FINNED TUBE HEAT EXCHANGER

ME 314 HEAT TRANSFER AND METROLOGY LAB

HARIKRISHNAN C B 09003023

EXPERIMENT 4
AIM
: To compare and contrast between the theoretical and experimental values of

efficiency of a longitudinal fin.

APPARATUS REQUIRED:
Longitudinal fin heat exchanger. Bare pipe without fins. Steam generator to generate steam at constant pressure. The steam generator is also provided with temperature indicator and a dead weight safety valve. Measuring beaker. Stop watch.

THEORY :
When heat has to be exchanged through a resistance, we try to maximise the heat transfer coefficients. Fins are a widely used method by which we can enhance the transfer of heat. They are widely used because other factors which increase heat transfer are not easily controllable like material with which the equipment is made, temperature difference etc. Hence increasing the surface area turns out to be a good option. Fins can be of many shapes like pins, plates, nets etc. The heat is transferred to the fin by conduction and it is transferred by fins to surrounding by convection. The rate of heat transfer can be derived by solving basic equations of heat transfer and applying the appropriate boundary conditions like q at the beginning of tube and taking q through the tip of the fin = 0 etc.

Usually on the cold fluid side or where the heat coefficient rate is less, fins are fixed. If the fin is made of the same material as that of the tube, heat transfer will take place with same h but a larger q will be transferred. The efficiency of a fin is found to be equal to :

Where

, where

h is the film heat transfer coefficient from the fin surface C is the circumference of the fin K is the thermal conductivity of the fin material A is the cross sectional area L is the axial length of the fin.

PROCEDURE :
Open the drain valve provided at the bottom of steam generator and drain out the water from steam generator completely. Close the drain valve and charge 4 lit. of water through charging valve provided at the top of the steam generator and close it. Ensure that the dead weight safety valve is free. Start the electrical heater of steam generator. Initially supply full voltage to the electrical heater. Steam will start forming within about 15-20 min. of switching on the heater. During this period, keep open the valve to one of the test sections (either longitudinal fin heat exchanger or pin fin heat exchanger). Also keep the needle valve at the end of test section open. Once the steam generation starts, the finned tube heat exchanger will start getting heated up and condensate will start coming out of the needle valve provided at the bottom of condensate collector. When the test section (finned tube heat exchanger) is fully heated up, steam will start coming out of the needle valve. Once the test section (finned tube heat exchanger along with bare pipe without fins) is fully heated, drain out completely the condensate it any. Close the needle valve on condensate drain line simultaneously starting the stop-watch. Collect the condensate accumulated at an interval of 15 min. for finned tube heat exchanger and 30 min. for bare pipe. If the quantity of condensate collected is same for 2 to 3 consecutive readings (within experimental accuracy), note down the volume of condensate collected and time interval.

OBSERVATIONS :

Finned tube Height of fin (L) : Length of fin (w) Thickness of fin(b) Number of fins(N) Thermal conductivity(k) O.D. of the tube(D) Bare tube Length of tube(L) O.D. of the tube(D) Tambient

7 cm : : : : :

50 cm 3 mm 4 170 W/mK 22 cm

: : :

50 cm 22 cm 260C

FINNED TUBE

Volume filled (ml) 84 66 65 63 Volume filled (ml) 48 44

Time(minutes) 15.00 15.25 15.00 15.00 Time(minutes) 30.00 30.00

BARE TUBE

CALCULATIONS :
1. Circumference of the fin : 2. Cross-sectional area of the fin : 3. Fin area available for heat transfer : 4. Tube area available for heat transfer in the finned tube heat exchanger: AB= (D Nb) w = 0.028 m2
5.

C = 2(w+b) = 1.006 m A = w x b = 0.0015 m2 AF = C x L x N = 0.28 m2

Total area of finned tube heat exchanger:

At = AF + AB= 0.308 m2

6. Heat given out by steam through finned tube heat exchanger: Q1= m1 x = 0.07145 * 2.26 = 0.161477 KJ/sec where m1 is the mass flow rate in the finned tube and is the latent heat of vaporisation of water at steam pressure = 2.26 KJ/gram 7. Heat given out by steam through bare tube: 8. Film heat transfer coefficient of bare tube: where T = Tsteam T ambient = 74 K 9. 10. = 30.71 Q2= m2 x = 0.0255 * 2.26 = 0.0577 KJ/sec = 0.0225 kW/mK

11. Hence = 0.9999/15.35 = 0.065 12. Amount of heat actually dissipated in fin: Qfin = Q1 (AB x h x T) = 0.3048 kJ/sec 13. Amount of heat that can be dissipated by an ideal fin: Qideal = AF x h x T = 4.662 kJ/sec
14. Observed value of fin efficiency = Qfin / Qideal = 0.3048 / 4.662 = 0.065

ERROR ANALYSIS:
The length of the fins is not exactly 50 cm but a little less than it about 3cm less. If we take that into consideration, we will be able to come up with better figures. The heat transfer coefficient which we calculated cannot be applied to all surfaces on the finned heat exchanger. The fins will create boundary effect which will make the coefficient different near the bare areas near to the fin. Also there will be variable heat transfer coefficient all along the fins which we are approximating with the formulas which account into further errors in the calculations. If we take up a numerical error analysis, the error in h will turn out to be 5% as stated by a reference. Here the error in measured and theoretical value of efficiencies of fin = 0.065-0.065 is 0 which is very unlikely to happen and it shows there might be a flaw in the experiment process and calculation. The calculation of Q1 and Q2 does not include the heat involved in cooling of the water from its boiling temperature to room temperature. In Q1 it comes out to be 20.94J which compared to its value of 161.477 causes 12.9% error in Q1.

READINGS :