Fin Lab Report
Keegan Cadiz
EML 4142 – 001 – Heat Transfer
Dr. Homayoon Abtahi
4/9/24
Contents
1
Introduction.................................................................................................................................................3
Experimental Setup and Results..................................................................................................................5
Data Analysis...............................................................................................................................................6
Conclusion...................................................................................................................................................9
APPENDIX..................................................................................................................................................12
2
Introduction
This report follows the experimental process of obtaining the heat transfer coefficient of a long
metal fin. A fin is a strip of material connected only on one side to a base of some sort as pictured
below.
Figure 1: Two straight fins with uniform cross sections. (a) Rectangular. (b) Cylindrical.
The temperature at the end of the fin will vary depending on the length of the fin, air speed,
surrounding fluid properties, diameter of the fin, thermal conductivity, and temperature of the base. If
some of these properties are known, the rest can be calculated using certain boundary conditions.
3
Figure 2: Temperature Distribution and Heat Transfer Rate Boundary Conditions for Fins of Uniform Cross Section.
The experiment contained in this report uses a long cylindrical steel rod, balanced upon a
heating pad. Since the cold end of the rod is the same temperature of the air, the Infinite Fin equations
apply. The Infinite Fin boundary condition equations assume the total length of the fin is infinite, and
therefore at a certain distance x, the fin temperature will be equivalent to the ambient air temperature.
This gives us the equations:
θ −mx
=e
θb
And:
q f =M =√ h x Pk A c θb
Where q f is the rate of heat transfer, θ=T −T ∞ is the temperature difference between the ambient
temperature and the temperature at a point, θb =T b−T ∞ is the temperature difference between the
4
ambient temperature and the base temperature, x is the distance from the base, and m=
√ hx P
k Ac
where
h x is the heat transfer coefficient at distance x, P is the perimeter, k is the thermal conductivity of the
fin, and Ac is the cross sectional area.
These two boundary equations, along with the equations for θ and m will be used in this report
to solve for many other important variables like air velocity, Renolds number, and the Nusselt number.
Experimental Setup and Results
The experiment used a 3-foot-long steel rod, balanced on a heating pad that can get up to
500℃. First, the ‘base’ of the rod was marked with an expo marker, and two more points were marked
at 5cm and 25cm from the base. The diameter of the rod was measured at 5/8ths of an inch, or
0.015875 meters. A thermocouple was taped to both the 5cm and 25cm markings, and then the rod was
placed on the heating pad with the base marking on the front edge of the heating pad.
The next part of the experiment was to wait for around 20-30 minutes until the rod entered a
steady state and its temperature stopped rising. During this time, we searched the internet to find some
important constant values for our calculations. For this experiment the following assumptions were
made:
W
k steel =45
m∗K
W
k air =0.0257
m∗K
2
−6 m
ν=15.7∗10
s
Pr=0.7
5
Where k is the thermal conductivity of the steel rod, ν is the kinematic viscosity of the air at 27℃, and
Pr is the Prandtl number of air.
Once the thermocouples settled at a constant value, the temperature from both thermocouples
was recorded and doubled checked for accuracy using an infrared thermometer. The 5cm distance
marking settled at 116℃, and the 25cm marking read 55℃. The infrared thermometer was then used
to measure the temperature of the base of the rod, and the surrounding environment. The outside
temperature was doubled checked for accuracy using the weather app on an iPhone. Ambient
temperature was around 27℃, and the base temperature was 425℃.
Data Analysis
This experiment assumes the infinite fin boundary condition since the cold end of the rod was
equal to the ambient temperature. Equations (1) and (2) from Case 2 of Figure 2 apply. The following
analysis provides two values for most calculated variables: one using x=.05 m and one using x=.25 m ,
this is notated by the subscript 5 for 5cm, and 25 for 25cm. The measured data to be used in this
analysis is:
T 5=116 ℃
T 25=55 ℃
T ∞=27 ℃
T b=425℃
5
D= ∈¿ 0.015875 m
8
L=3 ft=0.9144 m
6
And the universal constants are:
W
k steel =45
m∗K
W
k air =0.0257
m∗K
Pr=0.7
2
−6 m
ν=15.7∗10
s
Now for some basic calculations:
π D π ( .0159 )
2
−4 2
Ac = = =1.98∗10 m
4 4
P=πD=π ( .0159 ) =0.0499 m
θ5 =T 5−T ∞ =116℃−27 ℃=89 ℃
θ25=T 25−T ∞=55 ℃−27 ℃=28 ℃
θb =T b−T ∞=425℃−27 ℃=398 ℃
Now rearranging equation (1) we get:
m=
−ln
( θθ )
b
m 5=
−ln ( 398
89
) =29.9563
.05
7
m 2 5=
−ln ( )
28
398
=10.617
. 25
Then h x can be found using the equation:
2
2 hx P m k steel A c
m= ∴ hx=
k steel Ac P
( 29.9563 )2 ( 45 ) ( 1.98∗10−4 ) W
h5 = =160.2666 2
(0.0499) m ∗K
( 10.617 )2 ( 45 ) ( 1.98∗10−4 ) W
h2 5 = =20.1312 2
( 0.0499) m ∗K
The equation for Nusselt number can be calculated using:
hx x
N u x=
k air
( 160.2666 ) ( 0.05 )
N u5 = =311.8027
0.0257
( 20.1312 )( 0. 2 5 )
N u2 5 = =195.8285
0.0257
Where:
N u5+ N u 25
Nu= =253.8156
2
Now the Dittus-Boelter equation can be used for high-speed laminar flow over a cylinder:
0.805 1 /3
Nu=0.027 R e Pr
Rearranging for Re:
8
( ) ( )
1/ 0.8 1/ 0.8
Nu 253.8156 4
ℜ= 1
= 1
=9.994∗10
3 3
0.027 Pr 0.027(0.7)
And now finally, the Reynolds number equation:
VL
ℜ=
ν
Solving for velocity:
−6 4
νRe (15.7∗10 )(9.994∗10 ) m
V= = =1.7
L 0.9144 s
The overall heat transfer of the fin can be solved using equation (2):
q f =M =√ h5 P k steel A c θ b=√ (160.2666)(0.05)(45)(1.98∗10−4 )(398)=5.323 W
Conclusion
In this experiment, the heat transfer coefficient and air velocity for a long cylindrical steel fin
was determined under the assumption of the Infinite Fin boundary condition. The approach used
involved recording temperatures at two points along the fin and utilizing these measurements to
calculate useful variables such as the Nusselt number and Reynolds number. The alignment of the
experimental outcomes with firsthand observations during the experiment reinforces the accuracy of
widely accepted heat transfer equations in describing thermal equilibrium.
The results of the experiment shed light on some interesting aspects of heat transfer
phenomena in fins. Most notably, the heat transfer calculation of the Infinite Fin model suggests that
the model could be applicable in scenarios where natural cooling is needed. The heat transfer of the fin
is greater than if it was simply a flat surface. I image copper ‘hairs’ being used in strong winds to quickly
cool a specimen to room temperature.
9
For future experiments, an improved design could incorporate more thermocouples or a
thermal imaging camera to collect more datapoints along the fin’s surface. The experiment conducted in
this report only yielded 3 or 4 data points that could be used in a temperature vs distance graph, as
shown below.
Figure 3: Temperature vs Distance Graph of the Fin
The graph in figure 3 was plotted in MATLAB using the “polyfit” and “polyval” built in functions,
but the program failed to create an accurate representation of the heat transfer phenomenon because
it lacked much needed calibration data. Incorporating the suggested modifications would allow for the
10
creation of a more accurate graph, and therefore, a more comprehensive understanding of the heat
transfer process. The total
In conclusion, while the experiment provided valuable insights into the heat transfer
characteristics of a uniform cross-section fin under Infinite Fin boundary conditions, there is significant
room for adjustment and expansion of the experimental design. By addressing the identified limitations
and incorporating the suggested improvements, future experiments can yield a deeper understanding of
thermal dynamics.
11
APPENDIX
12
%% Measured
x5 = .05;
x25 = .25;
T5 = 116;
T25 = 55;
Tinf = 27;
Tb = 425;
D = .015875;
L = 0.9144;
%% Constants (googled)
k_steel = 45;
k_air = 0.0257;
Pr = 0.7;
v = 15.7*1e-6;
%% Basics
A = pi*D^2/4;
P = pi*D;
theta5 = T5-Tinf;
theta25 = T25-Tinf;
thetab = Tb - Tinf;
%% Calculations
m5 = (log(theta5/thetab))/(-x5);
m25 = (log(theta25/thetab))/(-x25);
h5 = m5^2*k_steel*A/P;
h25 = m25^2*k_steel*A/P;
Nu5 = h5*x5/k_air;
Nu25 = h25*x25/k_air;
Nu_Ave = (Nu5+Nu25)/2;
Re = (Nu_Ave/(.027*Pr^(1/3)))^(1/0.805);
V = Re*v/L;
qf = sqrt(h5*P*k_steel*A*thetab);
%% Graph
x = [0,x5*100,x25*200,L*100];
t = [Tb,T5,T25,0];
X = linspace(0,L*100,100);
poly_coeff = polyfit(x,t,2);
T = polyval(poly_coeff,X);
figure;
scatter(x,t,'r');
hold on
plot(X,T,'b');
title('Temperature of the Fin as a Function of Distance')
xlabel('Distance (cm)')
ylabel('Temperature (\circC)')
13
