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INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL ON INNOVATIONS IN MECHANICAL AND

AUTOMOTIVE RESEARCH EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF PIN FIN TEST RIG
FOR HEAT TRANSFER IN NATURAL CONVECTION

Article · July 2015

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 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL ON INNOVATIONS IN MECHANICAL AND
AUTOMOTIVE RESEARCH

ISSN : 2395-4493, Vol. 1, Issue 2, June-2015, pp. 125-135

EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF PIN FIN TEST RIG FOR HEAT

TRANSFER IN NATURAL CONVECTION

Niket Pawar1, Tanmay Sundar2, Shrikant Patil3, Sagar Malape4 N. B. Totla5

1,2,3,4
Department of Mechanical Engineering, MIT Academy of Engineering, Alandi (D).

5
Assistant Professor ,Department of Mechanical Engineering, MIT Academy of Engineering, Alandi (D).

ABSTRACT
The present paper covers the experimental study and analysis of heat transfer in natural convection for a
pin type of extended surface. Extended surfaces or fins are used to increase the heat transfer by increasing
the surface area and reducing the resistance for convective heat transfer. The proposed work is concerned
with experimental set up for natural convection heat transfer over the pin-fin surface. The objective of the
present work is to find out the temperature distribution, heat flow rate, effectiveness of fins and fin
efficiency on pin-fin surfaces.
Keywords - Conduction, Convection, Effectiveness, Heat transfer rate, Pin fin Efficiency, Pin fin,
Temperature distribution.

1. INTRODUCTION stresses in the components & shortens the

Now-a-day’s residual heat is
produced in large number of engineering
equipment needed to be dissipated to
atmosphere. If the heat is not removed then
the equipment tends to fail due to
overheating. During the conversion of one
form of energy into the other form of energy
losses of energy takes place. The large
amount of energy is lost in the form of
thermal energy i.e. heat. Heat is transient
form of energy. Heat transfer is an important
parameter for the proper & efficient working
of the all the mechanical as well as
electronics components. Engines,
condensers, transformers, etc. possesses
large amount residual heat energy generated
during the working of these equipments.
This heat generated causes development of
life of the components. Hence, there is need
of increasing the heat transfer rates from the
main body to the atmosphere.
Now considering the heat transfer
equation, which gives the rate of heat
transfer from any surface without fins.
Qconv = h As ∆T ... 01
From this formula we can extract
few ways to increase the heat transfer and
those are,
 Increase the convection heat transfer
coefficient h.
 Increase the surface area ‘As’.
 Increase the temperature difference.
But, increasing ‘h’ may require the
installation of a pump or fan Or replacing
the existing one with a larger one. For

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ISSN : 2395-4493, Vol. 1, Issue 2, June-2015, pp. 125-135

natural convection processes it is not examine heat transfer in a fin as a way of

possible to increase the convective heat defining some criteria for design.
transfer coefficient. For the given conditions
the temperature difference remains constant. Here, we are considering the Pin
The remaining alternative is to increase the type fin with the uniform cross sectional
surface area by attaching extended surfaces. area. Practically for adequately long length
Hence, heat transfer inside flow passages and thin fin the heat transfer at the tip is
can be enhanced by using passive surface negligible so we can consider the tip of the
modifications such as rib tabulators, pin fin as insulated. Several assumptions
protrusions, pin fins and dimples. In most of were taken into consideration during the
the cases fins are used to enhance the heat analysis of heat transfer through the pin fin
transfer. are as follows:
This paper concerns about the Study,  Heat conduction is along the X-
Design, Development & Testing of Pin Fin
direction under steady state
test Rig for natural convection to find out
 Convective heat transfer coefficient
Temperature distribution, Heat flow rate,
over the fin is uniform over the
Effectiveness of fins & Fin efficiency.
entire surface.
 There is no heat generation within
2. DESIGN METHODOLOGY the fin
There are two main ways to increase  Material is isotropic i.e. ‘K’ is
the heat transfer rate i.e. either by increasing constant
h or by increasing the surface area.
 Base temperature is maintained at
Generally it is not possible to increase the
constant too.
convective heat transfer coefficient. So we
are left with the only alternative of
increasing the effective surface area by
using fins or extended surfaces.
There are large number of fins are
available with different geometries. The
geometry of the fins required is selected
based on the cost, efficiency, performance,
weight, availability of space, pressure drop
in the heat transfer fluid, etc. Fins are used
in a large number of applications to increase
the heat transfer from surfaces. Typically, Fig. 2.1 Geometry of pin fin
the fin material has a high thermal The rate of heat transfer through the pin fin
conductivity. The fin is exposed to a flowing with insulated tip is given by,
fluid, which cools or heats it, with the high
thermal conductivity allowing increased heat Q h.P.k. A. 0 . tanh(mL)
…(03)
being conducted from the wall through the
fin. The design of cooling fins is
encountered in many situations and we thus Q  tanh(mL) ....(04)

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ISSN : 2395-4493, Vol. 1, Issue 2, June-2015, pp. 125-135

From the above equations a graph of

‘pin fin efficiency v/s mL’ is plotted. As the
value of mL or L increases the value of
tanh(mL) increases rapidly and then slowly
decreases and finally it becomes asymptotic
at mL≈3.
Hence from the graph for 100% efficiency
of the pin fin, value of mL approaches to 3.
By considering the above condition and
from the graph we can assume the value for
mL.

Fig. 3.1 Experimental test rig

Specifications:
 Diameter of pin fin, d = 10mm.
 Length of pin fin, L = 22cm.
 Thermal conductivity of fin material
(Brass) = 109.5 W/mK
For efficiencies around 70%, mL = 1.3  Temperature indicator = 0 – 600 0C.
 Dimmerstat for heat input control
Here 260V, 2 Amps.
hP
m  Heater = 500 watts (Band type).
kA
 Voltmeter = 0 – 480 V.
Where,  Ammeter = 0 – 5 Amps.
 h = Convective heat transfer
coefficient MS rod of Ø 40 × 100 mm is used as the
main heating body which is enclosed in the
 P = Perimeter band heater. Pin fin of Brass (Cu70, k =
109.5 W/mK) of dimensions Ø 10 × 220
 k = Thermal conductivity of brass mm is attached to MS heating body.
 A = Cross section area of pin fin
 L = Length of the fin

3. EXPERIMENTAL SETUP

We designed and manufactured the Fig 3.2 MS body and Brass fin assembly
experimental setup for current study.
Following figure shows the test rig used for
the study.
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To measure the temperatures along the
length of fin, K - type of thermocouples are
used at five equidistant points on the fin
surface at a distance of 4.25 cm as shown in
fig below
• Be sure that the steady state is
reached before taking the final
reading.
• See that throughout the experiment,
the blower is OFF.

OBSERVATIONS

Temperatures (oC)

V (A)
T0 T1 T2 T3 T4 T5 T6=T∞

Fig 3.3 Heater and fin configuration 67 0.622 105 86 79 69 64 59 32

4. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE 78 0.726 125 101 92 79 73 67 32

• Start heating the fin by switching ON
88 0.815 145 114 103 101 86 73 33
the heater element and adjust the
voltage on dimmerstat to say 70 volt 104 0.947 165 132 118 98 89 80 32
(Increase slowly from 0 to onwards)
• Allow the unit to attain steady state 114 1.040 185 151 135 112 100 90 32
condition (for 2 Hrs)
• When steady state is reached, record 125 1.125 205 162 144 119 106 94 32
the final readings T1 to T5 and also
Observations were made for different heat
record the ambient temperature
inputs and they are as follows:
reading T6.
Observation table
• Plot the graph for temperature
distribution (temperature Vs length).
• Calculate the fin efficiency and fin
effectiveness. CALCULATIONS
• Repeat the experiment for different Dimension of fin,
heat inputs. Diameter of pin (D) = 10mm
Length of pin (L) = 22cm
PRECAUTIONS Perimeter (P) = 31.416 x 10-3 m
• See that the dimmerstat is at zero Area (A) = 7.8539 x 10-5 m
position before switching ON the Coefficient of thermal conductivity
heater. of brass (k) = 109.5 W/mk
• Operate the changeover switch of
temperature indicator, gently. I. Average Surface temperature,
s =

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ISSN : 2395-4493, Vol. 1, Issue 2, June-2015, pp. 125-135

s =
VI. Rayleigh Number, Ra
= 71.4°C
II. Mean film temperature, Ra = Gr.Pr
= 3657.18 × 0.701072
∞
Tmf = = 2563.94
=
VII. Nusselt Number, Nu
= 51.7 °C Nu = C(Ra)n

III. For Tmf = 51.7 °C Properties of Dry Table 1: Values for C and n for Nusselt
Air Number

Dynamic Viscosity, µ = 1.96×10-5 kg/m s

Specific Heat Capacity, Cp = 1.0062
Sr.no. Ra C n
kJ/kgK
Thermal conductivity of air, k = 2.813×10-
2 10-10 to
W/m K 1. 0.675 0.058
10-2
Kinematic Viscosity, ν = 1.804×10-5 m2/s
Prandtl Number, Pr = 0.7012
2. 10-2 to 102 1.020 0.148

3. 102 to 104 0.850 0.188

Now,
∆T = Ts - T∞
= 71.4 – 32 4. 104 to 107 0.480 0.250
= 39.4 °C
5. 107 to 1012 0.125 0.333
IV. Coefficient of volumetric expansion,
β From table 7.2
For 102 ≤ Ra ≤ 104, C = 0.850 and n = 0.188
β = 1/Tmf
= 1/(51.7+273)
Nu = C(Ra)n
= 3.07976×10-3 K-1
= 0.850(2563.946)0.188
= 3.71
V. Grashof Number, Gr
VIII. Heat transfer Coefficient of air to fin,

Gr =
= Also,
Nu =
= 3657.18 Hence,

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h=
=
=
= 10.46 W/mk
where, x is the distance of the thermocouple
IX. Fin Parameter, m from base surface.

m=
5. RESULTS

= 5.1 Temperature distribution

= 6.181707
Theoretical temperatures for all the sets of
X. Heat flow rate through fin, Q observations are calculated and they are as
follows,
Q = k.A.m.θ0.tanh (mL),
Table 5.1: Temperature Distribution for Set
where θ0 = Th – T∞ 1
Q = 109.5 × 7.8539 × 10-5 × 6.181707 × (86
- 32) × tanh (6.181707×10×10-3) Voltage = 67 V
Set 1
Current = 0.622 A
Q = 3.40 W
Fin Actual Theoretical
Sr.N Lengt Temperatu Temperatu
XI. Fin efficiency
o. h, re, re
o o
η= × 100 (cm) ( C) ( C)
η= 1. 4.25 86 90.53
2. 8.5 79 80.12
η = 64.44 %
3. 12.5 69 73.39
4. 17 64 68.85
XII. Effectiveness of fin 5. 21.25 59 67.2

E=
=
= 56.70
XIII. For Theoretical Temperatures,
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Table 5.3: Temp. Distribution for Set 3

Voltage = 88 V Current
Set 3
= 0.815 A
Fin Actual Theoretical
Sr.No. Length, Temperature, Temperature
(cm) (oC) (oC)
Graph of Temp Vs Fin length (Set 1) 1. 4.25 114 121.36
Table 5.2 Temp. Distribution for Set 2 2. 8.5 103 104.47
3. 12.5 101 93.62
Set 2 Voltage = 78V
4. 17 86 86.32
Current = 0.726 A
5. 21.25 73 83.67
Sr.N Fin Actual Theoretical
o. Lengt Temperatu Temperatu
h, re, re
(cm) (oC) (oC)
1. 4.25 101 106.02
2. 8.5 92 92.42
3. 12.5 79 83.65
4. 17 73 77.75
Temperature Vs Fin length (Set 3)
5. 21.25 67 75.6

Temp Vs Fin length (Set 2)

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Table 5.4: Temperature Distribution Table 5.5: Temperature Distribution

Set 4 Voltage = 104 Set 5 Voltage = 114 V

Current =0.947 Current = 1.04 A
Sr.N Fin Actual Theoretical Sr.N Fin Actual Theoretical
o. Lengt Temperatu Temperatu o. Lengt Temperatu Temperatu
h re, re h, re, re
(cm) (oC) (oC) (cm) (oC) (oC)
1. 4.25 132 136.73 1. 4.25 151 151.78
2. 8.5 118 116.59 2. 8.5 135 128.2
3. 12.5 98 103.67 3. 12.5 112 113.1
4. 17 89 94.98 4. 17 100 102.98
5. 21.25 80 91.83 5. 21.25 90 99.31

Temperature Vs Fin length (Set 4)

Temperature Vs Fin length

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ISSN : 2395-4493, Vol. 1, Issue 2, June-2015, pp. 125-135

Table 5.6: Temperature Distribution

Set Voltage =125 V

6 Current = 1.125 A
Theoretica
Actual
Fin l
Sr. Temperatu
Length, Temperat
No. re, Graph of Heat flow rate Vs Heat Input
(cm) ure
(oC) 5.3 Convective Heat Transfer Coefficient
(oC)
1. 4.25 162 167.08
2. 8.5 144 140.2
3. 12.5 119 123.01
4. 17 106 111.5
5. 21.25 94 107.32
Graph of Heat transfer Coefficient of air to
fin Vs Heat Input

5.4 Nusselt Number Vs Rayleigh

Number

Graph of Temperature Vs Fin length (Set

6)

5.2 Heat flow rates

8.5 Thermal Analysis

Set 1 - Voltage = 67 V Current = 0.622 A

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Set 5 – Voltage = 114 V Current =

1.04 A
Set 2 - Voltage = 78 V Current = 0.726 A

Set 6 - Voltage =125 V Current = 1.125 A

Set 3 - Voltage = 88 V Current = 0.815 A

DISCUSSIONS

 As it can be seen from the graph the

Set 4 - Voltage = 104 V Current =0.947 A temperature decreases as we move from
base surface to the end of fin.
 Theoretical temperatures and practical
temperatures are almost similar.

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 For the same fin, as the heat input increases
the effectiveness and efficiency tends to
decrease.
 The convective heat transfer coefficient is
increasing with increase in heat input.
 The heat flow rate is also increasing with the
increase in heat input.
 From all the thermal analysis results from
ANSYS, the temperature distribution can be
observed.
 From the ANSYS results, it can be observed
that the temperatures near the base surface
are higher.
 The Temperature results obtained from
ANSYS simulation are almost similar to
temperature obtained from experimentation.
6. ADVANTAGES
1. It is a simple setup for observation and
investigation of any type of fins used in
many application.
2. It is simple in construction least expensive
and accurate tool for determining the heat
flow rates when fins are used.
3. Temperature distribution can be easily
calculated and graphical representation can
be done efficiently
4. Different types of pins can be used instead
of pin fin and their efficiencies can be
estimated.
CONCLUSIONS
1. The temperature distribution along the fin
length has negative gradient i.e. temperature
reduces as along the fin length.
2. Consideration about insulated tip is true i.e.
as fin tip temperature is equal to the ambient
temperature, fin tip can be considered as
insulated
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3. Effectiveness of the finned surface is more
than one which shows that increased heat
transfer rate.
4. Theoretical temperature values along the fin
length are approximately equal to the actual
experimental values. Small deviation is
considerable.
REFERENCES
1. J. P. Holman, “Heat Transfer Tenth
Edition” McGraw-Hill, 2010, 45-57
2. David Ramthun, “An Experimental
Study of a Pin-Fin Heat Exchanger”
Naval Postgraduate School, 2003.
3. U S Gawai, Mathew V K, Murtuza S D ,
“Experimental Investigation of Heat
transfer by PIN FIN” International
Journal of Engineering and Innovative
Technology (IJEIT), 7, 2013, 202-204.
4. N. Sahiti, F. Durst, A. Dewan, “Heat
transfer enhancement by pin elements”,
International Journal of Heat and Mass
Transfer, 48, 2005, 4738–4747
5. D.Roncati, “Iterative calculation of the
heat transfer coefficient”, Progettazione
Ottica Roncati, 2006.
6. Lienhard, John H. IV; “A Heat Transfer
Textbook (4th ed.)”, Cambridge, MA:
Phlogiston Press,
2011, ISBN 9780486479316