INTRODUCTION

Convection is the mode of energy transfer between a solid surface and the
adjacent liquid or gas that is in motion and it involves the combined effects of conduction
and fluid motion. The faster the fluid motion, the greater the convection heat transfers. In
the absence of any bulk fluid motion, heat transfer between a solid surface and adjacent
fluid is by pure conduction. The presence of bulk motion of the fluid exchanges the heat
transfer between the solid surface and the fluid but it also complicates the determination
of heat transfer rates.
Heat transfer by simultaneous conduction and convection, whether free or forced
forms the basis of most industrial heat exchanger and related equipment. The vertical
duct is so constructed that air temperature and velocity and can readily measured and a
variety of plug in modules of heated solid surfaces of known dimension can be presented
to the air stream for detailed study. A fan situated at the top of duct provides the air
stream for forced convection experiments.
In force convection, the fluids has a nonzero streaming motion in the farfield
away from the body surfaces, caused perhaps by a pump or fan or other driving force
independent of the presence of the body. For examples duct flows and bodies immersed
in a uniform stream.

OBJECTIVES

To demonstrate the relationship between power input and surface temperature in

forced convection.

To demonstrate the used of extended surface to improve heat transfer from the
surface.

To determine the temperature distribution along an extended surface.

METHODOLOGY
Experiment 1:
To demonstrate the relationship between power input and surface temperature in
forced convection.
1. The finned of heat exchanger was finned into the test duct.
2. The ambient air temperature tA was recorded.
3. The heater power was set to 50W. Before noting the heated plate temperature,t H,
the sufficient time should be allowed to achieve the steady state condition.
4. The fan speed control should be set to give a reading of 0.5m/s on the thermal
anemometer.
5. The heated plate temperature, tH was recorded when reading were steady.
6. Then, this procedure was repeated at 1.0m/s and 1.5m/s.
Experiment 2:
To demonstrate the use of extended surface to improve heat transfer from the
surface.
1. The flat plate heat exchange was placed into the duct.
2. The ambient air temperature tA was recorded.
3. The heater power was set to 75W.
4. The temperature was allowed to rise until 80C, and then the heater power was
adjusted to 20W until a steady reading is obtained
5. The heated plate temperature was recorded at air velocity 0 m/s.
6. The fan control was set to give 1 m/s using the thermal anemometer.
7. This procedure was repeated for 2 for the plate.
8. The flat plate was replaced with the finned plate and the experiment was repeated.

RESULT AND DISCUSSION

EXPERIMENT 1
Finned Plate
Ambient air temperature, tA

= 28.7 oC

Power Input

= 50 Watts

Table 1: Result of Heater Temperature for Finned Plate by using three differents Air
Velocity
Air Velocity(m/s)

Heater Temperature,tH (C)

tH - tA (C)

0.5

52.3

23.6

50

21.3

1.5

44.1

15.4

Figure 1: Graph Air Velocity versus Surface temperature for Finned Plate

EXPERIMENT 2
Flat Plate
Ambient air temperature, tA

= 28.7 oC

Power Input

= 20 Watts

Table 2: Result of Heater Temperature for Flat Plate by using three differents Air Velocity
Air Velocity(m/s)

Heater Temperature,tH (C)

tH - tA (C)

82

53.3

80

51.3

72.9

44.2

Figure 2: Graph Air Velocity versus Surface Temperature for Flat Plate

EXPERIMENT 3
Pinned Plate
Ambient air temperature, tA

= 28.7 oC

Power Input

= 20 Watts

Table 3: Result of Heater Temperature for Pinned Plate by using three differents Air
Velocity

Air Velocity(m/s)

Heater Temperature,tH (C)

tH - tA (C)

79.4

50.7

45.1

16.4

38.8

10.1

Figure 3: Graph Air Velocity versus Surface Temperature for Pinned Plate

According to the experiment which was observed, this experiment was run to
determine the force convection which showed the air velocity vs surface temperature. In
this experiment, it was also used to study the effectiveness and the relationship between
surface temperature and air velocity. There had three types of surface which were flat
plate, finned plate and pinned plate. Based on the experiment and theory, the surface
temperature was calculated by tH tA which tH is stand for heater temperature while tA is
stand for ambient temperature or well known as room temperature.
In experiment forced convection heat transfer there are three sub experiments are
involved. For experiment 1, the power input used is 50 Watts with three different air
velocity which is 0.5, 1, 1.5 m/s. For experiment 2 and 3 the power input used is 20 Watts
with the air velocity of 0, 1, 2 m/s. Notes that all the air velocity was being measured by
using additional thermal Anemometer. The ambient room temperature was being recorded
before run this experiment and its uniformly at 28.7 oC. So, the temperature of Heater
Temperature (tH) must be minus with the Ambient Air Temperature (tA) in order to get the
surface temperature for each plates. Overall, this experiment was being done in order to
observe the correlation between the air velocity to the surface temperature by change of
surface type which is finned plate surface, flat plate surface and pinned plate surface.
From Table and Figure 1 for Finned Plate, the initial surface temperature recorded
is 23.6oC at the air velocity of 0.5 m/s. Then its keep decreasing to 21.3oC with the air
velocity at 1m/s. Then at the air velocity of 1.5m/s, the surface temperature of the Finned
Plate indicates is 15.4 m/s. Besides, based on the Table and Figure 2 for Flat Plate, the
initial surface temperature is 53.3oC at the air velocity of 0 m/s. Then, its also keeping
decreasing to 51.3oC at the air velocity of 1 m/s. Then, at the air velocity of 2 m/s, the
surface temperature of the Flat Plate is 44.2oC. Lastly for Pinned Plate on Table and
Figure 3, the initial surface temperature recorded is 50.7oC at the air temperature of 0
m/s. Then its also decreasing drastically to 16.4oC at the air velocity of 1 m/s. At the air
velocity equal to 2 m/s, the surface temperature of Pinned Plate is 10.1oC.

From the experiment, the high amount of heat transfer showed big surface area. In
this analysis, the function of air is to remove heat from the surface which caused the
surface temperature decreased. When the surface area of the plate contact to the air, the
temperature will decrease and the temperature distribution will occur. It also showed that
the higher velocity of air the lower surface temperature of each plates. According to the
theory, more heat is transferred if the air velocity is increased over the heated surface.
Therefore a heated surface experiencing forced convection will have a lower surface
temperature than that of the same surface in free convection for the same power input. In
terms of surface area, heat transfer from an object can also be improved by increasing the
surface area in contact with the air. So, the extended surface which is Finned and Pinned
gives an extra heat being transferred compared to the flat plate since both of it indicates
the lower surface temperature.

CONCLUSION
This experiment is to demonstrate the relationship between power input and
surface temperature in forced convection. When air velocity increased, the surface
temperature of the finned plated will turn to decrease. The second objective was run to
demonstrate the used of extended surface to improve heat transfer from the surface. In the
experiment, the pinned plate shows high surface area compared to the flat plate. Extended
surface make the total surface of the plate become greater. In the same power input, the
air removes the heat from extended surface and the temperature turn to decrease. When
the surface contacted to the air, temperature distribution will occur. According to the
experiment, when the velocity increases, the surface plate temperature turns to be
decreased.

APPENDIX
SAMPLE CALCULATION
Experiment 1
Air Velocity (m/s) = 0.5 m/s
Ambient air temperature, tA = 28.7 C
Heater Temperature, tH = 52.3C
tH tA = 52.3 - 28.7C
= 23.6C
Experiment 2
Air Velocity (m/s) = 0.0 m/s
Ambient air temperature, tA = 28.7 C
Heater Temperature, tH = 82.0C
tH tA = 82.0C - 28.7C
= 53.3C
Experiment 3

Air Velocity (m/s) = 0.0 m/s

Ambient air temperature, tA = 28.7 C
Heater Temperature, tH = 79.4C
tH tA = 79.4C - 28.7C
= 50.7C

REFERENCES
1. White, F.M Fluid` Mechanics, 4^ Ed., McGraw-Hill, Singapore, 1999
2. Debler, W. R. FluidMechanics Fundamental, Prentice-Hall, London, 1990
3. Bertin, J.J Engineering FluidMechanics, Prentice-Hall, London, 1984
4. McCabe, W.L, Smith, J.C and Harriott, P. Unit Operations of Chemical
Engineering, 5``1., McGraw-Hill, New York, 1993
5. Yunus A Cengel, Heat Transfer A Practical Approach, McGraw-Hill, New York,
2004

UNIVERSITI KUALA LUMPUR

Malaysian Institute of Chemical & Bioengineering
Technology

CLB 21003
HEAT TRANSFER

Laboratory Report
FORCED CONVECTION HEAT TRANSFER
Date of experiment:
2 October 2007
Date of Submission:
11 October 2007

PREPARED BY:
Mohd Zulkifli bin Ramly
55201207349
LECTURER: MISS RAPIDAH