LEARNING UNIT 3: EXTENDED SURFACES (FINS)

Learning outcomes
After studying this unit, you should be able to

• recognise the fin equation and the two general solutions to the equation
• write boundary conditions for (a) very long fins, (b) insulated tip fins, (c) convective
tip fins and (d) fins with a specified tip temperature.
• apply the boundary conditions to the fin equation and obtain a temperature profile.
• apply the temperature profile to Fourier Law to obtain a heat flow through the
fin.
• apply the concept of fin efficiency to define an equivalent thermal resistance for a
fin.

3.1. Introduction
The heat that is conducted through a body must frequently be removed (or delivered)
by some convection process. This is known as conduction-convection systems. For
example, the heat lost by conduction through a furnace wall must be dissipated to the
surroundings through convection. In heat-exchanger applications a finned-tube
arrangement might be used to remove heat from a hot liquid. The heat transfer from
the liquid to the finned tube is by convection. The heat is conducted through
the material and finally dissipated to the surroundings by convection. Obviously, an
analysis of combined conduction-convection systems is very important from a
practical standpoint.

The rate of heat transfer from a surface at a temperature Ts to the surrounding medium
at T∞ is given by Newton’s law of cooling as

𝑄𝑄̇𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐 = ℎ𝐴𝐴𝑠𝑠 (𝑇𝑇𝑠𝑠 − 𝑇𝑇∞ )

where As is the heat transfer surface area and h is the convection heat
transfer coefficient.

When Ts and T∞ are fixed, two ways to increase the rate of heat transfer are:

• To increase the convection heat transfer coefficient h. This may require the
installation of a pump or fan, or replacing the existing one with a larger one, but this
approach may or may not be practical. Besides, it may not be adequate.
• To increase the surface area As by attaching to the surface extended surfaces called
fins made of highly conductive materials such as aluminium.

Finned surfaces are commonly used in practice to enhance heat transfer, and they
often increase the rate of heat transfer from a surface several fold.
Fig. 3.1: The thin plate fins of a car radiator greatly increase the rate of heat transfer to
the air (Cengel and Ghajar, 2015).

The thin plate fins of a car radiator greatly increase the rate of heat transfer to the air
(Fig.3.1).

There are a variety of innovative fin designs available as shown in Fig. 3.2.

Fig. 3.2: Some innovative fin designs (Cengel and Ghajar, 2015).

3.2 Analysis of Fins

In the analysis of fins, steady operation with no heat generation in the fin is considered,
and we assume that the thermal conductivity k of the material remains constant. For
convenience in the analysis, let us assume also that the convection heat transfer
coefficient h is constant and uniform over the entire surface of the fin. It is recognised
that the convection heat transfer coefficient h, in general, varies along the fin as well
as along its circumference, and its value at a point is a strong function of the fluid
motion at that point. The value of h is usually much lower at the fin base than it is at
the fin tip because the fluid is surrounded by solid surfaces near the base, which
seriously disrupt its motion to the point of “suffocating” it, while the fluid near the fin
tip has little contact with a solid surface and thus encounters little resistance
to flow. Therefore, adding too many fins on a surface may decrease the overall heat
transfer when the decrease in h offsets any gain resulting from the increase in the
surface area.
3.2.1 Fin Equation

Consider the one-dimensional fin exposed to a surrounding fluid at a

temperature T∞ as shown in Fig. 3.3. The temperature of the base of the fin is T0. Let
the cross-sectional area of the fin be Ac and the perimeter be P.

Fig. 3.3: Volume element of a fin at location x having a length of Δx, cross-
sectional area of Ac, and perimeter of P (Cengel and Ghajar, 2015).

We approach the problem by making an energy balance on an element of the fin of

length Δx as shown in the figure. Thus

Energy in left face = energy out right face + energy lost by convection

or

𝑄𝑄̇𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐,𝑥𝑥 = 𝑄𝑄̇𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐,𝑥𝑥+∆𝑥𝑥 + 𝑄𝑄̇𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐 (3.1)

where,

𝑄𝑄̇𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐 = ℎ(𝑝𝑝∆𝑥𝑥 )(𝑇𝑇 − 𝑇𝑇∞ ) (3.2)

Substituting and dividing by Δx

̇
𝑄𝑄𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐,𝑥𝑥+∆𝑥𝑥 −𝑄𝑄̇𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐,𝑥𝑥
+ ℎ𝑝𝑝 (𝑇𝑇 − 𝑇𝑇∞ ) = 0 (3.3)
∆𝑥𝑥

Taking the limit as Δx → 0

𝑑𝑑𝑄𝑄̇𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐
+ ℎ𝑝𝑝(𝑇𝑇 − 𝑇𝑇∞ ) = 0 (3.4)
𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑

Energy in left face (conduction):

 𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑
𝑄𝑄̇𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐 = −𝑘𝑘𝐴𝐴𝑐𝑐 𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑 (3.5)

Substituting (3.5) into (3.3)

𝑑𝑑 𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑
𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑
�𝑘𝑘𝐴𝐴𝑐𝑐 𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑 � − ℎ𝑝𝑝(𝑇𝑇 − 𝑇𝑇∞ ) = 0 (3.6)

Here it is noted that the differential surface area for convection is the product of the
perimeter of the fin and the differential length dx. When we combine the quantities, the
energy balance yields

𝑑𝑑2 𝑇𝑇 ℎ𝑝𝑝
𝑑𝑑𝑥𝑥2
− 𝑘𝑘𝐴𝐴 (𝑇𝑇 − 𝑇𝑇∞ ) = 0 (3.7)
𝑐𝑐

Let the temperature excess be 𝜃𝜃 = 𝑇𝑇 − 𝑇𝑇∞ . Then Equation (3.7) becomes

𝑑𝑑2 𝜃𝜃 ℎ𝑝𝑝
𝑑𝑑𝑥𝑥2
− 𝑘𝑘𝐴𝐴 𝜃𝜃 = 0 (3.8)
𝑐𝑐

ℎ𝑝𝑝
Let 𝑚𝑚2 = 𝑘𝑘𝐴𝐴 , then (3.8) becomes
𝑐𝑐

𝑑𝑑2 𝜃𝜃
𝑑𝑑𝑥𝑥2
− 𝑚𝑚2 𝜃𝜃 = 0 (3.9)

This is a differential equation.

The solution functions Eq. (3.9) are the exponential functions e−mx or emx or
constant multiples of them.

Therefore, the general solution of the differential equation is

𝜃𝜃 (𝑥𝑥 ) = 𝐶𝐶1 𝑒𝑒 𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚 + 𝐶𝐶2 𝑒𝑒 −𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚 (3.10)

where C1 and C2 are arbitrary constants, whose values are to be determined from the
boundary conditions at the base and at the tip of the fin.

We need only two conditions to determine C1 and C2 uniquely. Since the temperature
of the plate to which the fins are attached is normally known in advance, therefore,
one boundary condition is at the fin base where we have a specified
temperature boundary condition, expressed as:

𝜃𝜃 (0) = 𝜃𝜃𝑏𝑏 = 𝑇𝑇𝑏𝑏 − 𝑇𝑇∞ i.e. at 𝑥𝑥 = 0 (3.11)

The other boundary condition depends on the physical situation. This is because at
the fin tip there are several possibilities, including infinitely long fins, negligible heat
loss (idealized as an adiabatic tip), specified temperature, and convection (Fig. 3.4).
Fig. 3.4: Boundary conditions at the fin base and the fin tip (Cengel and Ghajar, 2015).

CASE 1: Infinitely Long Fin (T fin tip = T ∞). The fin is very long, and the temperature at
the end of the fin is essentially that of the surrounding fluid (θ approaches zero).

The boundary conditions are:

𝜃𝜃 = 𝜃𝜃𝑏𝑏 𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎 𝐿𝐿 = 0 and 𝜃𝜃 = 0 𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎 𝐿𝐿 = ∞

These conditions are satisfied by the function e−mx

Since 𝜃𝜃 = 𝑇𝑇 − 𝑇𝑇∞ and 𝑚𝑚 = �ℎ𝑝𝑝/𝑘𝑘𝐴𝐴𝑐𝑐 , the variation of temperature along the fin in this
case can be expressed as

𝑇𝑇(𝑥𝑥) −𝑇𝑇∞
= 𝑒𝑒 −𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚 = 𝑒𝑒 −𝑥𝑥 �ℎ𝑝𝑝/𝑘𝑘𝐴𝐴𝑐𝑐 (3.12)
𝑇𝑇𝑏𝑏 −𝑇𝑇∞
The temperature along the fin in this case decreases exponentially from Tb to T∞, as
shown in Fig. 3.5.

Fig. 3.5: A long circular fin of uniform cross section and the variation of
temperature along it (Cengel and Ghajar, 2015).

The steady rate of heat transfer from the entire fin is

𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑
𝑄𝑄̇𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙 𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 = −𝑘𝑘𝐴𝐴𝑐𝑐 𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑 ⃒𝑥𝑥=0 = �ℎ𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝐴𝐴𝑐𝑐 (𝑇𝑇𝑏𝑏 − 𝑇𝑇∞ ) (3.13)

CASE 2: Negligible Heat Loss from the Fin Tip (Adiabatic fin tip, Qfin tip= 0). In this
𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑
case, the end of the fin is insulated so that 𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑 = 0 𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎 𝑥𝑥 = 𝐿𝐿.
Fins are not likely to be so long that their temperature approaches the surrounding
temperature at the tip. A more realistic assumption is for heat transfer from the fin tip
to be negligible since the surface area of the fin tip is usually a negligible fraction of
the total fin area.

The boundary conditions are

𝜃𝜃 = 𝜃𝜃𝑏𝑏 𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎 𝑥𝑥 = 0

𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑
= 0 𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎 𝑥𝑥 = 𝐿𝐿
𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑

The application of the boundary conditions on the general solution requires that

𝜃𝜃 (0) = 𝜃𝜃𝑏𝑏 = 𝐶𝐶1 + 𝐶𝐶2

𝑚𝑚𝐶𝐶1 𝑒𝑒 𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚 − 𝑚𝑚𝐶𝐶2 𝑒𝑒 −𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚 = 0 or 𝑚𝑚( −𝐶𝐶1 𝑒𝑒 −𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚 + 𝑚𝑚𝐶𝐶2 𝑒𝑒 𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚 )

Solving these two equations simultaneously for C1 and C2 yields

𝜃𝜃𝑏𝑏
𝐶𝐶1 =
(1 + 𝑒𝑒 2𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚 )

𝜃𝜃𝑏𝑏
𝐶𝐶2 =
(1 + 𝑒𝑒 −2𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚 )

Substituting the relations for C1 and C2 into Eq. (3.10) and using the definition of the
hyperbolic

(𝑒𝑒𝑥𝑥 +𝑒𝑒−𝑥𝑥 )
cosine function cosh𝑥𝑥 = gives the desired relation for the variation of
2
temperature along the fin distribution:

𝑇𝑇(𝑥𝑥) −𝑇𝑇∞ cosh 𝑚𝑚(𝐿𝐿−𝑥𝑥)

= (3.14)
𝑇𝑇𝑏𝑏 −𝑇𝑇∞ cosh 𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚

Heat transfer from the entire fin is given by

𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑
𝑄𝑄̇𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎 𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡 = −𝑘𝑘𝐴𝐴𝑐𝑐 𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑 ⃒𝑥𝑥=0 = �ℎ𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝐴𝐴𝑐𝑐 (𝑇𝑇𝑏𝑏 − 𝑇𝑇∞ ) tanh 𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚 (3.15)

CASE 3: Specified Temperature (T fin, tip = T L)

In this case the temperature at the end of the fin (the fin tip) is fixed at a specified
temperature TL. This case could be considered as a generalization of the case of
Infinitely long Fin where the fin tip temperature was fixed at T∞.
The solution for case 3 is more involved algebraically using hyperbolic sine function
(𝑒𝑒𝑥𝑥 −𝑒𝑒−𝑥𝑥 )
sinh 𝑥𝑥 = , and the result is
2

𝑇𝑇(𝑥𝑥) −𝑇𝑇∞ [(𝑇𝑇𝐿𝐿 −𝑇𝑇∞ )/(𝑇𝑇𝑏𝑏 −𝑇𝑇∞ )] sinh 𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚+sinh𝑚𝑚 (𝐿𝐿−𝑥𝑥)

= (3.16)
𝑇𝑇𝑏𝑏 −𝑇𝑇∞ sinh 𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚

The rate of heat transfer from the fin is

𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑 cosh 𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚−[(𝑇𝑇𝐿𝐿 −𝑇𝑇∞ )/(𝑇𝑇𝑏𝑏 −𝑇𝑇∞ )]

𝑄𝑄̇𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠 𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡. = −𝑘𝑘𝐴𝐴𝑐𝑐 𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑 ⃒𝑥𝑥=0 = �ℎ𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝐴𝐴𝑐𝑐 ( 𝑇𝑇𝑏𝑏 − 𝑇𝑇∞ ) (3.17)
sinh 𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚

CASE 4: Convection from Fin Tip

The fin tips, in practice, are exposed to the surroundings, and thus the
proper boundary condition for the fin tip is convection that may also include the
effects of radiation. Consider the case of convection only at the tip. The condition at
the fin tip can be obtained from an energy balance at the fin tip.

�𝑄𝑄̇𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐 = 𝑄𝑄̇𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐 �
The boundary condition at the fin base is the same as the three previous cases while
the boundary condition at the tip is

𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑
−𝑘𝑘𝐴𝐴𝑐𝑐 𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑 ⃒𝑥𝑥=𝐿𝐿 = ℎ𝐴𝐴𝑐𝑐 [𝑇𝑇(𝐿𝐿) − 𝑇𝑇∞ ] (3.18)

Substituting the two boundary conditions into the general solution and after
manipulation, we have

𝑇𝑇 (𝑥𝑥)−𝑇𝑇∞ cosh 𝑚𝑚 (𝐿𝐿−𝑥𝑥) +(ℎ/𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚) sinh 𝑚𝑚 (𝐿𝐿−𝑥𝑥)

Convection from fin tip: = (3.19)
𝑇𝑇𝑏𝑏 −𝑇𝑇∞ cosh 𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚+(ℎ/𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚) sinh 𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚

The rate of heat transfer from the fin can be found by substituting the
temperature gradient at the base of the fin

Convection from fin tip:

𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑 sinh𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚+(ℎ/𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚) cosh 𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚

𝑄𝑄̇𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐 = −𝑘𝑘𝐴𝐴𝑐𝑐 𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑 ⃒𝑥𝑥=0 = �ℎ𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝐴𝐴𝑐𝑐 ( 𝑇𝑇𝑏𝑏 − 𝑇𝑇∞ ) cosh 𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚+(ℎ/𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚) sinh 𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚 (3.20)

Due to the complexity in finding the general solution for this case, a practical way of
accounting for the heat loss from the fin tip is to replace the fin length L in the relation
for the insulated tip case by a corrected length defined as (see Fig. 3.6)
 𝐴𝐴𝑐𝑐
𝐿𝐿𝑐𝑐 = 𝐿𝐿 + (3.21)
𝑝𝑝

Fig. 3.6: Corrected fin length Lc is defined such that heat transfer from a fin of
length Lc with insulated tip is equal to heat transfer from the actual fin of length L with
convection at the fin tip.

Using the proper relations for Ac and p, the corrected lengths for rectangular and
cylindrical fins are easily determined to be
𝑡𝑡
𝐿𝐿𝑐𝑐, 𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟 𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 = 𝐿𝐿 + 2 (3.22)

𝐷𝐷
𝐿𝐿𝑐𝑐, 𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐 𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 = 𝐿𝐿 + 4
(3.23)

where, t the thickness of the rectangular fins and D the diameter of the cylindrical fins.

3.2.2 Fin Efficiency

Fins are conduction-convection systems whereby heat is transferred from the surface
to the fin by conduction and from the fin to the surrounding medium by convection with
heat transfer coefficient h. The temperature of the fin is Tb at the fin base and gradually
decreases toward the fin tip. Convection from the fin surface causes the
temperature at any cross section to drop somewhat from the midsection toward the
outer surfaces (Fig. 3.7). However, the cross-sectional area of the fins is usually very
small, and thus the temperature at any cross section can be considered to be
uniform. Also, the fin tip can be assumed for convenience and simplicity to be
adiabatic by using the corrected length for the fin instead of the actual length.
Fig. 3.7: Ideal and actual temperature distribution along a fin.

In the limiting case of zero thermal resistance or infinite thermal conductivity (k → ∞),
the temperature of the fin is uniform at the base value of Tb, i.e. Tf in=Tb . The heat
transfer from the fin is maximum in this case and can be expressed as

𝑄𝑄̇𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓,𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚 = ℎ𝐴𝐴𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 (𝑇𝑇𝑏𝑏 − 𝑇𝑇∞ ) (3.24)

However, the temperature of the fin drops along the fin, and thus the heat transfer
from the fin is less because of the decreasing temperature difference T(x)−T∞ toward
the fin tip. To account for the effect of this decrease in temperature on heat transfer,
a fin efficiency is used (Eq. 3.25):
̇
𝑄𝑄𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴 ℎ𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡 𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟 𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 𝑡𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑒 𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓
𝜂𝜂𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 = 𝑄𝑄̇ = 𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼 ℎ𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡 𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟 𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 𝑡𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑒 𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 (3.25)
𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓,𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚
𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 𝑡𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑒 𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤 𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎 𝑏𝑏𝑏𝑏𝑏𝑏𝑏𝑏 𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡

Fin efficiency can also be defined as

Actual heat transferred

Fin efficiency = Heat that would be transferred (3.26)
if the entire fin were at base temperature

𝑄𝑄̇𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 = 𝜂𝜂𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 𝑄𝑄̇𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓,𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚 = 𝜂𝜂𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 ℎ𝐴𝐴𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 ( 𝑇𝑇𝑏𝑏 − 𝑇𝑇∞ ) (3.27)

where Af in is the total surface area of the fin.

For the cases of constant cross section of very long fins and fins with adiabatic tips,
the fin efficiency can be expressed as

𝑄𝑄̇𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 �ℎ𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝐴𝐴𝑐𝑐 (𝑇𝑇𝑏𝑏 −𝑇𝑇∞ ) 1 𝑘𝑘𝐴𝐴 1

𝜂𝜂𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙 𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 = ̇
= = 𝐿𝐿 � ℎ𝑝𝑝𝑐𝑐 = (3.28)
𝑄𝑄𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓,𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚 ℎ𝐴𝐴𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 (𝑇𝑇𝑏𝑏 −𝑇𝑇∞ ) 𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚

̇
𝑄𝑄𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 �ℎ𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝐴𝐴𝑐𝑐 (𝑇𝑇𝑏𝑏 −𝑇𝑇∞ )𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎 tanh 𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚
𝜂𝜂𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎 𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 = 𝑄𝑄̇ = ℎ𝐴𝐴𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 (𝑇𝑇𝑏𝑏 −𝑇𝑇∞ )
= 𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚
(3.29)
𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓,𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚

Fins with triangular and parabolic profiles contain less material and are more efficient
than the ones with rectangular profiles.

An important consideration in the design of finned surfaces is the selection of the

proper fin length L.
•The fin efficiency decreases with increasing fin length. Why?
•How to choose fin length? Increasing the length of the fin beyond a certain value
cannot be justified unless the added benefits outweigh the added cost.
•Fin lengths that cause the fin efficiency to drop below 60 percent usually cannot be
justified economically.
The efficiency of most fins used in practice is above 90 percent.
3.2.3 Fin Effectiveness

Fins are used to enhance heat transfer, and in fact, there is no assurance that adding
fins on a surface will enhance heat transfer. Therefore, the use of fins on a surface
cannot be recommended unless the enhancement in heat transfer justifies the
added cost and complexity associated with the fins. The performance of the fins is
judged on the basis of the enhancement in heat transfer relative to the no-fin
case. How effective a fin can enhance heat transfer is characterised by the fin
effectiveness which is defined as the ratio of fin heat transfer and the heat transfer
without the fin (Fig. 3.8).

𝑄𝑄̇𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻 𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡 𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟 𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 𝑡𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑒 𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜 𝑏𝑏𝑏𝑏𝑏𝑏𝑏𝑏 𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎 𝐴𝐴𝑏𝑏
𝜀𝜀𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 = 𝑄𝑄̇ = (3.30)
𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛 𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻 𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡 𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟 𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 𝑡𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑒 𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠 𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜 𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎 𝐴𝐴𝑏𝑏

where Ab is the cross-sectional area of the fin at the base and 𝑄𝑄̇𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛 𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 represents the
rate of heat transfer from this area if no fins are attached to the surface.

Fig. 3.8: The effectiveness of a fin (Cengel and Ghajar, 2015)

An effectiveness of εf in =1 indicates that the addition of fins to the surface does not
affect heat transfer at all. In order to enhance heat transfer, εf in should be greater than
1 (In case εf in<1, the fin would have no purpose as it would serve as an insulator
instead). An effectiveness of εf in >1 indicates that fins are enhancing heat transfer from
the surface, as they should. However, the use of fins cannot be justified unless εf in is
sufficiently larger than 1.

The fin efficiency and fin effectiveness are related to the performance of the fin and
are related to each other by

𝑄𝑄̇𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 ̇
𝑄𝑄𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 𝜂𝜂𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 ℎ𝐴𝐴𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 (𝑇𝑇𝑏𝑏 −𝑇𝑇∞ ) 𝐴𝐴𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓
𝜀𝜀𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 = 𝑄𝑄̇ = ℎ𝐴𝐴 = = 𝜂𝜂𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 (3.31)
𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛 𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 𝑏𝑏 (𝑇𝑇𝑏𝑏 −𝑇𝑇∞ ) ℎ𝐴𝐴𝑏𝑏 (𝑇𝑇𝑏𝑏 −𝑇𝑇∞ ) 𝐴𝐴𝑏𝑏
Therefore, the fin effectiveness can be determined easily when the fin efficiency is
known, or vice versa.

For an adiabatic fin:

𝑄𝑄̇𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 ̇
𝑄𝑄𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 �ℎ𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝐴𝐴𝑐𝑐 tanh(𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚) 𝑘𝑘𝑘𝑘
𝜀𝜀𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 = 𝑄𝑄̇ = ℎ𝐴𝐴 = = �ℎ𝐴𝐴 tanh(𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚) (3.32)
𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛 𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 𝑏𝑏 (𝑇𝑇𝑏𝑏 −𝑇𝑇∞ ) ℎ𝐴𝐴𝑐𝑐 𝑐𝑐

If the fin is long enough, mL>2, tanh(mL)→1, and hence it can be considered as infinite
fin. Hence, for long fins,

𝑄𝑄̇𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 �ℎ𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝐴𝐴𝑐𝑐 (𝑇𝑇𝑏𝑏 −𝑇𝑇∞ ) 𝑘𝑘𝑘𝑘

𝜀𝜀𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 = 𝑄𝑄̇ = = �ℎ𝐴𝐴 (3.33)
𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛 𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 ℎ𝐴𝐴𝑏𝑏 (𝑇𝑇𝑏𝑏 −𝑇𝑇∞ ) 𝑐𝑐

since Ac = Ab in this case.

Conclusions which can be drawn from the fin effectiveness relation above for
consideration in the design and selection of the fins are:

• The thermal conductivity k of the fin should be as high as possible. Use

aluminium, copper, iron.
• The ratio of the perimeter to the cross-sectional area of the fin p/Ac should be
as high as possible. Use slender pin fins.
• Low convection heat transfer coefficient h. Place fins on gas (air) side.
• consider the unfinned portion of the surface as well as the fins. Therefore, the
• rate of heat transfer for a surface containing n fins can be expressed as

When determining the rate of heat transfer from a finned surface, it is important to
consider the unfinned portion of the surface as well. Therefore, the total rate of heat
transfer from a surface with n fins can be expressed as

(3.34)
Hence, the overall effectiveness for a finned surface may be defined as the ratio of the
total heat transfer from the finned surface to the heat transfer from the same surface
if there were no fins
̇
𝑄𝑄𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡,𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 ℎ�𝐴𝐴𝑢𝑢𝑢𝑢𝑢𝑢𝑢𝑢𝑢𝑢𝑢𝑢𝑢𝑢𝑢𝑢 +𝜂𝜂𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 𝐴𝐴𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 �(𝑇𝑇𝑏𝑏 −𝑇𝑇∞ )
𝜀𝜀𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓,𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜 = 𝑄𝑄̇ = ℎ𝐴𝐴𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛 𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 (𝑇𝑇𝑏𝑏 −𝑇𝑇∞ )
(3.35)
𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡,𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛 𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓

where Ano f in is the area of the surface when there are no fins, Af in is the total
surface area of all the fins on the surface, and Aunf in is the area of the unfinned
portion of the surface (Fig. 3.9).
Fig. 3.9: Various surface areas associated with a rectangular surface with three
fins. (Cengel and Ghajar, 2015)

The overall fin effectiveness depends on the fin density (number of fins per unit length)
as well as the effectiveness of the individual fins. The overall effectiveness is a better
measure of the performance of a finned surface than the effectiveness of the individual
fins.

3.3 Proper Length of a Fin

An important step in the design of a fin is the determination of the appropriate length
of the fin once the fin material and the fin cross section are specified.

For maximum heat transfer, the fin should not necessarily be infinitely long since the
temperature drops along the fin exponentially and reaches the environment
temperature at some length. Therefore, the part of the fin beyond this length does not
contribute to heat transfer since it is at the temperature of the environment, as shown
in Fig. 3.10.

Fig. 3.10: Because of the gradual temperature drop along the fin, the region near
the fin tip makes little or no contribution to heat transfer (Cengel and Ghajar, 2015).
The proper length of a fin may be obtained by comparing heat transfer from a fin of
finite length to heat transfer from an infinitely long fin under the same conditions. The
ratio of these two heat transfers is

𝑄𝑄̇ 𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 �ℎ𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝐴𝐴𝑐𝑐 (𝑇𝑇𝑏𝑏 −𝑇𝑇∞ ) tanh(𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚)

̇
= = tanh 𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚 (3.36)
𝑄𝑄𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙 𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 �ℎ𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝐴𝐴𝑐𝑐 (𝑇𝑇𝑏𝑏 −𝑇𝑇∞ )

A common approximation used in the analysis of fins is to assume the fin temperature
to vary in one direction only (along the fin length) and the temperature variation along
other directions is negligible.

This one-dimensional approximation is a reasonable one for fins made of thin metal
sheets, but we wouldn’t be so sure for fins made of thick materials.

Studies have shown that the error involved in one-dimensional fin analysis is negligible
(less than about 1 percent) when

ℎ𝛿𝛿
< 0.2
𝑘𝑘

where δ is the characteristic thickness of the fin, which is taken to be the plate
thickness t for rectangular fins and the diameter D for cylindrical ones.

Specially designed finned surfaces called heat sinks, which are commonly used in the
cooling of electronic equipment, involve one-of-a-kind complex geometries. The heat
transfer performance of heat sinks is usually expressed in terms of their thermal
resistances R in °C/ W, which is defined as
𝑇𝑇𝑏𝑏 −𝑇𝑇∞
𝑄𝑄̇𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 = = 𝜂𝜂𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 ℎ𝐴𝐴𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 (𝑇𝑇𝑏𝑏 − 𝑇𝑇∞ ) (3.37)
𝑅𝑅

A small value of thermal resistance indicates a small temperature drop across the heat
sink, and thus a high fin efficiency.

4. Worked Examples on Fins

Example 3.1: Problem 3-127 (Cengel and Ghajar, 2020)

A 4-mm-diameter and 10-cm-long aluminum fin (k = 237 W/m⋅K) is attached to a

surface. If the heat transfer coefficient is 12 W/m2⋅K, determine the percent error in
the rate of heat transfer from the fin when the infinitely long fin assumption is used
instead of the adiabatic fin tip assumption.

Solution

Assumptions

1 Steady operating conditions exist.

2 The temperature along the fins varies in one direction only (normal to the plate).
3 The heat transfer coefficient is constant and uniform over the entire fin surface.
4 The thermal properties of the fins are constant. 5 The heat transfer coefficient
accounts for the effect of radiation from the fins.

Analysis

The expressions for the heat transfer from a fin under infinitely long fin and adiabatic
fin tip assumptions are

The percent error in using long fin assumption can be expressed as

Where,

Substituting,

Example 3.2: Problem 3-128 (Cengel and Ghajar, 2020)

Consider a very long rectangular fin attached to a flat surface such that the
temperature at the end of the fin is essentially that of the surrounding air, i.e., 20°C.
Its width is 5.0 cm; thickness is 1.0 mm; thermal conductivity is 200 W/m⋅K; and base
temperature is 40°C. The heat transfer coefficient is 20 W/ m2⋅K. Estimate the fin
temperature at a distance of 5.0 cm from the base and the rate of heat loss from the
entire fin.
Solution

Assumptions

1 Steady operating conditions exist.

2 The temperature along the fins varies in one direction only (normal to the plate).
3 The heat transfer coefficient is constant and uniform over the entire fin surface.
4 The thermal properties of the fins are constant.
5 The heat transfer coefficient accounts for the effect of radiation from the fins.

Analysis

The fin temperature at 5 cm from the base is determined from

The rate of heat loss from this very long fin is

Example 3.3: Problem 3-131 (Cengel and Ghajar, 2020)

A turbine blade made of a metal alloy (k = 17 W/m⋅K) has a length of 5.3 cm, a
perimeter of 11 cm, and a cross-sectional area of 5.13 cm2. The turbine blade is
exposed to hot gas from the combustion chamber at 973°C with a convection heat
transfer coefficient of 538 W/ m2⋅K. The base of the turbine blade maintains a constant
temperature of 450°C, and the tip is adiabatic. Determine the heat transfer rate to the
turbine blade and the temperature at the tip.
Solution

Assumptions

1 Heat conduction is steady and one-dimensional.

2 Thermal properties are constant.
3 Heat transfer by radiation is negligible.
4 The cross-sectional area of the turbine blade is uniform.

Analysis

The turbine blade can be treated as a uniform cross section fin with adiabatic tip. The
heat transfer rate to the turbine blade can be expressed as

where,

The heat transfer rate to the turbine blade is

For adiabatic tip, the temperature distribution is expressed as

The temperature at the tip of the turbine blade is

Example 3.4: Problem 3-137 (Cengel and Ghajar, 2020)

A plane wall with surface temperature of 350°C is attached with straight rectangular
fins (k = 235 W/m⋅K). The fins are exposed to an ambient air condition of 25°C, and
the convection heat transfer coefficient is 154 W/m2 ⋅K. Each fin has a length of 50
mm, a base 5 mm thick, and a width of 100 mm. Determine the efficiency, heat transfer
rate, and effectiveness of each fin, using (a) Table 3–3 and (b) Figure 3–43.

Solution

Assumptions

1 Heat conduction is steady and one-dimensional.

2 Thermal properties are constant.
3 Heat transfer by radiation is negligible

Analysis

(a) From Table 3-3, for straight rectangular fins, we have

The fin efficiency is

The heat transfer rate for a single fin is

The fin effectiveness is

(b) To use Figure 3-43, we need

Hence,

Using Figure 3-43, the fin efficiency is

ηf ≈ 0.81

The heat transfer rate for a single fin is

The fin effectiveness is

Example 3.5: Problem 3-142 (Cengel and Ghajar, 2020)

A hot surface at 100°C is to be cooled by attaching 3-cm-long, 0.25-cm-diameter

aluminium pin fins (k = 237 W/m⋅K) to it, with a center-to-center distance of 0.6 cm.
The temperature of the surrounding medium is 30°C, and the heat transfer coefficient
on the surfaces is 35 W/m2⋅K. Determine the rate of heat transfer from the surface for
a 1-m × 1-m section of the plate. Also determine the overall effectiveness of the fins.

Solution

Assumptions

1 Steady operating conditions exist.

2 The temperature along the fins varies in one direction only (normal to the plate).
3 Heat transfer from the fin tips is negligible.
4 The heat transfer coefficient is constant and uniform over the entire fin surface.
5 The thermal properties of the fins are constant.
6 The heat transfer coefficient accounts for the effect of radiation from the fins.

Analysis

Noting that the cross-sectional areas of the fins are constant, the efficiency of the
circular fins can be determined to be

The number of fins, finned and unfinned surface areas, and heat transfer rates from
those areas are
Then the total heat transfer from the finned plate becomes

The rate of heat transfer if there were no fin attached to the plate would be

Then the fin effectiveness becomes

Exercises
3.1 Obtain a relation for the fin efficiency for a fin of constant cross-sectional area Ac ,
perimeter p, length L, and thermal conductivity k exposed to convection to a medium
at T∞ with a heat transfer coefficient h. Assume the fins are sufficiently long so that the
temperature of the fin at the tip is nearly T∞ . Take the temperature of the fin at the
base to be Tb and neglect heat transfer from the fin tips. Simplify the relation for (a) a
circular fin of diameter D and (b) rectangular fins of thickness t.

𝟏𝟏 𝐤𝐤𝐤𝐤 𝟏𝟏 𝐤𝐤𝐭𝐭
Ans: (a) 𝛈𝛈𝐟𝐟𝐟𝐟𝐟𝐟,𝐜𝐜𝐜𝐜𝐜𝐜𝐜𝐜𝐜𝐜𝐜𝐜𝐜𝐜𝐜𝐜 = 𝟐𝟐𝟐𝟐 � 𝐡𝐡 (b) 𝛈𝛈𝐟𝐟𝐟𝐟𝐟𝐟,𝐫𝐫𝐫𝐫𝐫𝐫𝐫𝐫𝐫𝐫𝐫𝐫𝐫𝐫𝐮𝐮𝐮𝐮𝐮𝐮𝐮𝐮 = 𝐋𝐋 �𝟐𝟐𝐡𝐡

3.2 One end of a copper rod 30 cm long is firmly connected to a wall that is
maintained at 200°C. The other end is firmly connected to a wall that is maintained at
93°C. Air is blown across the rod so that a heat-transfer coefficient of 17 W/m2.°C
is maintained. The diameter of the rod is 12.5 mm. The temperature of the air is
38°C. What is the net heat lost to the air in watts? Ans: 122.7 W

3.3 An aluminium rod 2.0 cm in diameter and 12 cm long protrudes from a wall that
is maintained at 250°C. The rod is exposed to an environment at 15°C. The
convection heat-transfer coefficient is 12 W/m2·°C. Calculate the heat lost by the
rod. Ans: 20.89 W

3.4 An aluminium fin 1.5 mm thick is placed on a circular tube with 2.7-cm outside
diameter. The fin is 6 mm long. The tube wall is maintained at 150°C, the environment
temperature is 15°C, and the convection heat-transfer coefficient is 20W/m2·°C.
Assuming a fin efficiency of 97%, calculate the heat lost by the fin. Ans: 3.75 W

3.5 A 2.5-cm-diameter tube has circumferential fins of rectangular profile spaced

at 9.5-mm increments along its length. The fins are constructed of aluminium and are
0.8 mm thick and 12.5 mm long. The tube wall temperature is maintained at 200°C,
and the environment temperature is 93°C. The heat-transfer coefficient is 110
W/m2·°C. Calculate the heat loss from the tube per meter of length. Ans: 4159 W

3.6 A 1.5-mm-diameter stainless-steel rod [k =19 W/m·°C] protrudes from a

wall maintained at 45°C. The rod is 12 mm long, and the convection coefficient
is 500W/m2·°C. The environment temperature is 20°C. Calculate the temperature
of the tip of the rod. Ans: 0.177 W

3.7 Circular cooling fins of diameter D = 1 mm and length L = 30 mm, made of copper
(k = 380 W/m⋅°C), are used to enhance heat transfer from a surface that is maintained
at temperature Ts1 =132°C. Each rod has one end attached to this surface (x = 0),
while the opposite end (x = L) is joined to a second surface, which is maintained at
Ts2 = 0°C. The air flowing between the surfaces and the rods is also at T∞ = 0°C, and
the convection coefficient is h = 100 W/m2⋅°C.
(a) Express the function θ(x) = T(x)−T∞ along a fin and calculate the temperature at
x = L/2.
(b) Determine the rate of heat transferred from the hot surface through each fin and
the fin effectiveness. Is the use of fins justified? Why?
(c) What is the total rate of heat transfer from a 10-cm by 10-cm section of the wall,
which has 625 uniformly distributed fins? Assume the same convection coefficient for
the fin and for the unfinned wall surface. Ans: (a) 58.9 (b) 1.704 W, 164.4 (c) 1191 W

Reference

Cengel, YA . 2003. Heat and mass transfer – fundamentals & applications. 2nd edition.
McGraw Hill Education.

engel, YA & Ghajar, AJ. 2015. Heat and mass transfer – fundamentals & applications.
5th edition. McGraw Hill Education.

Cengel, YA & Ghajar, AJ. 2020. Heat and mass transfer – fundamentals &
applications. 6th edition. McGraw Hill Education.

Holman, J.P. Heat transfer. 2010. 10th edition. McGraw Hill Higher Education.