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HEAT TRANSFER ANALYSIS OF PIN FIN ARRAY

Conference Paper March 2014
DOI: 10.13140/2.1.1532.1285

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Proceedings of the
International Conference on Mechanical Engineering and Renewable Energy 2013
(ICMERE2013) 24- 27 December 2013, Chittagong, Bangladesh

ICMERE2013-PI-251

HEAT TRANSFER ANALYSIS OF PIN FIN ARRAY

Md. Shamim Hossain, J. U. Ahamed, Farzana Akter, Debdatta Das, Santoshi Saha
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology, Chittagong-4349, Bangladesh
E-mail Address of the authors: mdshamim5525@gmail.com, jamal293@yahoo.com*, farzana67013@gmail.com,
debdattacuet@gmail.com. saha_santoshi2008@yahoo.com.
Abstract- This paper emphasizes on the performance of pin fin based on the heat transfer analysis
and it also describes the fabrication of pin fin array. For the fabrication of pin fin arrangement,
aluminum metal was used as fin material and base plate was also aluminum. In this case seven
fins were used. The fins of diameter 8.2 mm and length 70 mm were arranged in-line manner. The
experiments were conducted for various mass flow rate of air. In the experimental investigation,
the heat transfer coefficient for free convection h=31.6, 35.39, 38
and for force
convection h=54.14, 58.85, 64.78
were investigated. The fin efficiency for pin fin shapes
for free convection =52.87, 60.16, 55.88% and for force convection = 23.6, 20.84, 16.17% were
also investigated. Pin fin become helpful to enhance heat transfer within a suitable performance.
It was also cause to increase pumping power.
Keywords: Pin fin, Free convection, Force convection, Convective heat transfer coefficient, Fin
performance, Fin efficiency.
1. INTRUDUCTION
Heat transfer by convection between a surface
and the surrounding fluid can be increased by
attaching an extended thin strip of metal called fin.
When heat transfer takes place by convection from
both interior and exterior surfaces of a plate,
generally fins are used on the surface where the heat
transfer coefficient is low. The selection of fin
depends on different parameters like geometrical
shape, fin spacing, fin height, base thickness, kind of
material, surface finish etc. There have been many
investigations restricted on the heat transfer and
pressure drop in channels with pin-fins of circular
cross-section [1-7]. Sparrow et al. [1] were among
the first to investigate the heat transfer performance
of inline and staggered wall attached arrays of
cylindrical fins. Metzger et al. [3] investigated the
heat transfer characteristics of staggered arrays of
cylindrical pin-fins. Simoneau and Vanfossen [4] also
studied the heat transfer from a staggered array of
cylindrical pin- fins. A review of staggered array pinfin heat transfer for turbine cooling applications was
presented by Armstrong and Winstanley [5]. The end
wall heat transfer in the presence of inline and
staggered adiabatic circular pin-fins were studied by
Matsumoto et al. [6]The pin height-to-diameter ratios
of typical heat sink used for such applications are
between 1/2 and 4 [7]. Damerow et al. [8] measured
pressure drops in channels with arrays of pin fins

having H/D from 2 to 4 with various pin spacing

geometries and found no H/D effect on the friction
factor. A similar trend has been reported by Metzger
et al. [9], who also obtained friction factors data,
which agreed well with the long tube correlations
proposed by Jacob [10]. Armstrong and Winstan-ley
[11] compared the experimental data obtained by
Peng [12], Metzger et al. [9], Damerow et al. [8], and
Jacob [10]. The correlation proposed by Metzger et
al. [9] provided the best fit for the data (within
15%), while Damerows [8] correlation did not
match the experimental results. Although Jacobs
[10] correlation was originally developed for long
fins, it predicted the experimental data fairly well. An
interesting result that might explain the similar
pressure drop trends for long and intermediate size
tubes was obtained by Sparrow et al. [13]. Heat
transfer and pressure drop of flow across tube
bundles/pin fins have been a subject of extensive
research over the last century [14]. The Nusselt
number and friction factor correlations obtained
primarily through experimental studies have been
developed for circular [1519], rectangular [20, 21],
oval [22], elliptical [23], diamond [24], hexagonal
[25], and lenticular [26] configurations, among
others. Dimensional analysis suggests that the
convective heat transfer across long cylinders in cross
flows varies with the Reynolds and Prandtl numbers.
Flows over intermediate size pin fin banks have been
1

commonly used in turbine cooling systems to

increase the internal heat transfer characteristics. The
pin height-to-diameter, H/d, ratios of typical heat
sinks used for such applications were between 1/2and
4 [27]. Mizanur Rahman (2007), BSc. Thesis paper,
Chittagong University of Engineering and
Technology (CUET) analyzed parabolic shape of fin
[28]. Sanaullah Mohammad Yusuf (2007), BSc.
Thesis paper, Chittagong University of Engineering
and Technology (CUET) showed rectangular shape
of fin more efficient than parabolic shape [29]. The
pin-fins with various cross-sections have different
heat transfer and flow resistance characteristics, and
that circular pin-fins are often used for applications
because of their relative simplicity in fabrication.
Therefore, it is essential to investigate various pin-fin
geometries with different cross-sections in order to
enhance the heat transfer and decrease the flow
resistance. It is the aim of this study to investigate the
heat transfer and performance characteristics for the
pin-fin arrays attached on a flat surface in a
rectangular box in case of free and force convection.
2. EXPERIMENTAL METHOD
Here pin fin is selected for heat transfer
enhancement. Following parameters were selected:
Determination of the size of fin, selection of fin
material, Design fin with respect to my project job,
Collection of the raw material, Construction of fin
array as required size and shapes, Construction of a
fin box as equal to the box of heat laboratory and fin
shown in Table 1 and Fig. 1. Then experimental set
up was performed with a heater and a thermocouple
in the box. And finally we have taken the
experimental data by doing experiment in several
times and calculate the efficiencies from the data.
2.1. Experimental procedure
a) Sufficient time was allowed to reach steady
state operation before noting the heated wall
temperature (tH).
b) The air temperature and the temperature at
each of three points along the fin (tF) were
noted.
c) For the force convection switch on the fan
and select a low speed whilst maintaining
the input power constant.
d) After allowing sufficient time to reach
steady state operation the reading rate are
taken with the air velocity (UA).
e) Data should be repeated for a range of
increasing fan speed.

measuring voltage. T-type thermocouple was used to

measure the temperature. Heater was used for heating
purpose. Asbestos and heat insulating cloth were
selected for heat insulating purposes. Multi-meter
was used for current measuring through the heater.
Fan was used for supply air and Anemometer was
used for measuring this supply air velocity. Selection
of G.I sheet for fin box and screws due to attach fin
into the fin plate.
3. GOVERNING EQUATION
The rate of convection heat transfer from the
extended surface
(
)
(
)
(1)
Where,
h = convection heat transfer coefficient (assumed
constant)
AH = area of heated wall only
AF = summed area of all fins
tFAv= average temperature along the length of fins
which may be approximated as mean temperature of
three temperature measured along length.
The fin efficiency is the ratio of the actual heat
transfer from the surface to heat which would be
transferred if the entire area were at base temperature.
Where

(2)
Table 1: Specifications of the pin fin

Type
Box length
Box width
Box height
Plate length
Plate width
Plate thickness
Fin length
Fin diameter

Dimension (mm)
172
123
54
165
118
6
70
8.20

2.2. Materials selection

At first aluminum metal were selected for fin array &
plate box. Then a voltage regulator was used for
2

Figure 3: Assemble of fin for force convection.

Figure 1: Pin fin array

4. EXPERIMENTAL SETUP
In case of free convection ( shown in Fig. 2)
supply power first passes to the voltage regulator
where we get supply voltage. The power supply then
passes to the multi-meter . In this case we use multimeter for the measurement of supply current. Finally
it passes to the heater and the heater become heated.
The heated wall tempereture were measured by
thermocouple monitor and it was also used to
measure the fin tempereture. From this data we
calculated the fin efficiency. But during foece
convection (shown in Fig. 3) an air duct were used to
supply the flowing air to the fin and a fan were used
to supply this air. The velocity of supply air were
measured by anemometer. Fin efficiency for force
convection is lower than that of free convection
shown in Table 2.

Table 2: Heat transfer coefficient and fin efficiency.

Test
no

Free convection
h

31.61
35.39
38

1
2
3

%
52.87
60.16
63

Force convection
h

54.14
58.85
64.78

%
23.6
20.84
16.17

5. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

From Fig. 4: it is observed that the heat transfer is
increase rapidly with the fan speed. With the increase
of fan speed the heat transfer coefficient is increase.
It is also observed that efficiency of fin will decrease
if velocity of fan is increase because increase in fan
velocity occurs less time of contact between fin and
air. As a result decrease actual heat transfer from fin
and consequently decrease fin efficiency in case of
force convection.

Efficiency (%) and Heat

transfer coefficient
(W/mC)

70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0

Efficiency
Heat transfer coefficient

1.7

1.8
1.9
2
Velocity of fan (m/s)

2.1

Figure 2: Assemble of fin for free convection.

Figure 4: Variation of efficiency & heat transfer
coefficient with velocity of fan. (Force convection)

From Fig. 5: it is observed that the efficiency of fin

decrease with the increase of heat transfer coefficient
for forced convection. It is also observed that
efficiency will increase if the heat transfer coefficient
will increase for free convection.

Efficiency (%)

72
62

free convection

52

forced convection

arrays of short pin-fins.ASME J Heat Transfer 1982;

104:700-6.
[4] Simoneau RJ, Vanfossen GJ. Effect of location in
an array on heat transfer to a short cylinder in
crossflow.ASME J Heat Transfer 1984; 106:42-8.
[5] Armstrong J, Winstanley D. A review of
staggered array pin-fin heat transfer for turbine
cooling applications.ASME J Turbomach 1988;
110:94-103.
[6] Matsumoto R, Kikkawa S, Senda M. Effect of
pin-fin arrangement on end wall heat transfer. JSME
Int J 1997; 40(Series B):142-51.

42
32
22
12
25

35

45

55

65

Heat transfer coefficient (W/mC)

Figure 5: Variation of fin efficiency with heat

transfer coefficient
6. CONCLUSIONS
Fin is used in many type of application for heat
transfer from the surface. We examine heat transfer
in a fin as a way of some criteria design. Design of
fin may be easy but it fabrication is not easy. In my
project I design and constructed of pin fin array. I
have to design the component by trail and error as
there is no other way. During experiment I used a
cylindrical heater, so uniform heat transfer may not
occur through the base of fin. Fin surface were
rebated to the base plate, some air resistance may be
present due to poor rebating. In my project I assumed
the heat loss is negligible but some heat loss during
experiment. Overcoming all such problem, some
error were still remains. But I was trying to best to
complete my project.
7. REFERENCES
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with
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