Fins

Why are fins used?

To increase surface area, thus increasing the rate of convection.

How can we increase the rate of convection?

 Increasing surface area (As): Practical, by introducing fans.
 Increasing convection heat transfer coefficient (h): Costly. Requires fan or blower to
increase fluid velocity, thus increasing h.
 Decreasing environmental (surrounding) temperature: Impossible.

Examples of uses of fins:

Car radiators, motors, motor cycle engines.

External Flow

Re5x105 (Laminar)
Re5x105 (Turbulent)

 Fluid is an essential medium for convection heat transfer.

 It is essential to understand the dynamics of fluid flow to understand temperature
field.

Eulerian Method: Used when fluid particles are closely packed (in daily real life)
Lagrangian Method: Used when particles are loosely packed (space)

Types of Flows:
 Flow over objects: Relevant in real life, such as, flow over a car, flow over airplane,
flow over turbine blades.
 Flow through objects: Relevant in any industry, such as, flow through pipes, flow
through ducts, flow through channels.

Boundary Layer concept (BL concept): Flow over/through a body has two regions, boundary
layer region and free stream region (outside the BL).

It is important to understand flow over a flat plate because it helps in understanding more
complex flows such as flow over car, planes, etc.

In flow over a flat plate, the shear force originating from the plate propagates into the fluid
medium because the fluid is trying to move while the plate is fixed.
Bernoulli’s equation is not applicable in BL region because viscosity effects are significant, it
is only applicable in free stream region.

 Nusselt number (Nu): A number that links between conduction and convection heat
transfer.
 Reynolds number (Re): A function of x that varies along the length of the plate. It
used to determine if the flow is laminar or turbulent.
 Prandtl number (Pr): A number that links velocity BL to thickness BL.

We can make laminar flow above 5x105 by making the surface area extra smooth (not rough
at all).

Drag force is used to determine friction on surface of cars, planes, etc.

Pressure Stress: Normal force per unit area.

Shear Stress: Shear force per unit area.

Mixed flow: Begins laminar, ends turbulent.

Internal Flow

Re2300 (Laminar)
Re2300 (Turbulent)

No slip condition occurs at the pipe wall because it is fixed (velocity is zero)

As we move away from the pipe wall, the velocity increases and a boundary layer develops.

Critical Length (xc): is the distance required for the flow to be fully developed.

Hydrodynamic Entry Length: The length required for the flow to be fully developed.

Tubes have a small diameter, ducts (pipes) have large diameters.

Double Tube (fluid inside, fluid outside), it acts as a heat exchanger.

It is safer to use longer pipes as a safety measure.

 Heat Exchanger

Mechanical device that facilitates heat transfer between a hot fluid and a cold fluid.

Heat exchangers based on construction:

 Finned: Fin temperature = tube temperature
 Unfinned: Flows are perpendicular
 Shell & Tube: Save area but expensive
 Concentric: Easy

Heat exchangers based on flow:

 Counter: Fluids travel in opposite directions
 Parallel: Both fluids travel in the same direction
 Cross: Fluids are perpendicular

Heat exchanger analysis can be done through:

 Log-mean temperature difference (LMTD)
 Effectiveness-NTU (E-NTU)
 Combination of both.

In a heat exchanger, there is an exchange of heat between hot and cold fluids: hot fluid
loses heat, cold fluid gains heat.

NTU is a dimensionless parameter that is significant in heat exchanger’s performance.

Mixed fluid (one direction)

Unmixed fluid (Two directions)