MENG 412 Thermal Science Laboratory

Expt. 6: Extended Surface Heat Transfer

Table of Contents

Table of Contents 2

Abstract 3

Introduction 3

Experimental Procedure 5

Results and Discussion 5

Conclusion and Recommendations 12

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Abstract

The objectives of this experiment were to measure the temperature distribution along an

extended surface, in this case, a cylindrical metal rod, to compare the results with theoretical

analysis, to calculate the heat transfer from the extended surface resulting from the combined

modes of free convection and radiation heat transfer, to compare the results with theoretical

analysis, and to determine the thermal conductivity of the rod material.

Introduction

When it is required to cool a surface by convection, the rate of heat removal can be

improved by increasing the area of the surface. This is usually achieved by adding extended

surfaces called fins or pins.

The Extended Surface Heat Transfer Unit comprises a long cylindrical rod that is heated

at one end to provide an extended surface for heat transfer measurements. Thermocouples at

regular intervals along the rod allow the surface temperature profile to be measured. By making

the diameter of the rod small in relation to its length, thermal conduction along the rod can be

assumed to be one-dimensional and heat loss from the tip can be ignored. The measurements

obtained can be compared with a theoretical analysis along the bar combined with heat loss to

the surroundings by the modes of free convection and radiation simultaneously

A schematic of the Extended Surface Heat Transfer Unit (HT15) is shown in Figure 1.

The rod is manufactured from a solid cylindrical brass bar with a constant diameter of 10 mm

and is mounted horizontally with a support at the heated end and a steady at the tip. The rod is

coated with a heat resistant matt black paint, which provides a consistent emissivity close to

unity. The rod is heated by a cartridge type electric heating element and is protected by a

thermostat to prevent damage from overheating. The power supplied to heat the rod is provided
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by the Heat Transfer Service Unit HT10X. There are nine K-type thermocouples (T1 to T9)

mounted on the unit. Thermocouples T1 to T8 are attached to the surface of the rod at equal

intervals of 50 mm giving an overall instrumented length of 350 mm. Thermocouple T1

measures the temperature at the hot end and thermocouple T8 measures the temperature at the

tip. Thermocouple T9 is mounted adjacent to the heated rod to measure the ambient air

temperature. The thermocouples are connected to the service unit HT10X to obtain the

temperature measurements.

The temperature distribution along the rod must be known to determine the heat transfer

from the surface to the surroundings. A temperature gradient exists along the rod or pin due to

the combination of the conductivity of the material and heat loss to the surroundings (greater at

the root and less at the tip). Since radiation and natural convection from the surface occur

simultaneously, both these effects must be included in the analysis.

On the subject of temperature distribution, considering the steady-state energy balance

for an extended surface of uniform material and cross-sectional area the following equation can

be derived:

d ❑2 θ( x )
2
−m❑2 θ(x)=0
dx ❑

where (x) = Tx - Ta and m2 = (h P)/(Ac k) where, Tx = temperature at any given x location, Ta =

ambient temperature, h = overall heat transfer coefficient, P = perimeter of the rod cross-section,

Ac = area of cross-section of the rod, and k = thermal conductivity of the rod material.

Assuming that the diameter of the rod is small in comparison with its length, the heat loss

at the tip can be assumed to be negligible, i.e. d(x)/dx = 0 at x = L. Then, solving the differential

equation, the temperature distribution along the rod can be shown to be given by:
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θ(x) T ❑ x −T ❑a cos h m( L−x )

= =
θ ❑0 T ❑1 −T ❑a cos h m L

where the boundary condition Tx = T1 at x = 0 has been used.

For the overall Heat Transfer Coefficient, the total heat loss, Qtotal, from the rod can be

calculated from:

Qtotal = h A ( Tav - Ta )

Where h = overall heat transfer coefficient, Tav = average surface temperature of the rod , Ta =

ambient temperature, A = D L = total surface area of the rod (extended surface), and

where, D = diameter of rod, and L = length of rod.

The overall heat transfer coefficient, h, is the combined coefficient due to natural

convection and radiation, i.e. h = hc + hr. The average convective heat transfer coefficient, hc,

can be calculated from the empirical relationship:

T ❑s −T ❑a 0.25
h❑c =1.32[ ]❑
D

The average radiative heat transfer coefficient, hr, can be calculated from the relationship:

T ❑4s −T ❑4a
h❑r =σεF [ ]
T ❑s−T ❑a

Where σ = Stefan-Boltzman constant = 5.67 x 10-8 W/(m2K4), ε= emissivity of surface = 0.95, an

F = view factor = 1, Ts = surface temperature, K

The thermal conductivity of the rod material can be calculated from the parameter m2,

described above, as:

k = h P/(m2Ac)

The value of m can be obtained (by iteration) from:

T ❑ x −T ❑a cos h[m(L−x )]
=
T ❑1−T ❑a cos h (m L)
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using the measured values of Tx, T1, Ta, L, and x. For the HT15 system, L = 350 mm and D =

10 mm, and the distance between each thermocouple is 50 mm.

Experimental Procedure

First, place the HT15 Extended Surface Heat Transfer accessory next to the HT10X

Service Unit. Since the heat transfer from the extended surface relies on natural convection and

radiation to the surroundings, the accessory must be located away from draughts or sources of

radiation. Next, connect the nine thermocouples on the HT15 to the appropriate sockets on the

front of the HT10X service unit, ensuring that the labels on the thermocouples leads (T1-T9)

match the labels on sockets. Connect the series port to the computer via data acquisition box, and

set the VOLTAGE CONTROL potentiometer on the HT10X unit to minimum and the selector

to REMOTE. After, connect the unit to a power outlet, and switch on the circuit breakers and the

Mains on the service unit.

Open the HT 15 software and choose exercise A, setting the heater voltage to 8 volts by

adjusting the VOLTAGE CONTROL window shown in the program. Then, monitor the

temperature, T1, using the computer display while allowing the temperature of the rod to

stabilize. Record T1 and make sure it does not exceed 100C. Adjust the voltage accordingly,

record it along with the current supplied to the heater. Record the temperatures T1 to T9. The data

can also be saved in a file by clicking ‘save as’ in the file menu. After setting the heater voltage

to another value, and repeat these steps for several different voltage readings. After the

experiment is done, set the VOLTAGE CONTROL potentiometer to minimum. Finally, turn off

the power, allowing the HT15 to cool

Results and Discussion

Distance Amb.
(mm) 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 Temp(Ta)
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Tempera
ture
(°C) T1 T2 T3 T4 T5 T6 T7 T8 T9
Heater
Voltage,
V = 12
Volts

Heater
Current,
I = 0.42
Amps 49.4 38.4 31.3 27 24.2 22.4 21.7 21.3 19.4
Heater
Voltage,
V =14
Volts

Heater
Current,
I=
0.49Am
ps 71.4 54.8 43.8 36.6 31.8 28.6 27.1 26.8 19.7
Heater
Voltage,
V=
16Volts

Heater
Current,
I=
0.57Am
ps 85.1 63.9 49.8 40.6 34.9 30.9 29 28.4 19.7
Heater 100.7 74.3 56.7 45.3 38.1 33.3 30.9 30.2 19.7
Voltage,
V = 18
Volts

Heater
Current,
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I = 0.63
Amps
1. Plot T vs x for each case.
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2. Calculate the theoretical temperature distribution along the rod for a given T1.

θ(x) T ❑ x −T ❑a cos h [m( L−x)]

= =
θ ❑0 T ❑1 −T ❑a cos h(m L)

49.4−19.4 30
At T1 of Run 1, temperature distribution = = =1
49.4−19.4 30

T1 T2 T3 T4 T5 T6 T7 T8 T9
Run 1 1 0.6333 0.3967 0.2533 0.1600 0.1000 0.0767 0.0633 0
Run 2 1 0.6789 0.4662 0.3269 0.2340 0.1721 0.1431 0.1373 0
Run 3 1 0.6758 0.4602 0.3196 0.2324 0.1713 0.1422 0.1330 0
Run 4 1 0.6741 0.4568 0.3160 0.2272 0.1679 0.1383 0.1296 0

3. Calculate the actual hr and the empirical hc for each run. Compare the results.

T ❑4s −T ❑4a 322.4❑4❑−292.4 ❑❑4

h❑r ( 1)=σεF [ ]=(5.67 x 10❑−8 W /( m❑2 K ❑4))(0.95)(1)[ ]=6.273
T ❑s −T ❑a 322.4−292.4

T ❑s−T ❑a 0.25 322.4−292.4 K 0.25

h❑c (1)=1.32[ ]❑ =1.32[ ]❑ =9.769
D 0.01 m

There’s approximately a 43.59% difference

hr 1 6.2735 hc 1 9.7691 43.5786%

hr 2 7.0105 hc 2 11.1930 45.9525%
hr 3 7.4986 hc 3 11.8705 45.1423%
hr 4 8.0882 hc 4 12.5226 43.0302%
4. Find the average value of m using the experimental temperature values for each heater

voltage setting.

(Tx-Ta)/(T1-Ta) = cosh [m (L-x)]/cosh (m L) = cosh [mL (1-x/L)]/cosh (m L)

cosh [mL (1-x/L)]; x=L; cosh [mL (1-L/L)] = cosh(0) = 1

(Tx-Ta)/(T1-Ta) = 1/cosh (m L); cosh (m L) = (T1-Ta)/(Tx-Ta); m L = cosh-1[(T1-Ta)/(Tx-Ta)]

M(R1,T1) = cosh-1[(T1-Ta)/(Tx-Ta)]/L = cosh-1[(49.4-19.4)/(49.4-19.4)]/.35 = 0

Average
T1 T2 T3 T4 T5 T6 T7 T8 m-1
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run 1 0 2.9426 4.5026 5.8564 7.1979 8.5521 9.3142 9.8614 6.0284

run 2 0 2.6795 3.9915 5.0955 6.0898 6.9859 7.5199 7.6393 5.0002
run 3 0 2.6971 4.0326 5.1639 6.1103 7.0010 7.5387 7.7311 5.0343
run 4 0 2.7072 4.0568 5.1973 6.1774 7.0583 7.6196 7.8057 5.0778
T9 = Ta = Tx leads to division by 0

5. Calculate k for each run.

k(R1) = h P/(m2Ac) = [(hc + hr)(2 πr)]/[m2(DL)] =

k(R1) = [(6.2735+9.7691)(2 π (.005))]/[(6.0284)2(.35*.01)] = 3.9623

K
run 1 3.9623
run 2 6.5353
run 3 6.8598
run 4 7.1751
6. Compare the experimental k values to those found in the literature.

Considering the normal thermal conductivity of a brass rod is 109 W/mK, the experimental value

is greatly off. Not one of the experimental values is 10% of the value of K.

Conclusion and Recommendations

The rate of heat transfer on an item can either be improved or worsen by adding or

subtracting from the surface area of the item. The extended surface heat transfer unit is made of a

rod heated at one end to make up an extended surface for heat transfer measurement. Due to the

rod’s small diameter in comparison to its length, the thermal conductivity along the rod is

assumed to be one-dimensional with negligible heat loss from the tip. It should be noted that due

an unfamiliarity with hyperbolic trigonometry, the formula to find the m-value for each run may

be incorrect. This is of further note due to the low calculated thermal conductivity of the brass

rod compared to its actual value of 109.