Unit-II Fins / Extended

surfaces
Fins-Extended surfaces

1. The convection coefficient h could be increased by increasing the fluid velocity or/and the fluid temperature
could be reduced. However, increasing h even to the maximum possible value is often insufficient to obtain the
desired heat transfer rate or the costs related to blower or pump power required to increase h may be
prohibitive.
2. The second option of reducing T∞ is often impractical.
3. The heat transfer rate may be increased by increasing the surface area across which convection occurs. This
may be done by using fins that extend from the wall into the surrounding fluid. The thermal conductivity of the
fin material has a strong effect on the temperature distribution along the fin and thus the degree to which the
heat transfer rate is enhanced.
Fins configuration
Fins – types
Temperature distribution and heat dissipation in fin
Temperature distribution and heat dissipation in fin
The general solution for temperature distribution is
Fins boundary conditions
Databook
Applications of fins
1. Cooling of electronic components
2. Cooling of motor-cycle engines.
3. Cooling of small-capacity compressors
4. Cooling of transformers
5. Cooling of radiators and refrigerators etc.
The following assumptions are made for the analysis of heat flow through the fin :
• Steady state heat conduction.
• No heat generation within the fin.
• Uniform heat transfer coefficient (h) over the entire surface of the fin.
• Homogeneous and isotropic fin material (i.e. thermal conductivity of material
constant).
• Negligible contact thermal resistance.
• Heat conduction is one-dimensional.
• Negligible radiation.
Fin efficiency (ηfin)
• The efficiency of a fin is defined as the ratio of the actual heat
transferred by the fin to the maximum heat transferable by fin, if
entire fin area were at base temperature.
Fin effectiveness (εfin)

Effectiveness of fin is the ratio of the fin heat transfer rate to the heat
transfer rate that would exist without a fin.

Infinite long fin

Long Fins: Fins are typically considered "long" when their L/D ratio is sufficiently high. In the context of heat transfer,
fins are considered long when L/D is greater than or equal to 10. In this regime, temperature distribution along the fin
can be assumed to vary linearly, simplifying heat transfer analysis.

Short Fins: Fins are considered "short" when their L/D ratio is relatively low. For heat transfer analysis, fins with L/D
ratios less than 10 are often considered short. In this case, temperature distribution along the fin cannot be assumed
to vary linearly, and more complex analytical or numerical methods may be necessary to accurately model heat
transfer.

L- length of the fin

D- thickness (or) Diameter of fin
Tutorial
1. A very long 25 mm diameter copper (k = 380 W/m.K) rod extends from a surface at 120℃.
The temperature of surrounding air is 25℃ and the heat transfer coefficient over the rod is
10 W/m2.K.
Calculate: (i) Heat loss from the rod,
(ii) How long the rod should be to be considered infinite?
2. A steel fin (k = 54 W/m.K) with a cross-section of an equilateral triangle, 5 mm inside is 80 mm long.
It is attached to a plane wall maintained at 400℃. The ambient air temperature is 50℃ and unit
surface conductance is 90 W/m2.K Calculate the heat dissipation rate from the rod.
3. One end of a copper rod (k = 380 W/m.K), 300 mm long is connected to a wall which is maintained at 300 ℃. The other end
is firmly connected to the other wall at 100℃. The air is blown across the rod so that the heat transfer coefficient of
20 W/m2.K is maintained. The diameter of the rod is 15 mm and the temperature of air is 40 ℃.
Determine. (i) the Net heat transfer rate to air, (ii) The heat conducted to the other end which is at 100 ℃.
CONCEPT OF FIN AREA
CONCEPT OF CORRECTED FIN LENGTH

• The solution in the case of the fin of finite length, losing heat by convection from its free end (actual case) is
very tedious.
• To avoid complex calculations, the heat loss from the fin tip can be approximated by increasing the fin length
by (friction length) and assuming the fin of insulated tip.
4. An aluminium alloy fin (k = 200 W/m.K), 3.5 mm thick and 2.5 cm long protrudes from a wall. The
base is at 420℃ and ambient air temperature is 30℃. The heat transfer coefficient may be taken
as 11 W/m2.K. Find the heat loss and fin efficiency, if the heat loss from fin tip is negligible.
5. Three identical straight fins, 10 mm in diameter and 120 mm long are exposed to an ambient with convective heat
transfer coefficient of 32 W/m2.K. Compare their efficiency and relative heat flow performance. The three fin materials
and their thermal conductivities are .
Copper : 380 W/m.℃
Aluminium: 210 W/m.℃
Mild steel: 45 W/m.℃
Assume the fin is short and end insulated
 The calculated values of all materials are tabulated below.

The heat dissipation rate by mild steel fin is the least, and the fin efficiency of mild steel fin is also low, due to its low
value of thermal conductivity. The efficiency of the copper fin is the highest. The fin efficiency with the same
material can also improved if the fins are made short.
An aluminium heat sink for electronics components has a base of length 50 mm and a width 70 mm. The eight aluminium
(k = 180 W/m.K) fins are attached in such a way that their width is 70 mm. The fins are 12 mm long, and 3 mm thick. The
fins cooled by air at 25℃ with a convective heat transfer coefficient of h = 10 W/m 2.K Assuming that the same value of
heat transfer coefficient acts on the tip of the fins as along the rest of the external surface, determine :
(i) the heat flow through the heat sink for a base temperature of 50 ℃,
(ii) the fin effectiveness,
(iii) the fin efficiency,
(iv) the length of the fin such that the heat flow is 95% of the heat flow for an infinite long fin,
(v) the percentage increase in heat transfer with fins.
Data book formula
A hot surface at 100℃ is to be cooled by attaching 3 cm long, 0.25 cm diameter aluminium fins (k = 237 W/m.K) to it, with
a centre-to-centre distance of 0.6 cm. The temperature of surrounding air is 30 ℃ and heat transfer coefficient on surface
is 35 W/m2.K. Calculate the rate of heat transfer from the surface for a 1 m x 1 m section of the plate. Also determine the
overall effectiveness of the fins.
A circumferential rectangular fins of 140 mm wide, and 5 mm thick are fitted on a 200 mm diameter tube. The
fin base temperature is 170o C and the ambient temperature is 25oC. Estimate fin efficiency and heat loss per
fin. Take
Thermal conductivity, k = 220 W/mK.
Heat transfer co-efficient, h = 140 W/m2K.
A stainless-steel cylindrical rod fin of 1.2 cm diameter and 6 cm height with thermal
conductivity of 25 W/mK is exposed to surroundings with a temperature of 60oC. The heat
transfer co-efficient is 45 W/m2K and the temperature at the base of the fin is 100oC.
Determine
1. Fin efficiency
2. Temperature at the edge of the rod.
3. Heat dissipation
4. Fin effectiveness.
Assume fin end is insulated
Transient Heat Conduction
• Till now, steady state heat transfer was assumed, i.e. the temperature within the
solid was only a function of position and did not depend on time, i.e.
mathematically, T = T(x, y, z)
• In transient conduction, the temperature depends not only on the position in the
solid but also on time. So, mathematically, this can be written as T = T(x, y, z, t),
where t represents the time coordinate
Two types of transient conduction may be identified:
(a) Periodic heat flow problem, where the temperatures vary on a regular, periodic
basis, e.g. in I.C. engine cylinders, alternate heating and cooling of earth during a
24-hour cycle (by the sun) etc.
(b) Non-periodic heat flow problems, where temperature varies in a non-linear
manner with time
For one dimensional conduction, in Cartesian coordinates, we have
lumped system analysis
• When the physical size of the body is very small or when the thermal conductivity
of the material of the body is very large, temperature gradients within the body
will be very small and may be neglected.
• In such a case, the temperature within the body is only a function of time and is
independent of spatial coordinates, i.e. the whole body acts as a lump and
temperatures of all points within the body decrease (or increase if the object is
being heated) uniformly en-mass.
• The heat transfer process from the body, in this case, is controlled by the
convection resistance at the surface rather than by the conduction resistance in the
solid. Such an analysis, where the internal resistance of the body for heat
conduction is negligible and the whole body may be treated as a lump as far as
temperature increase or decrease is concerned, is known as lumped system
analysis.
APPROXIMATE SOLUTION
Systems with Negligible Internal Resistance : Lumped System Analysis
Consider a solid of volume V, surface area As, thermal conductivity k, density ρ,
specific heat C and initially at uniform temperature, Ti is suddenly immersed in a
well-stirred fluid, kept at uniform temperature T∞. The heat is dissipated by
convection into a fluid from its surface, with a convection coefficient of h.
In the absence of any temperature gradient in the solid, the energy balance for the
element is :
The rate of heat flow out the solid through the boundary surface(s)
=
The rate of decrease of internal energy of the solid
The rate of heat flow out the solid through the boundary surface(s) = The rate of decrease of internal energy of the solid
where P is the constant of integration and can be evaluated from initial condition
 Biot Number
• It is defined as the ratio of internal resistance of the solid to heat flow to convection
resistance at the surfaces.
• The Biot number is required to determine the validity of the lumped heat capacity
approach. The lumped system analysis can only be applied when Bi ≤ 0.1

Lc- Characteristic dimension

Criteria for Lumped System Analysis (Biot Number and Fourier Number)

• Biot number is a measure of the temperature drop in the solid

relative to the temperature drop in the convective layer.
• It is also interpreted as the ratio of conductive resistance in the
solid to the convective resistance at its surface.
Fourier Number
• It signifies the degree of penetration of the heating or cooling effect through the solid. It is defined as the ratio
of the rate of heat conduction to the rate of thermal energy storage in the solid. It is denoted by F o and
expressed as
• For small Fo, large t will be required to get significant temperature changes

Where,
α-thermal diffusivity = k/ρCp
• The lumped system analysis is analogous to the voltage decay that occurs when a capacitor is discharged
through a resistor in an electrical R–C circuit. The equivalent circuit is shown in Figure

• In this network, the capacitor is initially charged to some potential Ti by closing the switch S.
• When the switch is opened, the energy stored in the capacitor is discharged through convection resistance
1/hAs
• The analogy between the thermal system and electrical system is apparent
A steel ball of 5 cm diameter initially at a uniform temperature of 450 0C is suddenly placed in an
environment at 1000C. Heat transfer coefficient h, between the steel ball and the fluid, is 10 W/(m2K). For
steel, cp = 0.46 kJ/(kgK), ρ = 7800 kg/m3, k = 35 W / (mK). Calculate the time required for the ball to
reach a temperature of 1500C. Also, find the rate of cooling after 1 hr.

Since Bi < 0.1, lumped system analysis is applicable

A person is found dead at 5 PM in a room whose temperature is 20°C. The
temperature of the body is measured to be 25°C when found, and the heat
transfer coefficient is estimated to be h = 8 W/m2°C. Modeling the body as a 30-
cm-diameter, 1.70-m-long cylinder, estimate the time of death of that person.
SOLUTION A body is found while still warm. The time of death is to be estimated.
Assumptions
1. The body can be modeled as a 30-cm-diameter, 1.70-m-long cylinder.
2. The thermal properties of the body and the heat transfer coefficient are constant.
3. The radiation effects are negligible.
4. The person was healthy(!) when he or she died with a body temperature of 37°C.