, with finned surfaces maintaining lower temperatures due to their larger surface area.
These findings underscore the significance of surface area in optimizing heat dissipation and
highlight the effectiveness of forced convection mechanisms, particularly when enhanced with
fins, in various heat transfer applications.

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