Heat Conduction in a Fin

Bilal Hussein, Qifeng Li, Matthew Lloyd

Outline

• Introduction• Background• Objectives• Materials• Safety• Procedure

• Theory• Results• Discussion• Error• Conclusion• Questions

Background

• Heat transfer is carried out via conduction, convection and radiation

• Heat conduction is the focus of this experiment• Heat conduction is the process by which heat is

directly transmitted through a substance without movement of the material

• Heat conduction is driven by temperature difference

Objective

• Determine the optimum size and material for measuring fin surface temperatures. To do this, we must:– Develop a solution to the dimensionless heat

conduction equation– Compare theoretical profile predictions with the

actual measured temperatures for each thermometer– Calculate the rate of heat removal of each fin– Compare performance of the two thermometers and

comment on their accuracy

Materials

2 pair Thermal Gloves 1 Thermocouple

3 Hot Plates1 Infrared Thermometer

Safety

• Hot plate is set to 200°C• Thermal gloves required when handling lab

equipment to prevent burns

Procedure1. Place each fin on a separate hot plate with the large fin facing the

group2. Turn on the three hot plates to 200°C3. Monitor the temperature of each plate until steady state is achieved4. Measure each fin at 1 – inch increments with the thermocouple5. Measure each fin at 1 – inch increments with the infrared

thermometer6. Rotate each fin so the short fin faces the group7. Repeat steps 3, 4 and 5 for the short fins8. Turn off the three hot plates9. Use the thermal gloves to remove the fins from the hot plates

Theory

Theory

Results - Aluminum

Results - Copper

Results - Steel

Results – Heat Loss

Results – Heat Loss

Results – Heat Loss

Results – Heat Loss